1st ECOWAS Ministerial Confab on Humanitarian Assistance & Displacement on the way
The first Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ministerial Conference on Humanitarian Assistance and Internal Displacement has started at the Commission Headquarters in Asokoro, Abuja, Nigeria. (Photo: R- Deputy Justice minister Hon. Arrow Bockarie Deputy Social Welfare Gender Children’s Affairs Minister Hon. Rosaline Oya Sankoh, Foreign Affairs Legal Officer Winston T Yankuba)
Organized by ECOWAS in combination with African Union, Office For the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) the United Nations Refugee Agency and Finland Foreign Affairs Ministry, the conference attracted Government Ministers of Justice including Sierra Leone’s Hon. Arrow Bockarie and that of Gender and Children’s Affairs Ministries of West Africa including Hon. Rosaline Oya Sankoh, and other major stake holders around Europe and Asia.
According to one of the Sierra Leonean experts on Humanitarian Assistance and internal Displacement in West Africa Winston T Yankuba, “we (Hon. Ministers) are here to deliberate on the “Kampala Declaration on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, of October 2009.”
Our presence is very necessary because the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs is connected to the subject matter.
“In any conflict situation, the Women and Children suffer most: so we are going to look at the proposed declaration by the experts which is centered on the African Union Convention for the protection and Assistance of internally Displaced persons in Africa.
“We are also going to deliberate on African Union Plan of Action for implementation of the outcomes of the AU Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and internally Displaced Persons in Africa, African Union Recommendations adopted at the African Union Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees, and internally Displaced Persons in Africa, African Union Kampala Declaration on Refugees Returnees, and internally Displaced Persons in Africa, list of the African union Member States that have signed and ratified the Kampala convention, Map of the African Union Member States that have signed and ratified the Kampala convention and United nations guiding principles on Internal Displacements.
On October 2009, Heads of State and Government of African Union met in Kampala Uganda, invoked the African spirit of their predecessors, rededicated themselves and frowned at the fact that African continent has the largest number of displacements emanating from conflicts, natural disasters, increasingly climate change and other causes of forced displacements in Africa.
They also took firm position to prevent forced Displacement in Africa, Effective Protection of Victims of Forced Displacement, Meet specific needs of displaced women and children and other vulnerable groups, Reconstruct Communities emerging from conflicts and Natural Disasters and forge Partnerships in Addressing Forced Displacement.
The African Heads of State and Government of Africa Union also adopted the African Union Convention on the Protection and assistance of Internally Displaced persons in Africa and urged member States to ratify and implement it as soon as possible.
As at present, thirty two African Countries including Sierra Leone have so far signed the declaration.
Among the twelve African Countries that have ratified it, Sierra Leone is among the first five.
Fifty three African Countries are to sign and ratify the Kampala declaration.
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