Horn and Central Africa

The Horn and Central Africa Section runs cooperation programmes in the Horn of Africa and Chad, and carry out humanitarian work in Central Africa.

The section is primarily involved in the Horn of Africa through a regional programme focusing on the Somali context (including the semi-arid areas bordering Somalia in Kenya and Ethiopia) and a programme in Chad. It also implements humanitarian programmes combined with development initiatives in Sudan, South Sudan, Central Africa, the Central African Republic and Cameroon, as well as projects in Eritrea. The section takes an integrated approach combining development cooperation and humanitarian aid (the humanitarian-development nexus).

It carries out a wide range of activities such as confidence building in public institutions, strengthening resilience against natural disasters, protecting displaced people and civilians in armed conflicts, food security, access to water and sanitation, and health. Climate change is also considered in the section's activities, including mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change. The section engages in dialogue with relevant institutions based in the region, in particular the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

It coordinates its programmes with the FDFA State Secretariat, the Africa Division and the Peace and Human Rights Division (for peacebuilding activities), as well as the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).