Japan and ILO launch Durable Solutions for Somali Refugee returnees project in Baidoa, Somalia

The Government of Japan and the International Labour Organization (ILO) launched a partnership to promote durable solutions for Somali refugee returnees through sustainable livelihoods. The Japan ILO partnership programme has identified two areas of focus in creating dignity in employment:

i) Creating immediate decent work opportunities for returnees and improve community infrastructure

ii) Creating opportunities and providing the necessary skills for self-employment for increased household income promoting self-reliance.

The one year technical cooperation project titled ‘Durable Solutions for Somali refugee returnees and IDPs in Baidoa through promoting immediate and sustainable livelihoods’ is funded by the Government of Japan under the 2015 supplementary budget for an amount of USD 1 million. The project supports the economic reintegration of spontaneous and/or facilitated group returns to Baidoa and create 700 short-term jobs, 44,100 worker days, 360 direct beneficiaries for the skill development component, 110 grants will be issued to support start-ups. The objective of the project is to create viable employment-based reintegration livelihood opportunities for returnees and host communities in support of TICAD V1 priority on ensuring the livelihoods and employment creation for the people of Somalia. The main target group for the project is the youth returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are not employed, do not have any source of income, and are potential target for radicalization. Host communities will also be included in the target group, comprising 30% of the final beneficiaries to promote peaceful co-existence and social integration. The project will also engage the local authorities in the selection and prioritization of the proposed intervention ensuring they fit in with the local plans and assist good governance, promote inclusiveness and secure peace dividends by facilitating economic exchanges and collaboration between returnees and the host community, the project will also contribute to improved social cohesion in the target areas.

An integral part of the project is the contribution of Community Road Empowerment (CORE), an international NGO registered in Japan, building on the successful introduction of Do-nou2 technologies in Baidoa, Somalia during the last year. This next year will witness more people trained on marketable skills in Do-nou technologies as we see the technology being taken up by communities wishing to develop all year access to markets and services. This will be backed by a rapid programme for business incubation and mentorship for these beneficiaries who were trained in the first phase in order to sustain the results achieved so far. This will also ensure completeness of intervention as part of the institutional and technical capacity building of the partner institutions.

The project is directly linked to the UNHCR’s repatriation and integration programme for refugees and IDPs in Somalia and will be implemented in close collaboration with the refugee consortium partners (UNHCR, IOM, DRC and NRC). Linkages with the Joint Programme Local Governance (JPLG) will be ensure issues specific to returnees/IDPs are integrated into broader local governance and recovery initiatives to enhance the on-going peace and reconciliation effort as outlined in the Somali Compact.

1 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Special conference on Somalia, Yokohama, Japan, 31 May, 2013

2 Do-nou is a Japanese word which means wrapping soil in a gunny bag. “Do-nou” technology involves use of gunny bags filled appropriately with either sand, farm soil, gravel and the opening properly secured. Such Do-nou bags are laid in rows within the excavated sections of roads and compacted. http://michibushinbito.ecnet.jp/Do-nou.html

Link to original