Dear colleagues,   

Greetings from the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) Ethiopia Country Unit. In this update, you will find information on the ReDSS displacement financing study and research plans for 2021, durable solutions trainings conducted for ReDSS members and partners, and updates on coordination meetings held during the first quarter of 2021. 

Durable Solutions Induction Training: ReDSS Ethiopia conducted a durable solutions induction training for its Ethiopia members and partners on 1st April 2021. The session focused on the ‘what’ and covered key concepts and principles of durable solutions, legal and normative foundations, ways of measuring progress towards solutions, as well as linkages between durable solutions & resilience, protection & self-reliance. It was attended by more than 20 participants. A similar training is also planned for September 2021. Click here to find the ppt and agenda from this session, and for more information please contact Netsanet Teklehaymanot (n.mulat@regionaldss.org).  

Durable Solutions Mainstreaming Training: as a follow up to the induction training, a durable solutions mainstreaming training was provided for Ethiopia members and partners on 29th April 2021. The training focused on the ‘how’ and was attended by 16 participants from INGOs, UN agencies, donors, etc. The training familiarized participants on measuring (re)integration, mainstreaming durable solution throughout the program cycle, and case studies and top tips for mainstreaming solutions. For more information on the solutions mainstreaming training, contact Anna Salvarli at s.salvarli@regionaldss.org.  

Area-based Training Tools Translation: ReDSS is currently translating its area-based training tools into Somali, which will be used in trainings in the SRS CRRF coordination structure in the second half of 2021. 

Consultation with ARRA: ReDSS held a consultative meeting with ARRA on 25th of March 2021, during which ReDSS shared its research workplan and discussed areas of collaboration. A more technical level meeting is also agreed upon to strengthen areas of collaboration on research.  

ReDSS 2021 policy priorities: ReDSS developed, presented and agreed 2021 policy priorities during the ReDSS core group meeting on 20th April (see below). Policy priorities and activities are connected to thematic areas of integrated responses, self-reliance/right to work, and protection oriented and principled responses to displacement. For more information, please reach out to Anna Salvarli (a.salvarli@regionaldss.org). 


 

Reimagining Refugee Camps: Transforming Livelihoods in Dollo Ado: The Refugee Economies Programme at Oxford conducted an evaluation of the IKEA Foundation’s multi-year innovative livelihoods programme. In this webinar, representatives from IKEA, Oxford, and UNHCR discuss the programme design and learning from the evaluation. You can find the full impact evaluation in this report from Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre, and a 12-minute documentary is also available as a summary of the programme overall.  

Federal Durable Solutions Working Group: ReDSS attended the latest FDSWG on 4th March 2021 to hear the plans for the renewed Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI) coordination structure and ReDSS members were nominated to sit on the Technical Committee for the Multi-Partner Trust Fund. ReDSS continues to engage closely with IOM on planning for an upcoming DSI workshop in May 2021.  

ReDSS Quarterly Meetings: ReDSS held its first quarter meetings with members at the regional level on the 22nd April 2021 and at Ethiopia level on the 20th April 2021. The meetings reviewed the major achievements as well as challenges encountered during the quarter, as well as joint planning for the year ahead. The ReDSS Ethiopia meeting was attended by 10 member organizations, and the next quarterly meetings will take place in July 2021.