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JIGJIGA, Ethiopia, November 3, 2026 Ethiopia's Somali Region is hosting an annual regional conference on water, sanitation and hygiene services, bringing together government officials and development partners to review progress and discuss challenges facing the implementation of the Regional Refugee Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (R-WASH) programme.
The four-day meeting, which opened on Monday at Duule Hotel in Jigjiga, focuses on assessing achievements under the programme, identifying implementation challenges and developing joint solutions to improve water and sanitation services for refugees, internally displaced people and host communities.
The conference also aims to strengthen cooperation among participating institutions and development partners to ensure communities have equitable access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities.
Siyad Nur Abdi, head of the Somali Region's Water Bureau on Monday, said the meeting was expected to produce agreements, lessons and practical plans to strengthen the programme's results across East Africa.
He said the R-WASH programme, supported by Germany's development bank KfW and implemented in partnership with organisations including UNICEF and UNHCR, operates in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan.
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The annual conference provides an opportunity to review activities carried out during the year and set priorities for projects planned for the following year, he said.
In Ethiopia's Somali Region, water projects are under way in Awbare, Sheder and Qabribayah, with each project allocated 1.2 billion Ethiopian birr, equivalent to approximately $7.4 million, according to Abdi.
He said the projects were intended to improve access to clean and safe drinking water for refugees and the communities hosting them.
Abdi added that water coverage in Ethiopia's Somali Region stood at around 52%, with authorities seeking to expand services to address remaining gaps.
The meeting is expected to help identify shortcomings in ongoing projects and strengthen coordination among government institutions and development partners, he said.