The mission is to BRIDGE THE GAP which exists between where we are NOW and the goals we intend to reach. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Inter-Ministerial Task Force with the Honourable Minister of State, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed as its chair, which created a platform to support GON’s humanitarian response in the North-Eastern region of the country. My sincere appreciation to the Honourable Minister of State and colleagues at the Ministry of Bud- get and Planning, particularly the Directorate of International Cooperation for their support and under whose auspices the Emergency Coordination Centre convened this event and spearheaded work on the nexus. I would specifically like to mention the Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Geoffrey Onyeama and thank him for his guidance. Genuine gratitude to World Bank Group and Nigeria Country Director Rachid Benmessaoud for the pioneering work on the 9 pilot Humanitarian-Development-Peace Initiatives, the core principles of which underpinned this event, as well as their support for Nigeria and this nationally led endeavour. On behalf of my countrymen and women, I recognise the support of all the donors and USAID Mis- sion Director Steve Haykin for the critical education side event and viewing of Mu Karanta! Let’s Read! Which helped us to focus in on one of root causes of this crisis. Heartfelt appreciation to the National Economic Summit Group who were actively involved through- out and who continue to show their support for the ECC and Nigerian leadership of the HDPN process. Last, but not least I acknowledge the contribution of the INGO Forum, Mr. Eloi Fillion, Head of Del- PEACE NEXUSPEACE egation Nigeria, ICRC and all those “who go the last mile.” II REPORT WRITTEN BY: Dr. Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija Sheilah Moore CONTRIBUTIONS BY: Cathy Nelson Arkle - Graphics & Design Emergency Coordination Centre Team FOREWoRD The tagline for the National Conversation on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus - Be- yond the Immediate NE Humanitarian Crisis was Practical, Deliverable Solutions. A common refrain that resonated with participants throughout the week-long conversation was that this ground-breaking event needed to be the conduit for a new way of working, and not just a new way of talking… I trust that those who were able to join us in June 2018 and those who have continued to co-labour with us since, will agree that we achieved our ambitious aspiration. High level representation from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Office of the National Security Adviser, Military Personnel, State Government, International Financial Institu- tions, Donors, Heads of Development Cooperation, United Nations, Private Sector, CSOs, INGOs, NGOS and Community Leaders gathered at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja to put their heads to- gether to co-create solutions to bridging the HDPN in the context of crisis. We gathered because Nigeria matters - not just to you and me but to the world. We assembled because PEOPLE are paramount - not statistics, not numbers, not the mobilisation of funds - but because of the faces on exhibit around the room and in the photo displays in the gallery walk; because of Tabatha the artist from Chibok whose art was on show wants you to LISTEN to her story as depicted in her creations; because of Fatima, Kashim, and the 80 or so young people, who congregated on Mon- day that week to exchange ideas; because of the children who’s lives’ and futures depend on the conversations that we started that week and will continue into the future; because of Nigeria’s role in regional and global stability. From the youth event on NEXUS PEACE Monday through the health side event on Tuesday morn- III ing and moving from food assistance to livelihoods and self-reliance on Tuesday af- ternoon, the energy in the room was electric. Wednes- day was another day jam packed with gems. From the CSOs, NGOs and INGOS side event, to the very produc- tive Private Sector Panel. Thursday and Friday saw the culmination of the week’s events with high-level ple- naries with, stocktaking and discussion about a potential way forward utilising a multi- stakeholder accountability framework. Peace and Secu- rity was a cross cutting theme and emerged as a principal concern Security is a neces- Dr. Umar Bindir SSG, Adamawa State Government sary prerequisite for both ac- FOREWoRD continued... cess to humanitarian assistance and to create a conducive environment sustainable develop- ment. Only Nigeria can provide security for her citizens and this is why she must be front and centre of this effort. It goes without saying that issues around health, food security, shelter, gender and the like are central to sustainable development, humanitarian assistance and peace. However, this report cannot possibly capture all of the contributions or connections made during the national con- versation but instead