Sustainable and Gender-sensitive Integration

New partnership agreement between the High Commission of Canadain Mozambique,the United Nations Human Settlement Programme(UN-HABITAT), and the International Organization for Migration(IOM) for the Sustainable and Gender-sensitive Integration of InternallyDisplaced Peopleprojectin Pemba, Cabo DelgadoJuly17, PEMBA–

The  High  Commission  of  Canada  announces a $CDN2  millioncontributionfor the Sustainable and Gender-sensitive Integration of InternallyDisplaced People  (IDPs)project inthe  Mahate  neighborhood  inPembaCity,  Cabo  DelgadoProvince,led by UN-Habitat and implemented jointly with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Thisinnovative pilot  project aims  to promote urban durable solutions  to internal displacement by laying the foundations for the sustainable and voluntary local integration of  IDPs  in and  around Pemba.

Employing a  ground-breaking new methodology  tosustainablyaddressthepressurescaused in hostcommunities and IDPsby the armed conflictin Cabo Delgado, the project encompasses a diverse array of activities designed to bolster social cohesion, facilitate livelihood opportunities, improve living conditions, and strengthen the institutional capacities of local authorities and communities.

This announcement follows a year of implementationthat hasreached a key milestoneafter  having  identified  the  most  urgent  needs  of  the  community.As  first  steps  in  the implementation  of  the  project,  participatory  assessments  and  community  consultations werecarried out in the neighborhoodof Mahate, with the aim of analyzing the coexistence between  the  communities  and  the  integration  of  the  displaced  community,  especially womenand girls, as well as the accessibility of services and infrastructures.

Today marksthe beginning of the construction and rehabilitationefforts for a new physical infrastructurein  Mahate, whichwere  conceptualized  and  designed  with  the  active participation  of  IDPs  and  host  communities,  with  special  focus  on  woman  and  girls.Grounded  in  the  principles  ofparticipatory design and  formulated  in  collaboration  withdisplacedand host communities, this intervention will improve community infrastructure, serving as a central hub for addressing community-specific concerns and issues.

With this announcement, Canadawishes to highlight the importance of investing in durable solutions in northern Mozambique with the lens of gender-sensitive developmentin conflict-sensitive settings, to ensure sustainable living conditions for both IDPs and host communities. Canada encourages support to similar initiativesthat can be informed by the Sustainable and Gender-sensitive Integration of InternallyDisplaced People (IDPs)project’s best practices and lessons learned in otherparts of Cabo Delgado to address root causes of the conflict and improve resiliencyof the affected communities.

Quote“Today  is  an  important  milestone  with  the  start  of  construction  of  this  innovatively designed space that counted on a robust and meaningful engagement of IDPs and Host Communities in its design. It is specially intended to help facilitate durable solutionsfor the  empowerment  and  resiliency  building  of  women  and  girls.

I  look  forward  to  seeing how this project continues to create economic opportunities for the people of the Mahate neighborhood, including the improved cohesion between host communities and displaced peoples” –Sara Nicholls, High Commissioner of Canada to Mozambique.ContextSince the aftermath of the Palma attacks in 2021, Canada has been implementingsmall-scale projects in Cabo Delgado to support affected populations, with a focus on protection and support forwomen and girls,while efforts led by government authorities and partners areputin place to restore stability. (Moz24H)