The United Nations has lauded Nigeria for its proactive steps in tackling internal displacement and advancing the UN Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on the issue.
Speaking during a briefing on the UN high-level mission to Nigeria, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Mr. Stéphane Dujarric, said the country has “risen to the challenge and taken action” to realise the global agenda.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, leaders from various UN agencies commended Nigeria’s leadership in addressing the issue and urged stronger international collaboration to achieve lasting solutions.
Officials from the International Organisation for Migration, the UN Refugee Agency, and the UN Development Programme concluded a three-day joint mission to Nigeria, where they met with political leaders, traditional rulers, and representatives of internally displaced persons across several regions.
“Nigeria’s experience shows a clear shift is taking place from humanitarian aid to self-reliance, from short-term response to long-term recovery,” said UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner Raouf Mazou. “What makes Nigeria unique is its commitment to pairing public investment with private sector engagement.”
“The officials observed that Nigeria has benefited from UN resources supporting state-level data, policy, and coordination structures. UNDP Crisis Bureau Director, Shoko Noda, added that “Nigeria has the potential to build a comprehensive model in support of solutions, one that can inspire similar progress in other displacement contexts.”
The UN team urged international financial institutions and development partners to scale up assistance for self-reliance and economic recovery.
Through the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund initiative, IOM is enhancing government capacity in data collection and analysis to promote durable solutions for displacement-affected communities in Northeast and North Central Nigeria.
As part of these efforts, the IOM handed over a furnished and equipped Solutions Data Centre to the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency to improve government systems in data processing, analysis, and reporting.
The centre is expected to empower evidence-based decision-making for sustainable recovery.
NAN reported that the high-level mission to Nigeria concluded on Thursday and included Ugochi Daniels of IOM, Raouf Mazou of UNHCR, and Shoko Noda of UNDP. While in the country, the delegation met with government officials, local authorities, and key stakeholders to discuss long-term and sustainable solutions for the over 3.5 million internally displaced persons in Nigeria.
The officials appealed to international partners to maintain their support for Nigeria’s initiatives, especially as the country faces declining humanitarian funding.
The delegation also emphasized that Nigeria has the potential to serve as a model for other nations confronting displacement challenges.
