Africa is home to at over 25.2 million forcibly displaced persons, made up of 7.4 million refugees and 17.8 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The continental also hosts 484,000 asylum seekers and some 712,000 stateless persons. Forced displacement has continued to plague Africa over the years, largely trigger by intra-state conflicts, including inter-communal and ethnic violence, persecution as well as natural disasters. Although forced displacement is a global challenge, political uncertainties, incidents of human trafficking, refoulement, mixed migratory patterns, forced recruitment into terrorist networks and violent extremism, securitisation of refugee/IDP camps, sexual and gender-based violence, erratic weather, floods and drought, among other issues continue to exacerbate displacements in Africa.

In Africa, forced displacement of people dates back to the period of the liberation struggles. In order to have a common approach to dealing with the consequences of forced displacement, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 10 September 1969 adopted the Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (OAU Refugee Convention). The Convention came into force on 20 June 1974, propelled by the large number of Africans who were forced to flee from conflicts resulting from the liberation struggle and the plight of refugees on the continent. In 2009, Forty years after the adoption of the OAU Refugee Convention, the commitment of the now AU Member States towards addressing forced displacements was once more evident through the adoption of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention). Other instruments that have included the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted in 1981; the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child adopted in 1990; the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa adopted in 2003; the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa adopted in 2004; and the African Charter in Democracy, Elections and Governance adopted in 2007. These instruments provide a protective regime of the rights and fundamental freedoms of displaced persons.

Despite commendable efforts to address and manage forced displacement in Africa, displaced persons continue to experience abuse, exploitation and violations. Large number of displaced persons remain in need of humanitarian assistance, finding themselves in protracted situations where solutions have become illusory. Although increasingly displaced persons are hosted in communities and located in organized environment, the particular situation of women and children remain dire and access to key services considerably limited.

In recognition of these challenges and the prevailing need to recognize links between displacement, peace and security and its development dimension, the AU Heads of State and Government at their 31st Ordinary Session held in Nouakchott, Mauritania in July 2018 adopted a decision declaring 2019 as “The Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”. The year coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the OAU Refugee Convention and the 10th anniversary of the Kampala Convention. Under the championship of H.E Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea theme places emphasis on the implementation of durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa with particular focus on refugees, IDPs and returnees.

In this regard, the African Governance Architecture (AGA) is convening the 8th High-Level Dialogue which provides a platform for reflection on the 2019 AU theme, of “the Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”. Discussions at the Dialogue shall place emphasis on international, continental, regional and national normative, policy and institutional frameworks for forced displacement. Particular focus shall be given to the OAU Refugee Convention and Kampala Convention, as well as the CAP on Humanitarian Effectiveness, some of the key continental frameworks for the protection and assistance of refugees, IDPs and returnees. Read more

The Dialogue will be centred around the following six (6) thematic areas:

