DPG-HCT nexus holds second bi-annual meeting

Addis Ababa, November 24, 2023 (FBC) – The second bi-annual meeting between the Ethiopian Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and the Development Partners Group (DPG) was held on 23 November 2023 at the Skylight Hotel, Addis Ababa.

The session, according to the Ministry of Finance, aims to review and take stock of the current resilience needs and HDP nexus situation in Ethiopia; to discuss and strengthen DPG, HCT, government and partner commitment to continue progress on priority issues, including options for financing priority resilience interventions; and to identify and agree to key actions to further enhance support HDP actor collaboration and resilience building in Ethiopia.

The meeting engaged various stakeholders, including high-level representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ministry of Health, Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, DPG and HCT members at Heads of Agency level, representatives of the Humanitarian International Non-Government Organizations (HINGO) Forum and of the Ethiopia Peace building Network, the Nexus Accelerator Steering Group, and chairs of DPG Sector Working Groups and cluster coordinators.

It was noted that this meeting follows the successful first joint HCT-DPG meeting held in May 2023, which aimed to advance the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus approach in Ethiopia. The collaboration between these two parties aims at reducing vulnerabilities and humanitarian needs in Ethiopia over time.

According to the Ministry, the meeting served as an opportunity to build on the previous dialogue, commitments, and action points on advancing the HDP Nexus. It provided a platform to review the current state of HDP collaboration and coherence, reflect on the humanitarian situation, discuss key perspectives and priorities for resilience building and reducing humanitarian needs, and strengthening HDP collaboration.

The meeting also proposed further concrete steps to advance the joint approach, including enhancing and scaling regional support and area-based approaches for resilience, exploring financing options and partnerships, and strengthening DPG-HCT alignment. Development of a DPG-HCT Nexus Framework for 2024 has also been discussed in the meeting and it has been announced that it will be launched in May 2023.

The event further discussed the impact of disasters and shocks focusing on the ripple effects these events have on the GDP. The conversation then expounded the importance of coordination in mitigating these impacts.

It was agreed that a more consolidated approach to coordination is necessary because this approach aims to address the root causes of conflict and ensure sustainable development.