Amahoro Coalition Charter

“We have a legal and moral obligation to protect people fleeing bombs, bullets, and tyrants, and throughout history, those people have enriched our society.”

—Juliet Stevenson

Education and Livelihoods Charter for Forcibly Displaced Individuals

The Amahoro Coalition is launching the Education and Livelihoods Charter for Forcibly Displaced Individuals to unite African private sector players and humanitarian organizations to jointly address the economic inclusion of forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) across Africa.

About Amahoro Coalition

The Amahoro Coalition is an African-led initiative convening multi-sector actors from across the region to accelerate private-sector leadership in driving sustainable market-based interventions that advance economic inclusion for displaced populations. Our mission is to engage and enable the African private sector to expand access to education and livelihood opportunities for forcibly displaced individuals while creating value for African businesses and society at large. Our vision is for forcibly displaced individuals to be able to lead lives of dignity and achieve their full potential, ultimately paving the way to more inclusive development and peaceful prosperity throughout the African continent.

Background

Growing instances of wars, armed conflicts, and persecution are driving the number of FDPs to a record high. Close to half of the world’s forcibly displaced population lives in Africa. In addition to this, the nature of forced displacement is becoming very protracted - the duration of displacement has more than doubled since the 1990s. Governments and humanitarian agencies have been at the forefront of providing support to displaced individuals, particularly by addressing immediate needs such as food, shelter, and other emergencies. However, increasing funding gaps coupled with the protracted nature of displacement calls for sustainable, long-term solutions that will allow FDPs to access sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families. In such a situation, enhancing private sector engagement with FDP issues is a pivotal way for FDPs’ economic inclusion. The private sector is well-positioned to draw upon its strategic capabilities and business models to support FDPs by creating livelihood opportunities and engaging in market systems development. In addition to this, there has been growing evidence indicating that such arrangements are mutually beneficial for the private sector, FDPs, and host communities. It is imperative that African -led organizations also start to view the displacement crisis beyond the humanitarian lens and recognize the potential waiting to be unlocked amongst these communities.

The Charter

The Educational and Livelihood Charter for Forcibly Displaced Persons publicly affirms the collective solidarity of private sector firms and humanitarian organizations who recognize the need for supporting FDPs’ economic inclusion and are committed to unlocking the untapped potential of forcibly displaced communities’ markets.

The Educational and Livelihood Charter for Forcibly Displaced Persons will, therefore, become a critical driver of success for African businesses and humanitarian organizations. The Charter allows businesses to position themselves as socially-conscious institutions that develop African solutions for African problems by:

1. Making strides towards Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8, and 10 (Quality Education, Decent Work, and Economic Growth, and Reduced Inequalities, respectively).

2. Spearheading a movement to empower forcibly displaced individuals by unlocking their potential through economic development, investments, and the creation of sustainable livelihoods.

3. Transforming the economic and social landscape of remote, less developed, FDP-hosting regions in participatory and market-based ways.

4. Delivering thought leadership that can lay the foundation for private sector players to engage in delivering impact and value to FDPs.

5. Contributing to the flow of information on FDP needs, investment opportunities, and existing efforts to ensure informed engagement decisions.

The Charter

In pursuit of achieving the objective mentioned above, Amahoro Coalition calls on its members, who have signed the Charter, to work towards enhancing the economic inclusion of FDPs by adopting at least one of the following approaches within the first 18 months of signing the charter:

1) EMPLOYMENT: Commit to hiring FDPs to fill at least 1% of your workforce

OR

Develop partnerships that support or benefit small enterprises with at least 1% of their staff as FDPs

2) CAPACITY BUILDING: Invest at least 1% of total employee hours annually to develop and deliver programs that could enhance FDPs' entrepreneurship and employability skills such as mentoring.

3) PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: Commit at least 1% of our net profit to purchase products and services produced by FDPs

OR

Supply a minimum of 1% of our products/services to the forcibly displaced communities, especially where such products or services are lacking

4) INVESTMENT: Allocate a minimum of 1% of their funds to support FDP-led or owned enterprises

OR

Invest at least 1% of their funds in a business that provides products/services to FDPs. The business must demonstrate that its products/services improve the quality of FDPs’ self-reliance, health, education, or inclusion in financial markets.

5) CAPACITY BUILDING: Invest at least 1% of total employee hours annually to develop and deliver programs that could enhance FDPs' entrepreneurship and employability skills such as mentoring.

Signed on behalf of … [Fncee Consult]

Name: Fredrick Baafour Badu-Kusi

Title: Executive Head

Date: August 30, 2023