Hiiraan Online

Hiiraan Online
Thursday, June 18, 2015

For the first time in over 23 years, Somalia is palpably on a path to normalcy. While the road is rocky and far from obstacle-free, heartening and positive trends are evident in governance, security, and economic recovery. In this changing landscape, UNHCR has launched the Global Initiative on Somali Refugees (GISR) to bring fresh energy to the search for solutions for the one million Somali refugees who remain exiled in the region. UNHCR are keen to engage with the active, skilled, and dynamic Somali diaspora as part of this effort. They have already met with Somali communities in the UK and US. In summer 2015, we will hold further meetings around Europe.

The Objectives of the Roundtable Discussion were:

·        How is the Canadian Somali diaspora already engaging with populations back in Somalia?

·        Is the diaspora already engaged with Somali refugees in the region outside Somalia (particularly Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Yemen) and if yes, in what ways?

·        What more you would like to do/ be able to do for Somali refugees, and what risks and opportunities should we be aware of if we facilitate increased engagement?

In Somalia

The participants pointed out the Somali Canadian community’s sustained commitment to help Somalia through remittances, institution building, state formation, and by actively participating in peace and reconciliation initiatives. The community has also contributed to infrastructure-building, economic and social development, as well as knowledge and skill transfer. It was learned that the Somali Diaspora sends home more than $1.3 billion annually, a sum larger than foreign aid and investments combined. 

Outside Somalia

In the past the Somali Canadians played a key role in supporting the Somali refugees in the regions outside Somalia (particularly Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Yemen) by providing income support to families in refugee camps. However, the donor countries have reduced, put systemic barriers to sponsorships and refugee family re-unification programs. For example, Canada’s Immigration office/visa office in Nairobi (Kenya) covers 18 countries, including Somali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda – countries from which large numbers of refugees come.

The Nairobi office is by far the slowest in the world for privately sponsored refugees. Half the cases of privately sponsored refugees in Nairobi take more than 5 years (60 months, compared to 19 months globally). This leads to sponsors and refugees languishing and losing hope.

Challenges

Somalia is still at war with Al-Shabab and most areas of the country remain unsafe. Also the risk of a recurrence of war and famine is real. Repatriation cannot occur without peace and stability. Participants were also concerned about the human rights abuses of Somali refugees in some of the Gulf and neighboring, particularly in Kenya. They urged UNHCR to address these concerns and protect the Somali refugees in those countries.

Diaspora Engagement

Members of the Canadian Somali Diaspora are very much engaged to resuscitate Somalia. They also remain interested in supporting Somali refugees in neighboring countries. It was recommended that the UNHCR build a database of Somali diaspora professionals, matching the need with their requisite expertise to support the social, economic and educational developments of externally and internally displaced Somali refugees.

Next Steps

The Somali Canadian community participants thanked UNHCR for this important initiative and welcomed Professor Dianna Shandy to Toronto. This was the start of a dialogue which is hoped will result in a larger initiative as part of The High Commissioner’s Global Initiative on Somali Refugees (GISR).