Advisory Committee Workshop, 23-24 October 2017, Bogis-Bossey

October 18, 2017
Events

I. Background and Introduction to the Workshop

The Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) was established on 1 July 2016 to follow up on the work started by the Nansen Initiative and to implement the recommendations of the Nansen
Initiative Protection Agenda. The overall objective of PDD is:

To strengthen the protection of people displaced across borders in the context of disasters, including those linked to the effects of climate change, and to prevent or reduce
disaster displacement risks.

To support the implementation of activities aimed at achieving this objective, the following structure has been put in place as part of PDD: 1) Steering Group, 2) Advisory Committee, and 3) Coordination Unit. On 1 July 2017, the Federal Government of Germany as the Chair of PDD appointed Prof. Walter Kaelin as Envoy of the Chair.

The Advisory Committee was established to continue the work of the Consultative Committee under the Nansen Initiative. The objective of the Advisory Committee is to strengthen participation and ownership of a wide range of actors in the follow-up work to the Nansen Initiative and in the implementation of the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda.

The Advisory Committee’s function is twofold: i) to provide expert input and strategic advice to the Chair and Steering Group of PDD and ii) to support implementation of activities in the Workplan.
The first meeting of the PDD Advisory Committee was held on 13-14 October 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.

A report is available from the workshop and it summarises the discussions, presentations and outcomes from the meeting.

A general conclusion from the 2016 Advisory Committee meeting was that the PDD Strategic Framework 2016-2019 is a relevant and comprehensive translation of the Protection Agenda’s recommendations into four strategic priorities. It was recommended to prioritise activities at the regional, sub-regional, national and municipal levels.

Participants also recommended the establishment of regional focal points or secondments, as well as thematic meetings in smaller groupings to facilitate more focused discussion on relevant and important policy issues and the facilitation of mutual learning across action areas and regions.

II. Objectives of the Workshop

The second meeting of the Advisory Committee will take place from 23-24 October 2017 in Bogis Bossey near Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting will discuss and take stock of progress made and follow-up on implementation of recommendations from the first meeting and on implementation of the PDD Workplan 2016-2019 (Adopted by the Steering Group in January 2017 ). The objectives of the second meeting of the PDD Advisory Committee are:
1. to take stock of implementation and progress made during the first year of the PDD, including having an institutional update regarding progress and strategic directions on disaster displacement by UNHCR and IOM and other relevant agencies.
2. to share information on new initiatives, coordinate and plan for new ones, and identify opportunities for enhanced collaboration/coordination and engagement at global, regional and national levels by Advisory Committee members.
3. to draft input and recommendations for upcoming global policy processes.
4. to review and discuss the strategic orientation and priorities of PDD towards the end of the Chairmanship of the Federal Government of Germany (July 2016-December 2017) and the beginning of the Chairmanship of the Government of Bangladesh (January 2018-30 June 2019).

III. Methodology and Expected Results

The two-day workshop will be organised with presentations and discussions in moderated plenary sessions as well as in group work. Participants will be asked to come prepared with input for relevant policy processes and will work in groups to draft recommendations and provide technical and policy input in support of the implementation of the PDD Workplan. Participants will be assigned to groups in advance, and given questions to guide their preparations.

The expected results from the workshop include:
1. A review of the PDD Workplan and recommendations regarding revision and adjustment/shortening.
2. Overview of institutional mainstreaming efforts regarding disaster displacement by relevant agencies.
3. Policy input drafts in the form of key messages and recommendations for ongoing and upcoming policy processes:
a. Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees
b. UNFCCC Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) Task Force on Displacement.
c. Implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR: Words into Action on “Integrating Disaster Displacement and Related Human Mobility in Disaster Risk Reduction Policy
and Practice”.
4. Recommendations and input for an Action Plan on how to address data gaps and data collection challenges.
5. Recommendations on strategic orientations and priorities of PDD for outgoing and incoming Chair, Federal Government of Germany and Bangladesh, respectively.
6. Actionable commitments of Advisory Committee Members on PDD Workplan activities.
The results and proceedings of the workshop will be presented in an outcome report, which will be shared with the Advisory Committee following the meeting.

IV. Practical and Organizational Information

A. Venue

The Workshop will be held at the Château de Bossey Conference Centre in Bogis-Bossey, Switzerland from 23-24 October 2017.

B. Participants

Participants will include Advisory Committee Members of the Platform consisting of individuals and representatives of international and regional organizations, research institutions, academia, private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society stakeholders, representatives of the Chair, the Steering Group and the Envoy of the Chair. Participation will be limited to 50-60 individuals.

C. Other administrative details

The Workshop will be organized by the Coordination Unit of PDD and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), with generous funding from the MacArthur Foundation and the Federal Government of Germany. The PDD has funding to cover the travel and accommodation cost for approximately 20 participants. Priority will be given to participants with limited means to travel to Geneva, Switzerland. Representatives from international organisations are kindly requested to defray their own expenses. Please note that participants requiring travel and accommodation assistance are kindly requested to indicate their specific needs as soon as possible.