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ACT ETHIOPIA FORUM RETREAT 2017 JECCDO, BISHOFTU, DEC 14-15, 2017

“This is what a forum should be par excellence, a sharing and pooling of resources, capacities and capabilities. Let us continue to make the forum a space for living our faith in praxis, a space for fellowshipping as well as a safe space that fosters mutual trust, where vibrant and healthy debates, discussions and differing views thrive’’ Sophie Gebreyes, LWF

Back to office report 22, December 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STRUCTURE_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________1

AGENDA___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1

lEADS AND RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE_____________________________________________________________________________________________1

DATE AND LOCATION____________________________________________________________________________________________________________2

DAY 1 December 14, 2017_____________________________________________________________________________________________3

PRAYER AND DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE__________________________________________________________________________________________3

CORE HUMANITARIAN STANDARDS____________________________________________________________________________________________3

STOCKTAKING, AEF PROGRESS & FUTURE PRIORITIES______________________________________________________________________4

CONSORTIUM IMPLMENTATION MODEL______________________________________________________________________________________6

DAY 2 December 15, 2017_____________________________________________________________________________________________7

PRAYER AND DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE__________________________________________________________________________________________7

DAY 1 RECAP______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7

CRRF AND GOE 9 PLEDGES ON REFUGEE SUPPORT__________________________________________________________________________7

ACT ALLIANCE PRIORITIES TOWARDS NATIONAL FORUMS_________________________________________________________________8

ADVOCACY: DROP IT vS RECOGNIZE & STRATEGIZE__________________________________________________________________________8

CONCLUDING REMARK AND PRAYER__________________________________________________________________________________________9

DAY 1 DECEMBER 14, 2017DAY 1 DECEMBER 14, 2017

STRUCTURE

DATE AND LOCATIONThe retreat was organized in Jerusalem Children and Community Development (JeCCDO) Training Facility in Bishoftu from December 14-15, 2017. A largely positive feedback was received from participants on the venue and service provided by the facility. Moreover we learnt that the income for the facility will be channeled for community development implemented by JeCCDO in the surrounding area.

AGENDA I. Devotions and prayers

II. Discussion on CHS

III. Progress report on ACT Ethiopia forum accomplishment and future priorities with

Stocktaking on previous commitments.

IV. Brainstorming on relevant trends and government priorities. How we as FBOs can

involve and contribute

a. FBO’s role on innovative refugee support model (GoE 9 pledges and

Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF)

b. Consortium based implementation model

c. Advocacy – Drop it Vs Recognize and strategize

V. ACT alliance policy priorities towards national forums

VI. Endorsing appointment of ACT Ethiopia forum new convener and deputy convener

Agenda points were proposed by Samuel Tenna, AEF coordinator and Cecilie Winther, DCA country director who were tasked by the forum to coordinate the retreat. AEF convener and co-convener review the agenda before they were presented for the forum for any final comments.

LEADS AND RESPONSIBLE PEOPLEACT Ethiopia forum in its previous meeting agreed to conduct annual retreat to discuss strategic issues and use the opportunity to build partnership. In order to sustain such good practice in 2017 the forum assigned Samuel Tenna, ACTEF coordinator and Cecilie Winther, DCA country director to lead the organizing process. DCA was nominated to lead a social committee 2017. Furthermore, the following list of staffs were also responsible to lead specific discussions on topics included in the agenda.

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Dr Agedew Redie……………Opening and closing remarks, prayer and devotional message.

Ato Girma Borishe…………...Devotional message and prayer

Sophie Gebreyes…………….Stocktaking, AEF progress and future priorities

Yilkal Shiferaw…………………Advocacy

Christoph Schneider Yattara……ACT Alliance priority and collective engagement.

Cecile Winther……………………Consortium implementation model

Apart from ACTEF member staffs, the retreat was also attended by two guest speakers Martha Nemera from WSA (Women Support Association) and Ato Abera Hulumyefer from the Government Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) to give key note presentations on CHS and the Ethiopian Government’s Nine Pledges and the Comprehensive Refugee Support Framework (CRRF)

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DAY 1 December 14, 2017

PRAYER AND DEVOTIONAL MESSAGEDr Agedew Redie, ACT Ethiopia forum convener invited Ato Girma Borishe, to lead the prayer and devotional message for the first day. Ato Girma delivered his devotional message in three different parts. First, he asked participants to announce a declaration statement glorifying trinity. Second, he led others with a short song in Amharic signifying “glory to God” and finally he shared the word of God from the gospel of John chapter 15 verse 1-5 pointing the teaching of Jesus Christ teaches about the importance of fellowship between God the father, the Son and believers. Participants finally pray the Lord’s Prayer and conclude the first day devotion.

