EGRISS, together with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC), and Statistics Sweden, organized a series of webinars with IGAD countries, to raise awareness about the statistical recommendations and the scope of EGRISS’ third mandate, and to identify capacity development needs to support their implementation. This initiative is linked to the ‘Regional project for migration statistics in Africa’ led by Statistics Sweden in partnership with STATAFRIC with the objective of improving and harmonizing migration statistics on regional and continental level in Africa. In this project, Statistics Sweden cooperates with the statistical body of the African union and four chosen economic communities on the continent (IGAD, ECOWAS, COMESA and EAC).
The first webinar, on 21st of April 2021, brought together representatives from national statistical offices, line ministries, IGAD, and other regional and international partners. Benefitting from expert facilitators who participate in Subgroup 2, the webinar strengthened collaboration between EGRISS and the IGAD region, including participating countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.
The second edition of the webinar provided an opportunity for a deeper dive into country contexts. With presentations from each country, these two afternoon sessions provided NSO representatives to share their experiences and challenges in producing forced displacement statistics, and identify how EGRISS, in collaboration with IGAD, can ensure adequate and satisfactory support. Work is underway to follow up with participants and identify further capacity development opportunities within the region.