highlights those aspects of the event that distinguished it from any other of its kind and sets out key take-aways, lessons learnt and recommendations. As with every complex crisis has been some resistance from certain quarters but Nigeria con- tinues to work to ensure that this is a fully inclusive process. The close cooperation achieved in last quarter of 2016 enabled unprecedented scale up and the provision of immediate life-saving assistance to those in need as TOGETHER Nigeria and the world joined forces for humanity. This effort needs to be replicated as we go into return and resettlement phase and we join the call of donors for an upgrade in leadership and action from the UN coordination side to meet urgent and unmet needs. Coordination saves lives and on the other side of that coin, poor manage- ment and coordination COSTS lives. One life lost is one too many. Yes, this entire project is an ambitious undertaking and yes, our vision is bold. Bold we must continue to be for the benefit of the communities we serve from Tounga to Abadam, Machina to Bama and Balge and beyond. PEACE NEXUSPEACE IV Dr. Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD III GLOSSARY OF TERMS VI EMERGENCY COORDINATION CENTRE AS THE CRITICAL ENABLER VIII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY X BACKGROUND TO THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION 13 THE PRIMACY OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT 20 POPULATION EXPLOSION 20 COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM 22 TAKING BACK THE NATIONAL NARRATIVE 22 PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS 23 CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH 24 JOB CREATION 24 EMPLOYMENT AND THE AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN 25 EMPLOYABILITY AND EDUCATION 27 HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE 28 STOCKTAKE 34 MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK (MAF) 34 NEXUS PEACE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP 35 V ACTION AND IMPLEMENTATION 36 DATA 36 PEACE, SECURITY AND VIEWPOINTS FROM AFFECTED COMMUNITIES 37 RECONCILIATION AND REINTEGRATION OF EX-COMBATANTS 37 PARTNERS FOR PEACE 39 RESTORATION OF VICTIMS 39 RETURNS AND RESETTLEMENTS 40 HDPN COMMUNIQUE 41 PROGRESS POST NATIONAL CONVERSATION 44 CONCLUSION 47 APPENDIX 1 – CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 49 APPENDIX 2 – NGO SIDE EVENT JOINT COMMUNIQUE 56 APPENDIX 3 - SIDE EVENTS 58 APPENDIX 3 - LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 64 Glossary of terms AfDB African Development Bank CHC Chief Humanitarian Coordinator CSO Civil Society Organisation CVE Countering Violent Extremism DFID Department for International Development (United Kingdom) DREP Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre DRR Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration ECC Emergency Coordination Centre ERGP Economic Recovery and Growth Plan EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations FCT Federal Capital Territory GON Federal Government of Nigeria PEACE NEXUSPEACE HDPI Humanitarian-Development-Peace Initiative (World Bank Group) VI HDPN Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus HCWG Humanitarian Coordination Working Group HMS Honourable Minister of State HNO-HRP Humanitarian Needs Overview – Humanitarian Response Plan IDB Islamic Development Bank IDPs Internally Displaced Peoples IFIs International Financial Institutions IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture IMTF Inter-Ministerial Task Force INGO International Non-Governmental Organisation IOM International Organisation for Migration LGA Local Government Area MAF Multi-stakeholder Accountability Framework MDAs Ministries, Departments and Agencies MoBNP Ministry of Budget and National Planning NCWG Nexus Coordination Working Group NE North East (Nigeria) NEIEF North East Intellectual Entrepreneurship Fellowship NEMA The National Emergency Management Agency NESG Nigerian Economic Summit Group Glossary of terms CONTINUED... NERI North East Regional Initiative NESIF North East Social Innovation Fellowship NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NNRS Nigeria Nexus Resilience Strategy NWoW, The New Way of Working OCHA UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OFDA US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance OSC Operation Safe Corridor RPBA Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (World Bank Group) SDGs Sustainable Development Goals UN The United Nations UNDP The United Nations Development Programme USAID United States Agency for International Development WB World Bank Group WFP World Food Programme YALI Young African Leadership Initiative PEACE NEXUS NEXUS PEACE VII AS THE CRITICAL ENABLER The Emergency Coordination Centre was set up in September 2016 by Nigerians as a prototype of the New Way of Working (NwoW) epitomising the central principle of “As local as possible; as international as necessary.” Staffed entirely by Nigerians from