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State Leadership in Displacement Response
Day 2: Nairobi
In his keynote address, Commissioner Paul Burungu, Kenya’s Government Commissioner for Refugees, delivered a powerful reminder: in responding to displacement, we must not forget the host communities.
He emphasized that while designing and implementing solutions for displaced individuals, equal attention must be given to the communities that welcome and support them. Across Africa, displaced people rely heavily on the generosity of host populations, communities that open their doors, share limited resources, and make integration possible.
Commissioner Burungu highlighted the government’s openness to solutions that uplift displaced persons, but firmly stated that such efforts must also alleviate poverty and drive development in host communities. “We must not leave them behind,” he urged. True inclusion means building resilience for both the displaced and the communities that host them.
