The Federal Government has launched the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus Policy Coherence and Learning Soft Working Group to strengthen policy coordination and institutionalise an integrated approach to addressing humanitarian crises.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Dr Bernard Doro at the formal launch of the platform in Abuja said the HDP Policy would also promote sustainable development and build lasting peace in the country.

The Minister who was represented by Mrs Katherine Bulus described the initiative as a major milestone in the country’s efforts to institutionalise a coordinated response to humanitarian, development and peacebuilding challenges.

He commended institutions and development partners that contributed to the establishment of the working group, noting that the collaboration reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening national leadership in implementing the HDP Nexus Policy.

The minister also lauded ActionAid Nigeria for its leadership, sustained advocacy and support towards advancing the humanitarian-development-peace agenda, particularly through the establishment of the HDP Academy, capacity building, evidence-based learning and policy dialogue.

He said that the HDP Nexus provides an opportunity to move beyond crisis response to integrated planning, coordinated investments and collective action aimed at reducing humanitarian needs, strengthening resilience and promoting sustainable development.

The minister stressed that the future of humanitarian action in Nigeria must be nationally led, nationally coordinated and nationally owned.

He explained that the newly inaugurated Policy Coherence and Learning Soft Working Group would promote policy alignment, facilitate cross-sector collaboration, generate evidence for decision-making, strengthen institutional capacity and support the implementation of the HDP Nexus across the federal, state and local government levels.

ActionAid Nigeria Country Director Andrew Mamedu who represented by the Director of Business Development and Innovation, Nkechi Illochi-Kanny, said, the HDP Nexus had become imperative as communities across Nigeria continue to grapple with displacement, recovery and rebuilding.

He noted that the framework provides a pathway for moving beyond fragmented responses to integrated interventions that make humanitarian assistance more impactful, development more sustainable and peace more enduring.

Mamedu said ActionAid Nigeria had spent the last six years working with government institutions, civil society organisations and local communities to demonstrate the effectiveness of coordinated humanitarian, development and peace interventions.

As co-chair of the Policy Coherence and Learning Sub-Working Group, he said ActionAid Nigeria would continue to promote collaboration, harmonise approaches and ensure that lessons from implementation translate into improved policies and practices.

Also speaking, Director General of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, described the HDP Nexus as an evolving framework aimed at transforming humanitarian, development and peace-building practice through stronger collaboration.

“The entire essence of the Nexus is to bring humanitarian, development and peace actors together to work in sync and deliver better outcomes for people, particularly those in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach communities,” he said and called for greater emphasis on peace-building within the framework, noting that peace should remain central to all interventions.

In his remarks, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Tijjani Aliyu, described the event as a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s durable solutions architecture.

He said the dialogue was aimed at shaping how humanitarian-development-peace interventions would be financed, expanded and implemented nationwide.

Aliyu highlighted the commission’s efforts to provide durable solutions for displaced persons through housing, livelihood support, farming programmes and vocational empowerment rather than prolonged dependence on humanitarian assistance.

He noted that while global internal displacement had reached more than 83 million people by the end of 2024, Nigeria currently has about 6.7 million internally displaced persons, adding that, the country must shift from continuous relief distribution to sustainable livelihood support that enables displaced persons to become self-reliant.