High Commissioner’s statement at the launch of Kenya’s Shirika Plan

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary.

Thank you for being here, Mr President and Mr Deputy President.

Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries, 

Governors, 

Dear Ambassadors, colleagues and friends.

It is a real privilege to be with you today to celebrate the launch of the Shirika Plan – it is truly a landmark moment for refugees in Kenya and for the communities that host them.

Kenya, Mr. President, is showing the world that a story of cooperation, inclusion and hope is not only possible, but also necessary and of advantage to all.

Let me start by paying tribute to the people of Kenya – the authors of that story – and recognize your generosity in hosting refugees and asylum-seekers in your communities – in Garissa and Turkana counties especially, as we heard, but also in the rest of the country – many of them for decades. I am well aware that it has not been easy. I know that all of you – Kenyans and refugees alike – have gone through some difficult times. But your hospitality, amidst all challenges, has never failed – even when it would have been easier to shut the door on refugees, like many other countries are doing, or when the world’s attention and necessary support were focused elsewhere.

Allow me to also add my voice to that of others, and thank you personally, President Ruto, for your leadership and resolve, as well as the entire Government of Kenya, including at regional and local level, for believing in the potential of refugees to contribute to Kenyan communities – economically, socially, culturally, and in strengthening peace and understanding.

Today is a day to celebrate. The launch of the Shirika Plan is an important achievement – a model, surely, for many in Africa and beyond. It is the result of your collective, sustained efforts. But today is not the end of the road, rather it is the beginning of a new journey, with much work still ahead of us – and let me assure you that my organization, UNHCR, with the rest of the UN system, will continue to support the Government of Kenya as it implements the plan.

This plan reflects –  very commendably – the core of the Global Compact on Refugees, which the UN General Assembly adopted in 2018: it promotes the notion of inclusion of refugees, makes it clear that host communities need – as we heard very clearly from the Governors today – equal support and spells out that addressing refugee situations requires the engagement of all of society and all of government to be successful. All of this is at the heart of the Shirika Plan, which by the way, as its very name clearly implies, requires cooperation.

Cooperation and support for local government and municipalities, in particular. Those on the front lines of this innovative solution, who will require resources to strengthen health systems – clinics and hospitals – to serve refugees and Kenyans alike. Cooperation and support to integrate former "refugee schools" and bring them fully into the national educational system. Support for financial inclusion, to open new market and investment opportunities; or for digital inclusion, to spur refugee self-reliance and invigorate local economies. And we heard about the challenges related to the environment as well. In a word, to turn refugee-hosting areas into full-fledged settlements and robust economic hubs that will benefit all who live there, and that will bring stability.

But we must be clear, and you were very clear the first time we spoke about this, Mr President, several years ago: the Kenyan Government cannot do it alone. Let me recall the preamble of the 1951 Refugee Convention: it clearly spells out that refugees are an international responsibility, not one of the host government alone. And, by the way, other solutions, including voluntary repatriation to their countries and resettlement to third countries, remain crucial and need support.

Since its inception, the Shirika Plan has gained the endorsement and concrete support of many donor partners – states, financial institutions and private organizations. I thank them and wish to appeal to them today: please continue to provide generous financing to this important initiative. This is a worrying time: we see deep cuts to humanitarian and development budgets worldwide, sometimes to boost domestic spending on defence and security. Please, let us not lose sight of the fact that initiatives like the Shirika Plan not only aim at putting an end to long-standing humanitarian crises, they also have a crucial stabilizing effect. Ultimately, they contribute to national, regional and global security as well, and this seems to me especially important at this difficult time also for the region. And let me add here that I am also very grateful to the UN Resident Coordinator, the UN Country Team and NGO partners in Kenya for having made the Shirika Plan a centrepiece of their work.

Shirika recognizes that inclusion is a game-changer that will accelerate the shift away from dependence on humanitarian aid and towards greater self-reliance. That is an objective that we all share. We have the chance to make it a reality; let’s not miss this opportunity.

Once again, I would like to thank and congratulate you and your Government, Mr President, on the launch of Shirika and reaffirm the United Nations’ and UNHCR’s commitment to walk this journey with you. 

Thank you.