ECOWAS Ministers to Discuss Implementation of African Convention On Internally Displaced Persons

30 June 2011
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abuja — ECOWAS Ministers will gather in Abuja on 7th July 2011 to discuss the ratification and implementation of the African Union (AU) Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Africa, known as the "Kampala Convention," as a tool for addressing the problem of internal displacement in the region.

The Ministerial meeting, under the patronage of the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will agree a common declaration and a road map for the formulation of a regional approach to displacement problems based on the AU Convention. Also expected at the meeting are the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Valerie Amos, the Assistant UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ms. Erika Feller and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Chaloka Beyani. ECOWAS and its Member States have confronted the challenges of internal displacement almost continuously over the past two decades. Some achievements have been recorded in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts allowing many refugees and IDPs to return home and rebuild their lives. But hundreds of thousands of others remain uprooted, vulnerable and in need of assistance. The "Kampala Convention" was adopted unanimously in October 2009 at a Special AU Summit in the Ugandan capital, on Refugees, Returnees and IDPs.

ECOWAS Member States played a positive role during the development of the Convention, bringing to the negotiating process the authority and experiences of other countries with forced displacement. The required number of ratifications by AU Member States has not been secured for the Convention to enter into force. The ministerial meeting, funded by the Government of Finland, will be preceded by a meeting of experts from Member States 5th to 6th July 2011 at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja. The Ministers will assess the current situation of IDPs in West Africa and the capacities of Member States to respond to their needs, agree on mechanisms to expedite the ratification and implementation of the "Kampala Convention" and highlight the complementary roles of other humanitarian stakeholders in ensuring the protection of IDPs. They will also draw a linkage between security and welfare of IDPs and the prospects for peace, security and development in the region. Through the platform, the ECOWAS Commission and Member States are expected to renew their commitments to the implementation of the "Kampala Convention" and respect for the rights of IDPs in the region.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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