By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reaffirmed its commitment to helping Benue State achieve durable solutions for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), pledging to move from policy discussions to concrete action.
The UN agency made this commitment during a five-day action-oriented learning and strategic dialogue session in Makurdi, held in partnership with the Benue State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and the State Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Office.
UNDP’s Coordinator for Community Stabilisation and Durable Solutions, Adewole Oke, said the engagement marked a decisive shift “from discussion to deliberate action, from planning to implementation, and from words to the quiet work of rebuilding lives.”
Oke commended the Benue State Government and its partners for their determination to address long-term displacement, assuring that UNDP would continue to support the state’s effort to create sustainable pathways for resettlement and recovery.
The workshop is focused on strengthening the implementation of the Benue State Action Plan (SAP) on Durable Solutions by aligning state-level interventions with UNDP’s integrated framework to promote safe and sustainable resettlement for persons displaced by conflict, climate change, and communal crises.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Aondowase Kunde, described the initiative as a “strategic dialogue and collaborative design lab” aimed at enhancing coordination among ministries, departments, agencies, and civil society groups.
He disclosed that one key outcome of the meeting would be the establishment and validation of a State Task Force on Durable Solutions to provide leadership and oversight for the state’s IDP resettlement and reintegration agenda.
