New report launched in Addis Ababa
The 1969 OAU Convention at 50
Cover page of the report
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Reviewing impact, after half a century
"The year 2019 marks 50 years since the 1969 Organization of African Unity Refugee Convention was adopted. This milestone is an opportunity to review its history, implementation and prospects. The Convention has been widely ratified and domesticated and has informed the development of progressive laws. Implementation however faces several challenges, including xenophobia and the tendency to view refugees as a security concern. The Global Compact on Refugees has the potential to support the Convention’s implementation." (Introduction)
Find the full text here: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar19.pdf
The panel during the launch event
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Collaboration in drafting the report
Joint by other speakers, the authors introduced the report on the panel:
- Tsion Tadesse Abebe, Senior Researcher with the Migration Programme at the Institute for Security Studies.
- Allehone Abebe, Senior Legal Officer with the AU’s Department of Political Affairs, seconded by UNHCR.
- Marina Sharpe, Senior Legal Officer with UNHCR’s representation to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
The audience during the event in Addis Ababa
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A complex situation with serious challenges
There are 7.4 million refugees & asylum seekers in Africa. The continent also has 17.8 million Internally Displaced Persons. The AU has declared forced displacement as a focus theme for 2019.
"The 1969 Convention has been a document, an instrument, that has protected, and continues to protect many refugees," Cosmas Chanda, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the AU and the Economic Commission for Africa, said at the meeting.
This is one of the most widely ratified treaties in Africa – but implementation gaps clearly do still exist.
A very engaging discussion with the audience followed the presentations at the well-attended seminar in Addis Ababa.