Anticipating the African Union IDP Convention

(updated)

The African Union Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa begins today and runs through the 23rd. The theme is "Addressing the Challenge of Forced Displacement in Africa." The anticipated outcome of the meeting, as the Information Note for the summit points out, is that "African Heads of State and Government are expected to also adopt the African Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, the first ever such Convention in the world."

These articles shed some additional light and comment on the summit and what it hopes to accomplish:

1. Africa: Shining the spotlight on the displaced (IRIN, Oct. 2009) [text]
- Includes links to: "The Objectives of the Convention," Africa's IDP Situation at a Glance," and "Africa's IDPs in Numbers."

2. The African Union IDPs Convention (IDP Action, Oct. 2009) [text]

3. Kampala special summit: The first ever convention for the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons in Africa (African Union, Oct. 2009) [text]

These resources provide more information on displacement in Africa:

Africa's Internally Displaced People (AlertNet) [access]
African Union Summit (UNHCR) [access]
Internal Displacement in Africa (IDMC) [access]
Regional Operations Profile: Africa (UNHCR) [access]
World Refugee Survey (USCRI) [access]

Press releases re. the opening of the summit:

Executive council starts deliberations on adopting important instrument to deal with challenges of forced displacement [text]

Ministers meet in Kampala ahead of African Union summit on displaced people [text]

[Map credit: UNHCR]

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Publications.