CORE HUMANITARIAN STANDARDS Sophie Gebreyes introduced Martha Nemera from Women Support Association (WSA) to lead the next session on CHS. Martha’s organization WSA operate in Amhara, SNNPR and Addis Ababa Administrative Region partnering with DCA and Christian Aid. It was also the first local organization to obtain CHS certification. Her presentation focused on broader accountability framework in the humanitarian and development camp, trends in CHS, experience and challenges as well as implications for incorporating CHS within a partnership model that very much resonated with the ACT Alliance setting. Participants shared their current progress towards CHS compliance where some organizations like DCA are advancing on reviewing the outcome of their improvement plan, while LWF for instance had also finalized self-assessment and will submit their improvement plan by the end of December 2017. Christoph from Bread for the World on his part raised a concern about maintaining the compliance process with manageable cost whereas Yilkal from DICAC and Ato Girma from DASSC underlined the necessity of adopting the standards inth existing operational context. Martha highlighted four alternatives to check compliance against key standards. Organizations can decide to undertake either of the four processes based on their conditions. Self-assessment, peer review, verification and certification are the main exercises to evaluate compliance against CHS where the first three do not necessarily involve pass/fail decisions or have no associated cost but helps to identify areas of improvements. It was generally asserted during the discussion that CHS would continue to emerge as a global quality and accountability standard. Therefore organizations need to align their strategy in order to remain a viable actor in the field.

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STOCKTAKING, AEF PROGRESS & FUTURE PRIORITIESThe session on stocktaking was included to stir a reflective discussion about commitments and promises set during previous meetings. It was also meant to examine the extent to which these targets were met, and learn from challenges. Sophie briefly outlined key promises made during ACT Africa strategic consultation meeting held in April 2017 and AEF retreat in May 2014. Participants were then given a chance to discuss on these issues and present their findings in groups. The summary of their presentation is outlined below.The group that took the promise on full life and dignity for all and AEF’s commitment to incorporate Christian values, admitted that the statements on Christian values still serve as a bedrock in our core documents yet, these values were not well articulated in our communication as a driving force that motivates our delivery. Furthermore they advised that ACT Alliance members should restore their founding identity and relate them to their routine business without undermining the local NGO policy. The group also suggested the possibility to join CHS with Christian values which was later set aside for further discussion.

The second group discussed on the promise about the three pillars of ACT Alliance work and their effectiveness in ACT Ethiopia forum. They also reviewed the added value brought by ACT alliance beyond just humanitarian fund raising. Despite a noticeable cooperation on humanitarian response, the group stated that there is no meaningful partnership profiled under ACT alliance in development and advocacy. However, the group made note of remarkable achievements scored by individual members on development field which was not often signified as ACT alliance footprint in the country. The group indicated this as a key reason for lack of cooperation in program areas that are not directly financed by ACT secretariat which leads to questioning on the real added values from continuous commitment to the alliance.

The third group took the promise on strengthening internal working and mapping operational interventions. The group acknowledged ongoing effort to keep internal networking through regular meetings and information sharing. Initial attempt to develop joint mapping was also started to identify operational distribution. Nevertheless, it was clear that the forum is far from meeting its target on establishing robust information system and translating its collective presence for coordination and effective resource mobilization. The group suggested for the current joint GIS mapping to be completed soonest possible because this will clearly show areas of collaborations. Absence of a lead forum coordinator was raised during their discussion as a key challenge restraining the forum from establishing a sound information system. Now with a forum coordinator in place various options (website, social media, and printings) should be explored to identify a robust information system that works for the forum.

Samuel has taken the floor afterwards to highlight key achievements accomplished by the forum in 2017. The followings points were included in his list:

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Delivery of emergency response for over 35,000 people affected by horn of Africa drought through ETH171 appeal.

EU aid volunteer project provided much needed technical capacity support on DRR and GIS for AEF members’ staffs.

AEF hosted an important strategic discussion during ACT Africa annual consultation meeting.

Members of AEF supported a visit by South Sudan Church Council and WCC to Gambella to reinforce a church led peace process in South Sudan.

The forum was able to recruit a full time coordinator which greatly enhance the forum coordination in many aspects.

Various reports and communications were shared with ACT secretariat to keep them informed and engaged with AEF undertakings.

ACT Ethiopia forum signed the first MoU prepared under the revised ACT policy for national forums.

