SOMALIA – Highly Indebted Poor Countries Completion Point: On 30/03, the WB Country team in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance of the Federal Government of Somalia hosted the Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR) to assess challenges to project implementation and to find ways to accelerate delivery of critical services to the Somali people. The country is moving towards the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Completion Point. Over the next few months, the WB will be working with the government and the IMF to support the country to reach HIPC completion point which once achieved, will be a milestone for Somalia that will help open up new financing opportunities for the country.

A total of 441 individuals comprising 114 families were assisted to voluntarily repatriate to the DRC in January. This brings the total number of refugees repatriated to 10,553 individuals in 2,836 families since the second phase of the voluntary repatriation programme started on 18 July 2022. 157 individuals departed under resettlement during the month of January USA: (35) and Finland (122). Eight cases comprising 26 individuals were submitted for resettlement consideration to the USA (19), Finland (7). A total of 513 people we serve (PWS) accessed Covid-19 testing services in the three refugee settlements, bringing the cumulative figure to 13,552. The number of positive cases recorded during the reporting month was 10 people we serve (PWS).

Link to DEWATS systems under BMGF funds https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W2T4No8rF3ayezh3fH4NLh0afplHHtSJ?usp=sharing

ILO promotes labour intensive methods to improve livelihoods of host and refugee communities in Ethiopia:Through an intensive training, the ILO has strengthened the capacity of road construction engineers from Ethiopia’s refugee-hosting districts to apply labour intensive methods to boost socio-economic development through infrastructural development and job creation. Read more here: https://bit.ly/412VGmx

ILO launches the official website for the ILO’s Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work! The Global Centre is a one-stop shop for everything related to responsible digital wage payments, including the latest news, events and publications. Read more here: https://www.digitalwages.org/

In Buchagara settlement, North Kivu, UNHCR and partners completed the construction of 3,000 shelters for vulnerable families. Similarly, in North and South Ubangi, UNHCR and partners built 790 transitional shelters, including shelters for individuals with special needs. The building process was supported by groups of refugee and indigenous artisans, who contributed with local knowledge and materials.

The first-ever Global Refugee Labour Mobility Summit took place in Amman, Jordan. Bahati Ernestine, RefugePoint’s Economic Mobility Consultant, delivered a keynote speech highlighting the vast wealth of talented refugees and the importance of labor mobility. Ms. Ernestine, a former refugee from Rwanda, was part of the first group of refugees to relocate to Nova Scotia through Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Project with support from RefugePoint.

MOPIC will prioritize meeting basic needs and implementing impactful interventions for Syrian refugees and host communities based on national priorities, UNHCR's vulnerability assessment, and a census conducted with the Department of Statistics. ( March 2023)

UNHCR’s Innovation Fund awards projects designed by refugees for refugees: A new Refugee-led Innovation Fund from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has awarded 17 organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the lives of displaced people and host communities. The 17 refugee-led organizations -- from places as diverse as Greece, Italy, Mali, Rwanda, and Uganda -- are set to receive a combined US$700,000 in direct seed funding this year, as well as holistic support from UNHCR through mentorship and technical expertise. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3kBBuc1

The Economic Empowerment working group TORs and Sector strategy were discussed and reviewed in the meeting. (March 2023)