Emergency Trust Fund for Africa: new actions worth €134 million approved for the Horn of Africa

The European Commission has adopted eleven new programmes for the Horn of Africa under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.

Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica said: "These new EU programmes, worth over €134 million in all, have two crucial aims. First, they will create lasting solutions for refugees and internally displaced people. And second, they will support socio-economic development in vulnerable host communities in a region that has many huge challenges and the largest number of refugees – 4.5 million – in Africa. Our existing programmes have already yielded substantial results, and we want the Trust Fund to keep delivering."

Six programmes, worth €65 million, have been approved under the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework. This UNHCR initiative, strongly supported by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the World Bank and the European Union, helps refugee populations become self-sufficient and supports host communities. It is being piloted by several countries in the region.

In Djibouti, an €8 million programme will help integrate refugees into the country’s social protection systems, which cover health, education and employment rights.

In Kenya, a €17.8 million programme will boost asylum management, bolster economic self-reliance among refugees and host communities in Garissa County, and further support the development of the Kalobeyei settlement.

A €10 million programme in Sudan will fund educational support for refugee children, most of whom come from South Sudan. A second programme, worth €3 million, will support South Sudanese refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In Uganda, an €18 million programme will use initiatives such as information campaigns and more access to the justice system, including legal aid, counselling services and mobile courts, to create a safer environment in refugee-hosting districts. And an €8.2 million Urban Displacement Pilot will encourage regional exchanges of experience and expertise to tackle the rising challenge of urban displacement in Ethiopia and Uganda.

Four national programmes have also been approved. A new programme in Ethiopia worth €33.5 million will make households, communities and local authorities better equipped to manage, respond and adapt to disasters like drought and conflict.

In Sudan we are working at bringing humanitarian and development activities closer together to respond better to protracted crises. A €10 million programme will support forcibly displaced people and host communities in West Kordofan, building on the Commission’s existing humanitarian activities. Another €15 million programme will address nutrition and food security issues in Sudan’s Red Sea State.

In South Sudan, a €5 million programme will contribute towards building lasting peace and reconciliation in the country.

Last but not least, a new €5 million regional programme will make better use of financial investigation and anti-money laundering tools to disrupt human trafficking and smuggling networks.

Furthermore, two existing programmes have received additional funds. The Research and Evidence Facility (REF) will get an additional €2.5 million; an extra €3 million will be channelled into budget support for Somalia.

The total number of programmes adopted since December 2015 for the Horn of Africa region now comes to 69, with an overall value of €1.28 billion.

Background

The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa was established in 2015 to address the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement. EU institutions, EU Member States and other donors have so far allocated €4.1 billion to the Trust Fund.

With today’s 11 new programmes, the Trust Fund’s operational committees have now approved 182 programmes, including 4 cross-window programmes, worth €3 460 million in all, across the Trust Fund’s three regions (the North of Africa, the Sahel and Lake Chad region, and the Horn of Africa). This funding is divided up as follows: Sahel/Lake Chad €1 715 million (92 programmes); Horn of Africa €1 282 million (71 programmes); and North of Africa €467.1 million (19 programmes).