Southern African ministers have endorsed a regional programme to tackle forced displacement, fragility and climate risks as the region grapples with a sharp increase in humanitarian crises driven by conflict and environmental shocks.
Meeting virtually for the first-ever Joint Ministerial Meeting on Forced Displacement, Fragility Mitigation and Climate Resilience, ministers from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreed to establish a comprehensive framework for managing and reducing displacement across member states.
The move comes as new data from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration revealed that more than 11.4 million people in the region are currently forcibly displaced – a 34.5 percent rise since 2023.
The Democratic Republic of Congo remains the epicentre of displacement, with ongoing conflict continuing to displace millions internally.
In Mozambique, protracted violence in Cabo Delgado and climate-related disasters such as cyclones have fuelled large-scale displacement.
Elsewhere, El Niño-induced droughts in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, and prolonged aridity in Madagascar, have prompted a surge in internal migration and deepened food insecurity.
Zimbabwe’s Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, who chaired the session, warned of a worsening displacement crisis across SADC and called for an improvement in regional data systems and investment in regional resilience.
“Fragility across the region is intensifying, driven by socio-political instability, economic hardship and environmental degradation.”
The endorsed Regional Programme on Forced Displacement will centre on four priorities: improved data and information systems, sustainable resource mobilisation, inclusion of displaced persons in national development plans and enhanced climate risk governance.
SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi called for integrated, evidence-based responses.
“These figures are more than statistics; they represent human lives disrupted by cascading risks,” Magosi said, reinforcing the imperative for cross-sectoral coordination, agile financing, and stronger data systems.
The ministers also resolved to develop a costed regional action plan and convene biennial progress reviews.
JN/APA