Cities Alliance, which is hosted by UNOPS, is a global partnership promoting the role of cities in poverty reduction and sustainable development. Managed by a Secretariat based in Brussels, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership which has come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development. Cities Alliance is a global leader with a strong track record in grant-making, which supports strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Through UNOPS, the Cities Alliance operates a Multi-Donor Fund supported by an efficient, flexible grant-making mechanism with global reach.
Cities Alliance provides financial and technical assistance to local city stakeholders in low-income countries to identify and implement approaches for improved local migration management that are relevant to each city’s context. As migration and displacement in developing countries are characterized by informality, Cities Alliance builds partnerships among various constituencies at the local, national, and global levels to jointly identify and negotiate a better way forward. Sustainable urban planning instruments, such as urban expansion planning, are at the forefront of Cities Alliance’s work to provide equitable access to a city for all. The Cities Alliance is looking for a Technical Officer for the implementation of its activities in Ethiopia and Somalia.
Project Information
Starting in 2024 for a period of 48 months, Cities Alliance (UNOPS) will be responsible for the indirect management of the “Sustainable Urban Integration of Displacement-Affected Communities” (SUIDAC) in Sub-Saharan African cities – financed by the European Union. The Action will address the nexus between forced displacement and urban development in five Sub-Saharan countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda.
The Action aims to:
Improve social cohesion and self-reliance of Displacement-Affected Communities (DACs) in urban and peri-urban areas and expand legal protection (e.g., access to rights, documentation), with specific attention to forcibly displaced populations (refugees, returnees, and IDPs) and including persons with specific needs.
Strengthen local authorities’ capacities to adopt integrated approaches to forced displacement management in urban contexts and promote political and evidence-based policy dialogue at regional, national, and local levels to improve policy frameworks and influence future policy discussions on urban forced displacement.
The Action target beneficiaries are Displacement-Affected Communities (DACs), as well as their hosting cities. Cities are a new environment for the implementation of EU forced displacement programs. SUIDAC will be the first urban displacement program financed through the 'Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation instrument – Global Europe' ('NDICI-Global Europe') in the SSA region.
The Action builds on and expands the EU Trust Fund program “CRRF: Inclusive Urban Development and Mobility” ending in 2023. Moving forward, SUIDAC will help tackle the challenges arising from sudden and/or sustained forced displacement currently happening in the secondary cities targeted by the Action.