Resource persons from ACT Secretariat security team and ACT secretariat regional office provided a much needed training on security & revised humanitarian mechanism in collaboration with AEF

Finally AEF held its annual retreat and strategic consultation to stock take on previous accomplishments and devise plausible strategy going forward.

Participants further enriched the report by including other achievements such as active involvement in the ACT Africa climate advocacy process, forwarding a nominee for ACT governing board and sharing position statement on CRRF with ACT Secretariat immediately after its launch.

On the other hand, it was recommended to put in place a feedback mechanism for people who attend various trainings to return with either a report a rollout plan so that members can benefit from them. Participants applaud the relevance of selected priorities for 2018 advising visibility to be included as one of them in the future.

A critical challenge faced by national members (DICAC and DASSC) to pay IBF was raised as a major stumbling block for several years. NCA and COS were gracious to cover their fees where the forum acknowledged as a crucial contribution which otherwise would otherwise led these organizations to suspension from ACT alliance. The contribution from DICAC to host the forum’s monthly meetings has also been instrumental and highly valued by members. Members have also commended NCA’s offer to host the forum coordinator while DICAC took the personnel management burden. In general, the members acknowledged the existence of such arrangement to be a manifestation of ACT alliance core principle on being effective by pulling resources of member organizations.

CONSORTIUM IMPLMENTATION MODELACT alliance global humanitarian policy strongly encourage members to engage in consortium models as an effective strategy to link relief, rehabilitation and development.

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ACT Ethiopia forum discussed in many previous occasions about possibilities for joint engagement. Cecilie from DCA organized a presentation at the end of the first day to remind participants about the change in the context that increasingly calls for consortium approach. She indicated the shift in the interest of donors towards preferring to have partners who will join their resources and expertise, reduce administration costs and operate under single contract. She also mentioned the risks and challenges involved while forming consortiums. The initial phase of forming consortiums is often characterized with significant investment that drain administrative resources therefore a skillful coordination is necessary at different stages of the project management to guide the process. Several organizations may find the decision making process lengthy that may eventually erode their individual autonomy. In spite of all these challenges, a consortium model can bring several advantages to individual members. It will create a quick access to relevant knowledge and also pave the way for innovative ideas to be developed on addressing old issues. The synergy created through pulling of resources will allow to expand a wider benefit for target beneficiaries.

There was a constructive dialogue between laying out the ground work for consortium building beforehand Vis-à-vis catalyzing practical steps before applying for calls. However a consensus was reached on the importance of proactive profiling as well as resource driven consortium formation process in order to make best use of organizational resources. It was stated that ACT alliance Ethiopia is well positioned to exploit its inherent potential towards this goal.

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DAY 2 December 15, 2017

PRAYER AND DEVOTIONAL MESSAGEThe second day of the retreat began with moment of silence led by Dr Agedew who asked participants to take a time for inward reflection on the word of God. He took a passage from Anglican Church prayer book often read during a time before Christmas. The message describes the loving kindness of God while uttering a deep yearn from a weak man seeking refuge in his shelter. The message also encourages Christians to take joy in the works of the Lord. The prayer session was closed with the Lord’s Prayer.

DAY 1 RECAPIn his recap Eivind, NCA Country Director, emphasized on common interest for practical cooperation within ACT forum members, yet with he recognized the need for more work to be done beforehand. He included his advice to map existing cooperation members across various projects that could potentially be portrayed as a demonstration of ACT alliance in non-emergency fields. He also referred to CHS as an opportunity to share resources and exchange experience between AEF members.

CRRF AND GOE 9 PLEDGES ON REFUGEE SUPPORT Refugee response is one of the main sectors where six out of eleven member organizations of ACT Ethiopia forum engage in providing basic social services and comprehensive care for refugees in different parts of the country. On 28 November 2017, the Government of Ethiopia formally launched the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). For this reason ACT Ethiopia forum invited Ato Zeynu Jemal, Deputy Director Administration for Refugee and returnee Affairs (ARRA) during the retreat to give a key note speech on CRRF and refugee situation in general. Ato Jemal could not attend the retreat because of other personal engagement, but he sent his delegate Ato Abera Hulumyefer who shared a message on his behalf. In his speech Ato Abera acknowledge the importance of ACT alliance in the coalition between the government and civil society organizations to support grass-root humanitarian and development endeavors which is considered by the government as continued commitment to support its ongoing effort. He specifically mentioned about a long standing partnership between ARRA and organizations such as DICAC, LWF, DCA, NCA, and DASSC in the area of refugee assistance. He reminded participants about government of Ethiopia’s commitment for the rollout of CRRF and the nine pledges towards a comprehensive refugee support expressing his expectation from partners like members of ACT alliance in Ethiopia to play active role in transforming refugee support from a one directional relief assistance in to

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reciprocal engagement that recognized refugees as active contributors to the national development.

