Strengthening regional and national capacity on the Global Compact on Refugees indicator framework

Data & research

Strengthening regional and national capacity on the Global Compact on Refugees indicator framework

01 September 2023
Attendees at the workshop sitting at desks while a presentation is given

From 18 to 20 June 2023, UNHCR delivered, for the first time, a technical capacity-building workshop on the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) indicator framework. The framework, which allows progress in implementing the GCR and achieving its four objectives to be measured with a clear evidence base, was developed after extensive consultations with States and other GCR stakeholders in 2019 and further refined in 2022. It is the basis for the GCR Indicator Report, which is part of the follow-up and review of the GCR and is released every two years.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Support Platform, launched at the Global Refugee Forum in December 2019, requested UNHCR’s support in aligning their work to the indicator framework, as they had developed a regional results framework setting out strategic objectives, outcomes, indicators, and milestones against which to measure the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration and Plan of Action. The Declaration reflects the commitment of regional leaders to a comprehensive, and integrated multi-stakeholder approach to delivering durable solutions for refugees in the IGAD region. The results framework will track progress in delivering the regional and national commitments and the results achieved. The IGAD Secretariat and Member States will monitor the indicators and timelines in the results framework and generate annual progress reports.

UNHCR provided technical support in strengthening its capacity on the GCR indicator framework to further align the IGAD regional results monitoring framework with the GCR indicator framework and related disaggregation following UNHCR’s Age, Gender, and Diversity Agenda. UNHCR also provided technical support on other internationally agreed indicator frameworks and statistical standards (e.g., SDGs, international recommendations on refugees, IDP and statelessness statistics, etc.). At the end of the three-day activity in Djibouti, 20 technical experts from IGAD mapped out the data ecosystem in the region (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan) by identifying possible data sources, custodians, and availability of disaggregation of data for the GCR indicators. They also contextualized the IGAD results monitoring framework based on the goals of the IGAD Support Platform and aligned it further with relevant GCR and SDG indicators. The participants’ awareness of the importance of statistical inclusion of those forcibly displaced in national statistical systems to improve data availability and disaggregation was increased.

Attendees of the workshop standing in a group presenting to others

IGAD will continue revising the results monitoring framework, with technical support from UNHCR, and a final version will be presented to IGAD Member States in November 2023 for their adoption. Draft metadata that defines the indicators, data sources, and the method of data collection and data limitations will also be developed.

In her opening remarks, Madam Fathia Alwan, the Director of the Health, and Social Division of IGAD Secretariat, highlighted the significance of the technical support and acknowledged the role of UNCHR.

"The Results Monitoring Framework is a significant tool for IGAD that will capture the efforts of Member States in addressing forced displacement in the region. I would like to express my appreciation to UNHCR for providing technical support in aligning the framework with the GCR. With UNHCR as a close partner, I am confident that they will continue to support us in finalizing the framework."

- Charles Obila, IGAD Support Platform Coordinator.