Brussels, 21/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - Of the $105.8 million pledged in donations at the ministerial donors' conference for Somali refugees that was held in Brussels on Wednesday 21 October, €60 million was pledged by the European Union (see EUROPE 11413).
Organised by the EU and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this conference - Conditions for voluntary return - enabled the foundations to be laid, according to the conference participants, for a project on the common voluntary return of Somali refugees to their country.
The €60 million announced by the EU is intended for Somali refugees in Kenya and for people displaced in Somalia.
Back from Ethiopia, where she was participating in a high level dialogue on migration (see other article), High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that Africa is the first and most affected country by the refugee crisis. “Each African country is a country of origin, of transit or of destination, and it often hosts a large number of refugees. So it's not a European crisis but world crisis”, for which “common solutions” should be found, she said, underlining how important it is, “through common efforts, to offer a better future to Somali refugees and displaced Somalis”.
“The EU stands ready to further build on its long-standing partnership with the Horn of Africa and to give €60 million to support the Somali refugees in the neighbouring countries. There can be no real peace-building, state-building or development without a durable solution for the Somali refugees. They account for almost 20% of the Somali population”, said European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres thanked “the EU for its extremely generous pledge and for its constant involvement for peace and stability in Somalia”. He also thanked the Somali government, which is committed to creating the conditions for the voluntary repatriation of refugees - in dignity; Kenya, which has for so long housed refugees; and also Ethiopia, Djibouti, Yemen and Uganda. “Your borders have been open in a world where they are not always open. I believe this example is very important”, Guterres said. His thanks also went to the UN and to the NGOs that “make this common support project for Somalia and Kenya” possible.
Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdisalam Omer said he was “very moved” at the momentum in favour of “the most vulnerable Somalis”. Expressing his government's gratitude, he gave assurances that his country would cooperate closely to establish tripartite agreements “like the one between Somalia and Kenya for guaranteeing the smooth return of Somali refugees and for finding sustainable solutions”. “The refugees' return in dignity is a practical issue that requires everyone's attention. I am confident that we can succeed in repatriating and reintegrating both refugees and displaced people”, he said.
Alexander Rondos, the EU's special representative for the Horn of Africa said he hoped the amount pledged would continue to rise in order “to enable Somali refugees and their families to keep faith in their return”. “Our commitment must be lasting”, he said, mentioning the four conditions for guaranteeing this durability - (1) local governance that is able to ensure local services so that people might have a normal life; (2) security; (3) providing economic opportunities - because returning home is fine, but without work there is despair; (4) not losing sight of the fact that Somalia and the refugees in Kenya are only part of a regional reality. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)