United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Jul 2015
InterWorks conducted a Situational Emergency Training (SET) – South Sudan Refugee Situation Contingency Planning Workshop from 28-31 July 2015 in Gambella, Ethiopia for 43 participants from UNHCR, Government of Ethiopia, NGOs and other UN agencies in the Gambella region. The UNHCR Ethiopia Country Office requested the assistance of the UNHCR Global Learning Centre (GLC) through the Emergency and Security Service to develop a Situational Emergency Training (SET) – Contingency Planning Workshop specifically to facilitate the review and update their year-old contingency plan for a potential influx of additional South Sudanese refugees into the Gambella region in the final half of 2015 (July – December 2015). .
The workshop was designed to incorporate the Government of Ethiopia/Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), NGOs, UN agencies and implementing partners in the Gambella region in a systematic review and update of the current Contingency Plan (CP) that was developed in April 2014. An excellent aspect of the participation was that three colleagues from South Sudan (two UNHCR staff and one staff member from a key implementing partner there) attended the workshop and provided significant insight and information on what the current and prospective situation is in South Sudan related to IDPs there, the ongoing conflict and food security concerns.
The workshop successfully concluded with a rough draft of a revised contingency plan incorporating the inputs with all attending partners in the process.
I really appreciate the facilitation process and the group work.
– Workshop participant
