Over 11 million people are displaced by conflict and climate change-related natural disasters in Africa every year according to Afrian Union convention on internally displaced persons.

Julia Dolly Joiner, AU commissioner for political affairs called for international support during the AU covention held in Kampala from October 19 to 23.

"Africa cannot do it alone; that is why we are calling for partnerships," she told IRIN. "We are optimistic that countries will be faithful to their commitments under the convention."

"The most important step now is implementation," Julia Dolly Joiner, AU commissioner for political affairs, said. "We need to move from intentions to actions."

Seventeen countries signed the AU convention on internally displaced persons (IDPs) after years of preparation culminated in a week of meetings in the Ugandan capital but a lot more hard work remains before it becomes effective, according to observers.

Fifteen countries must ratify the convention before it enters into effect. Organizers of the 19-23 October meetings insisted that the fact that only 17 signed did not represent a lack of political will and commitment on the part of the African states.

"We debated together, and we agreed; but, when it comes to signing, the person has to have been given the authority by his government to sign," one AU official told IRIN. "Only 17 had such authorization."

The AU will now try to get more signatures, and lobby 15 countries to ratify the convention so it can become a binding document. Observers, however, say much more work needs to be done to generate political will, given that most presidents stayed away from the summit.

The convention addressed the root causes of displacement in Africa, where at least 11 million people are displaced by conflict and climate change-related natural disasters, among other reasons.

The convention also promotes regional and national measures to prevent, mitigate, prohibit, and eliminate the root causes of internal displacement and provide durable solutions.

According to the Brookings-Bern Project, three of the world's