Together with UNHCR Ethiopia and the Government of Ethiopia, Denmark is co-organising a regional conference on comprehensive refugee response in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference brings government representatives from Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, and South Sudan together to take stock of local inclusion of refugees in the region.

Local approaches to inclusion of refugees
The countries of Eastern and the Horn of Africa are currently hosting some 3.5M refugees. Notably five countries - Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti - have committed themselves to implement the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) of the Global Compact on Refugees, and have long been committed to the agenda of inclusion of refugees. Now, it is time to focus on local approaches to inclusion to showcase good practices and discuss how to catalyse them further.

Denmark is a partner in the regions refugee response
Denmark is an important partner to several of the regions countries in their efforts towards more sustainable refugee response. Committing an estimated 1.5bn Danish Kroner between 2017-2022, the Danish Embassies in the region are implementing several programmes aimed at strengthening resilience, building livelihoods, promoting inclusive education and pushing for socio-economic empowerment and gender equality – all key activities under the rollout of comprehensive refugee response.

Best practices and lessons learned
The regional conference ‘Delivering the Global Compact on Refugees: Local Approaches to Inclusion’ is held in the spirit of partnerships and sharing of local experiences. Denmark encourages all participating governments to share their best practices and lessons learned, and to collaborate in identifying opportunities and sustainable solutions.

The valuable outcomes of the conference will feed directly into the upcoming Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December. The ideas and best practices may serve as inspiration as the whole world convenes at the Forum to pledge further commitment to the inclusion of refugees worldwide.