Olivia Berthon, Communications Programme Manager, EU Trust Fund for Africa – Horn of Africa Window
During July and August 2016, the Research and Evidence Facility conducted field research in three cross-border areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan, centred on migration and instability, as well as sources of vulnerability. The objective was to help the EU Trust Fund to gain a better understanding of the political, social, environmental and economic dynamics in those areas, in order to be in a position to design an evidence-based project on the ground.
The areas where the research took place are characterised by a lack of resources, poor infrastructure, instability and a lack of basic services, with unemployment levels low and poverty levels high. Vulnerabilities associated with resource scarcity are widespread, caused by natural shocks such as climate change and droughts as well as man-made development projects. These pressures trigger conflict among pastoralist communities who rely heavily on access to water, livestock and land for farming.
EU Trust Fund project launched to support vulnerable border areas
Based on the research findings, a €63.9 million project financed by the EU Trust Fund for Africa (with €400,000 funded by UNDP) was developed during 2016 and launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 21st January. Aimed at enhancing development across these borders and aligned with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Drought Disaster Resilience & Sustainability Initiative, the project Collaboration in Cross-Border Areas will seek innovative approaches to make borderlands more stable and prosperous.
Activities to be initiated in early 2017 will support national and local authorities, local communities and the private sector, as well as invest in conflict prevention, cross-border trade and private sector development. The project aims to improve and diversify livelihoods and allow shared natural resources to be better managed. Through this support, people living in these cross-border areas – and particularly vulnerable groups such as displaced persons, women and children – will have better prospects and a greater sense of belonging, as well as shared interests across communities and borders.
Speaking at the project launch on January 21st, IGAD Executive Secretary Ambassador Mahboub Maalim expressed appreciation for the high level representation from member states “which showcases the sense of ownership”, and acknowledged the role of all development partners in IGAD’s drought resilience initiative, as well as within the cross-border project.
Evidence on the ground building upon political commitments
With its evidence-based approach giving a solid foundation for future developments, this project builds upon a political commitment made in December 2015 between the governments of Ethiopia and Kenya, in partnership with IGAD and the UN, to foster peace and sustainable socio-economic development across the shared border between Marsabit country in Kenya and Borana Zone in Ethiopia.