MONROVIA – The Word Bank’s senior advisor for partnerships and regional integration in Africa, the Middle East and North Africa has urged the need for collaboration in tackling protracted humanitarian crisis. Amara Mohammed Konneh (AMK) believes coordinated efforts between political and development actors is urgently needed to solve these long-term crises.
“Political and development actors [must] stand together with humanitarian actors to shift the paradigm on how we respond to refugee crisis,” he remarked during a panel discussion at the recently-held Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Aswan, Egypt.
The two-day Forum was the first of its kind and was exclusively focused on addressing the interconnections between peace and development across Africa.
In his remarks, the former Liberian minister of finance and development planning reminded his audience of the need for a “change in the way aid is being provided”. According to him, refugee-hosting countries “are increasingly calling for a shift to comprehensive, medium-term responses that are led by the authorities, [dependent] on national systems, and targeted not only to refugees but also to host communities.”
This is extremely critical to fostering sustained social cohesion and community resilience. Even more intriguing is the fact that “donors are supportive of a shift from humanitarian to development approaches which they see as critical to ensuring the sustainability of the response and limiting onward movements to high-income countries.”
Forced Displacements
The World Bank official did not mince his words when he said “the issue of forced displacements in Africa is not” limited to “financing volumes.” He believes this issue has everything to do with “delivering actual results on the ground.”
By this, AMK means the construction of schools, refurbishment of health centers, the creation of jobs, communities being supported, only to mention a few. Moreover, “it is about governments being responsible and supported to better respond to difficult [crises]; it is about preparing for better policy responses and supporting institutions,” he emphasized.
The Aswan Forum brought together scores of stakeholders from all walks of life, such as heads of states and governments, leaders of regional and international organizations, as well as financial institutions. It is envisioned as an annual event to be held in December. This year’s event was held on December 11 and 12.