SUIDAC 1st Regional Dialogue - Integrating Displaced Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa

From 17–19 February 2025, Cities Alliance’s Sustainable Urban Integration of Displacement-Affected Communities (SUIDAC) Programme will hold its first Regional Dialogue in Jigjiga, Ethiopia. 

The event will bring together key stakeholders from nine cities to exchange knowledge and strengthen a regional network working on urban solutions for the sustainable integration of forcibly displaced populations and host communities.

This is the first in a series of five regional dialogues aimed at supporting cities in amplifying their voices and drawing national and international attention to their needs.

The Jigjiga City Administration is hosting the inaugural SUIDAC Dialogue in partnership with the Organization for Welfare and Development in Action (OWDA), its Technical Implementing Partner (TIP) in the programme. 

The SUIDAC Programme aims to help both displaced people and the communities that host them become more self-sufficient. 

It focuses on improving local governance through inclusive urban planning, sustainable infrastructure projects, and coordinated regional strategies for managing urban displacement across nine cities in five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: Kananga and Tshikapa (DRC), Assosa and Jigjiga (Ethiopia), Borama and Gabiley (Somalia), Atbara (Sudan), and Koboko and Arua (Uganda).

Addressing forced displacement in cities requires a two-pronged approach that differs from interventions in camps and settlements. First, local and national authorities must be involved from the beginning to ensure they take ownership, increasing the chances that displaced people will be included in urban planning and programs at the city level. Second, activities must directly target urban displaced communities, especially those that enhance self-reliance and social cohesion.

SUIDAC’s Regional Network and Dialogues aim to encourage displaced communities' involvement in local planning activities and serve as a peer learning platform and discussion forum on needs, challenges, and solutions. They build on and expand the momentum of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF): Inclusive Urban Development and Mobility Action, funded by the European Union from 2020–2023.

The Jigjiga Dialogue will serve as the programme's inception workshop and mark the beginning of a collaborative peer learning process. After an intensive six-month analytical phase, each participating municipality will present the findings of their feasibility studies in collaboration with their technical partners, to identify lessons learned and best practices.

The regional dialogues are funded by the European Union as part of the SUIDAC Programme and implemented by Cities Alliance in partnership with the nine SUIDAC municipalities and their technical partners: ACAV, AVSI, International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Organization for Welfare and Development in Action (OWDA), TAAKULO Somali Community (TAAKULO), and Somaliland Association for Youth Salvation (SAYS). 

Participants include representatives from displaced communities, local and national government officials from participating cities and host countries, partners, donors and civil society organizations dedicated to integrating and supporting displaced communities.