Ato Abera later addressed few questions raised from the participants in relation to government’s plan on refugee program. A concern was raised on ARRA’s current structure to keep up the pace with advancing demands for refugee support. Yilkal also raised a question about the readiness of the government to normalize long-term needs from protracted refugees in urban settings. In his response Ato Abera indicated about the process already underway to restructure ARRA in order to provide adequate services for its partners. He also mentioned about the formation of a CRRF steering committee chaired by ARRA and Ministry of Finance and Economic Commission to broaden other ministries’ involvement in the application of the policy.

ACT ALLIANCE PRIORITIES TOWARDS NATIONAL FORUMSThe session on ACT alliance priorities aimed at underscoring selected goals that were pertinent for the forum. Christoph from Bread for the World geared the discussion towards raising two important issues. First, participants were given a chance to deliberate on best approach to deal with income based fee (IBF) considering various implications. It was believed to have a strong argument demonstrating its damaging effect on the existence of the forum in the long run. A team comprised from Dr Abeya, Yilkal, Christoph and Samuel was tasked to draft a case aimed at registering the issue as an agenda during upcoming ACT general assembly in October 2018.

Second, a presentation was displayed to indicate ACT alliance policy towards national forums and the place given for joint programming in strengthening their partnership. Christoph, proposed a number of possibilities to build strong operational partnership. The prospect of joint programming on selected region and collective funding of a shared objective were few of the opportunities that were put forward for discussion. However, it was advised to wait a little longer until the forum clearly understands its operational distribution from the joint map.

On a different note, the group discussed on alternatives to finance the cost of forum coordinator in the future. Portions of unallocated funds used in previous occasions would not be a sustainable source, hence members were probed to consider either of the following possibilities:-

a) Increasing membership contributionb) Earmark an amount from funds generated through active involvement of the forum

coordinator either on ACT appeals or joint consortium proposals.c) Solicit assistance from a member organization/s that can fund part/whole of the

coordinator cost.

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d) Acquire a grant from ACT forum’s award by pulling together ACTEF best practices. A team comprised from Dr Seifu, Christoph and Ato Girma was tasked to incorporate the link between CHS and our biblical values as part of the best practice application.

ADVOCACY: DROP IT VS RECOGNIZE & STRATEGIZEACT alliance strategy recognized advocacy as one of the three program pillars relating its ground in Christian faith. However, the civil society law in Ethiopia significantly restrict international and foreign funded local organizations from engaging in all kinds of advocacy works. This limits the possibility of ACT alliance members in Ethiopia from engaging on advocacy, eventually resorting to a state of ambiguity. Based on the above facts members debated in previous occasions on how to profile activities that in some way influence structures and decision makers to bring a desired end result. For this reason Yilkal from DICAC compiled a presentation during the retreat to remind participants on how to be watchful of the facts that calls for a strategized approach towards advocacy. In his presentation he examined the consideration given for advocacy in several global policies and standards such as CHS, World Humanitarian Summit and ACT alliance policies. He also cited few experiences attempted by AEF members on direct advocacy during the time before the declaration of CSO law.

ACT alliance members had tremendous contribution for the realization of fundamental rights although not documenting it as results under advocacy. Henceforth, as faith based organization ACT alliance members cannot totally abandon their role in this noble cause but should modestly recognize and strategize their future endeavors. Participants also recommended for any advocacy attempt to be successful, it should be backed by sound research and credible evidence. The nature of ACT alliance global network provides can provide immense resource for local initiatives to be supported by the wider community in the world. Finally, an advised was put forward for ACT alliance members in some cases support areas of advocacy in line with the government strategy.

CONCLUDING REMARK AND PRAYERDr Agedew finally provided concluding remark summarizing key discussion points that were raised during the last two days. He appreciated those people who prepared resourceful presentation and thank them for leading the discussion on topics that are very relevant for the forum. He called participants to carefully take note of the key lessons and find possibilities in order to translate them in to practice with reaffirmed commitment.

He finally asked the participants to read a passage from the Bible, Philp 4:4 that illustrates the Christians’ joy in Jesus Christ and their desire to lean in him. Christoph led the group in Lord’s Prayer which brings the two day retreat in to an end.

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