Note for the File

Senior Inter-Agency Network on Internal Displacement

To: Members of the NGO Reference Group on IDPs
From: ICVA
Date: 1 March 2001
Re: Angola Mission and Follow-up Missions

A meeting of the Senior Network on Internal Displacement was held in Geneva, with connections to New York and Rome, on 27 February 2001. The agenda covered the upcoming mission to Angola; the follow-up to missions of the Network; and the draft outline of the report for future arrangements. This note for the file covers the Angola mission and follow-up; a separate note for the file covers the draft outline of the report.

It is suggested that a lunchtime meeting of interested NGOs be held on 13 March 2001 at the Palais des Nations (the room number will be confirmed) during UNHCR's Standing Committee (12-14 March) to further discuss issues related to the proposals contained in the draft outline of the report.

It is hoped that NGOs will come to the 13 March 2001 meeting with concrete comments, which can then be fed into the Network's more detailed discussions on the report, to take place on 21 March 2001.

ANGOLA MISSION

The Terms of Reference for the Angola mission are similar to those of previous missions (available on the ICVA website: www.icva.ch) and include (among other objectives) the following: assessing the assistance and protection needs of IDPs; reviewing the operational capacity of UN agencies and other humanitarian actors with a view to identifying gaps in the humanitarian response; and making recommendations to concerned agencies and the government for future action. It was suggested that the mission look at the differences in categories of IDPs in Angola as the different categories affect the numbers of displaced quoted. The Norwegian Refugee Council has produced a background document on internal displacement in Angola (available on the ICVA website).

There are eight members of the Angola mission. The NGO representative, Patricia Buckley from CARE, has been selected by InterAction. (The three NGO networks on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (ICVA, InterAction, Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response) agreed to select the NGO representative for each mission on a rotational basis). The need for NGOs on the ground to carry out preparatory work prior to the arrival of the mission was emphasised so that the mission can be informed of the concerns and views of NGOs with regards to the response to IDPs in Angola.

FOLLOW-UP TO MISSIONS

WFP has seconded a person to follow-up on the previous missions of the Network. Gawahar Atif will carry out the first follow-up mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea from 7-15 March 2001. A matrix has been produced that outlines what should have been done by various actors as follow-up to the missions' recommendations. It was requested that the recommendations of the Representative of the UN Secretary-General (RSG) on IDPs, Francis Deng, also be followed-up. Based on the outcome of this first mission, further missions are foreseen to Burundi and Angola.

ISSUES FOR FOLLOW-UP BY NGOs

Angola Mission

NGOs with field offices in Angola should ensure that they are aware of the upcoming mission and suggest that the field offices prepare concerns and suggestions regarding the response to IDPs (both in terms of protection and assistance) that can be discussed with and presented to the mission.

Follow-up Missions

Similarly, NGOs with offices in Ethiopia and Eritrea should alert their field offices of the upcoming follow-up mission so that they can provide feedback on how they see the recommendations of the Network's mission have been followed-up.