ECOWAS, UNHCR Advocate Protection of Refugees, Stateless Persons

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has commenced the process of proffering solutions to issues of protection of refugees, stateless, displaced persons and seekers of asylum in the ECOWAS sub-region.
This was made known yesterday, during the opening of 2024 ECOWAS Ambassadors -UNHCR retreat with the theme ‘Improving the protection space for refugees, IDPs, and stateless persons in West Africa and unlocking solutions to forcible displacements’, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
THISDAY observed that participants at the retreat include Member States permanent representatives to ECOWAS, ECOWAS Commission, Representatives of the ECOWAS Parliament, Representatives of the ECOWAS Court, relevant UN Agencies and UNHCR.
In her remarks at the retreat, ECOWAS Commissioner of Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sarr, explained that the 2024 retreat is focused on advocacy to secure the protection space for refugees and stateless persons towards solutions to forced displacement in the ECOWAS sub-region.

Prof. Sarr expressed that the theme of the retreat speaks to the current context marked with significant security concerns triggering continuous waves of population displacements amid legitimate security concerns from member states.

She said, “The issue of forced displacement remains topical for the ECOWAS region. West Africa is the stage for some of the world’s most complex, tangled, and protracted humanitarian crisis.”

Noting that almost all ECOWAS member states have ratified both the UN and AU treaties on the protection of refugees, IDPs and stateless persons, Sarr said “ECOWAS has also adopted impressive steps to fighting statelessness and is currently developing a regional policy and model legislation on asylum and refugees protection.”

She said the objective of the retreat was to inform on the humanitarian situation in West Africa and the potential risk of shrinkage of the protection space.

Also to “Increase awareness about the impact of the current security situation in the sub region on refugees, IDPs and stateless persons, and identify the role of the Commission as Permanent Representatives (PCR) and member states in enhancing protection and solution tools.

“Advocate for durable solutions for protracted refugees solutions, residency permit and naturalisation, prioritising old refugees case load.

“Agree on concrete support from the PRC and the Ambassadors towards concrete safeguard of the asylum institution, protection space abs solutions in the region.”

On his part, the UN High Commissioner for Refugee, Mr. Xavier Cretch, noted that the ECOWAS region is facing a very complex humanitarian situation, with always more refugees and IDPs internally displaced population of seven millions people.

Cretch said, “In this context, collaboration with ECOWAS to provide protection and find solutions to the displaced people is absolutely fundamental. The ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS member states, and the people of ECOWAS are provided lots of solidarity, hospitality, to bring support to this space population”.

He added that the “ECOWAS commission is contributing now directly with their own budget to $9million to the response, I think it’s quite exceptional. So dealing with a budget zone contributing with legislative framework to support state in developing adequately.”