The African Union Commission (AUC), through its Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), on 3 June 2026, convened the 9th African Union Humanitarian Architecture: Law and Policy Training Programme (Livingstone Syllabus) in Lusaka, Zambia, under the theme: "Strengthening Humanitarian Governance and Advancing Protection and Solutions in Africa."
The Livingstone Syllabus remains one of the African Union's flagship capacity-building initiatives, designed to strengthen Member States' understanding and implementation of African and international humanitarian law and policy frameworks. Since its establishment in 2016, the programme has played a significant role in enhancing the capacity of policymakers, practitioners, and humanitarian actors to address forced displacement, protection challenges, and humanitarian crises across the continent.
The 9th Session is being held at a time when Africa continues to face complex and evolving humanitarian challenges driven by conflict, disasters, climate-related shocks, food insecurity, and large-scale displacement. These realities underscore the need for strengthened institutional capacity, effective humanitarian governance, and durable solutions that place affected populations at the centre of humanitarian action.
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The training programme seeks to enhance participants' understanding of key African Union humanitarian instruments, including the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the 2009 Kampala Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. It also provides a platform for dialogue on emerging approaches that strengthen the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and promote the inclusion of displaced populations within national systems and development plans.
Participants drawn from AU Member States, and humanitarian partners will engage in discussions on humanitarian governance, refugee protection, statelessness internal displacement, durable solutions, humanitarian financing, localization, climate-related displacement, and the operationalization of the African Humanitarian Agency (AfHA).
The African Union Commission reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Member States in translating continental legal and policy commitments into practical action, thereby contributing to more coherent, predictable, and effective humanitarian responses across Africa. The programme further serves as a platform for strengthening collaboration, peer learning, and the exchange of experiences among stakeholders working to advance humanitarian protection and solutions on the continent.
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The African Union Commission expresses its sincere appreciation to the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for its generous support and to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its longstanding partnership in advancing humanitarian law, policy, protection, and durable solutions across Africa.
Through strengthened collaboration and shared commitment, the Livingstone Syllabus continues to contribute to building resilient institutions, informed leadership, and a stronger African humanitarian architecture capable of addressing contemporary humanitarian challenges and advancing the aspirations of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
For more information, please contact Ms. Rita AMukhobu, Head of Division, Humanitarian Affairs and Free Movement of Persons | Email: AmukhobuR@africanunion.org | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development
