United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) May 2018
InterWorks designed and co-facilitated the Inter-Agency Contingency Planning Workshop for a Mixed Refugee / Migrant Situation in Tunis, Tunisia from 14-16 May 2018. The workshop was designed to support UNHCR, other UN agencies, Government agencies and other relevant stakeholders in preparing a concrete response to the risk of a large-scale influx of Persons of Concern during the peak influx period of the “summer sailing season.” The proposed agenda was designed for a 3-day inter-agency working meeting with partners at the country level designed to review the Sabratha response and jointly draft a contingency plan (CP) for future migrant/refugee emergencies.
The workshop was attended by 28 participants, including representatives of IOM, OCHA, WFP, various NGOs and UNHCR. Participants were asked to contribute to the construction of a robust contingency plan for the Mixed Migration working Group that could be utilized in the event of an emergency situation akin to that of Sabratha. Throughout the workshop, participants from all sectors engaged in open discussions on the current operational climate in the Libya and their organization and its partners readiness to address a potential emergency situation such as the one in Sabratha, this discussion included conversations about relevant challenges and proposed solutions. Stakeholders expressed a positive spirit of willingness to support their partners, and intentions to provide a proactive response amidst what appeared to be very bleak circumstances.
Very useful and fruitful workshop.
– Workshop participant