1. Forced Displacement in Africa: Dimensions, Causes and Policy Directions - The theme shall facilitate the interrogation of the changing scope and dynamics of the problem of human displacement in Africa, drawing on the structural causes and current displacement trends. It will further facilitate the examination of policy, structural contemporary challenges facing Africa related to the principle and practice, focusing on new drivers of displacement; insecurity in refugee-populated areas; protracted refugee situations; the return and reintegration of displaced people; and the protection of IDPs. The theme will also provide an opportunity for participants to discuss consequences of forced displacement on individuals, communities and countries. Specific discussions will be held on the vulnerability and intersectionality in displacement, addressing additional vulnerability factors in forcibly displaced populations with particular focus on persons living with disabilities, youth and women. Conclusions and recommendations will be made on how normative, policy and institutional responses can leverage multi-disciplinary approaches, emphasising the need for institutionalized and coordinated strategies towards addressing the structural causes of forced displacement in Africa.
2. Implementation of Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa: Challenges and Prospects - The theme shall facilitate discussions on existing durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa, leading to the curation of best practices in the areas of return, settlement or local integration. Discussions shall also be held on the challenges hindering effective implementation of durable solutions, which often times lead to protracted displacement in Africa. In this regard, special focus shall be given to sharing of comparable lessons and practices by AU Member States among other stakeholders towards the effective implementation of durable solutions. In addition, the role of national, regional, continental and international actors shall be discussed aimed at enhancing the development of joint strategies for durable solutions. Particular focus will be given to the soci0-economic exigencies, post-conflict reconstruction and development as well as political institution building/strengthening.
3. Securing the Rights of Refugees, IDPs and returnees – Under this theme, critical reflections shall be made on the effectiveness of the human rights protection and promotion regimes for displaced persons, focusing on refugees, IDPs and returnees. Specifically, attention will be given to the status of signature, ratification, domestication and implementation of the OAU Refugee Convention and the Kampala Convention to garner good practices in the protection, promotion and respect of the human rights of displaced persons. In this regard, particular attention will be given to the obligations of governments, host countries and communities, as well as the international community. Further reflections shall focus on mechanisms in place of understanding and addressing human rights issues of displaced persons in a way that guarantees full enjoyment of their fundamental rights and freedoms, using the human rights-based approach. Emphasis will be placed on rights such as right to seek and enjoy asylum; right to life and physical integrity; right to freedom of movement; right to not be arbitrarily detained; and economic social and cultural rights.
4. Addressing the Needs for Justice by Displaced Persons - This theme shall cast light on the place of displaced persons in the justice system, including international and transitional justice systems. Discussion shall include reflections on the relevance of the AU Transitional Justice Policy (TJP), a continental guideline for AU Member States to develop their own context-specific comprehensive policies, strategies and programmes towards democratic and socio-economic transformation, and achieving sustainable peace, justice, reconciliation, social cohesion and healing. Deliberations shall also be held on the question of the new face of justice in Africa, including a critical review of the lessons learned from established courts and the practices of special and hybrid justice mechanisms, with cases studies from Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.
5. Management of Returns Policy: Balancing Returns and other Durable Solutions - This theme shall be crucial in discussing the imperatives of returns. Country case studies from Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia will be leveraged to showcase returns in practice. This shall ignite deliberations with regards to challenges encountered by returnees, the role of governments in facilitating moving from return to reintegration, as well as managing of host community dynamics to avoid possible internal displacement. Further roles shall be discussed related to voluntary repatriation and promotion of a favorable protection environment for returnees, including mechanisms of preventing/addressing statelessness for refugees, IDPs and returnees.
6. Burden Sharing and the Role of International Actors - This theme shall facilitate conversations on the revival of the Pan-African spirit at the core of the African Shared Values. Reflections will be made on the values that binds us as Africans and how these can be expressed to ensure that refugees, IDPs and returnees are afforded the required assistance and protection. Further discussions will be held on African solutions to African problems, providing a platform for AU Member States to renew their commitments and make pledges towards the SEAF and the operationalisation of the African Humanitarian Agency. The theme will further help to put in perspective the role of the international community in the provision of assistance and protection to refugees, IDPs and returnees.

The expected outcome of the 2019 HLD will be to:

1. Increase awareness of the solutions to forced displacement of people in Africa;
2. Showcase experiences and comparable lessons on African solidarity in dealing with forced displacement on the continent;
3. Bring out the voice of refugees, IDPs and returnees; and
4. Come up with concrete and action-oriented recommendations of AU coherent support based on the discussions.

The following outputs will be derived from the 2019 HLD:

• Policy Briefs focusing on each of the thematic focus areas of the Dialogue;
• One (1) Discussion Paper on the Theme of the Year;
• Proceedings Report that will be creatively disseminated widely through traditional and new media;
• One (1) Short Documentary on the theme of the year, curating the deliberations from the HLD and its pre-events;
• Press Releases;
• Media Interviews and topical social media clips; and
• One (1) Special Issue of the African Governance Newsletter on the HLD

Participants at the 2019 HLD will be selected based on relevance and expertise to the Dialogue theme and its sub-themes; regional representation and gender. Specifically, participants will be drawn from:

• Heads of State and Government of the AU Member States;
• Former Heads of State and Government;
• AU Organs, Institutions and RECs
• Refugees, IDPs and Returnees;
• Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including youth and women networks and organisations;
• National and State Institutions, including National Human Rights Institutions and Judicial Institutions;
• Development Partners, International Agencies, including UN Agencies and multilateral organisations e.g AfDB and World Bank;
• Private Sector, Philanthropy Organisations and Individuals;
• Faith-Based Organisations

The 8th High Level Dialogue will be preceded by two pre-events.

1. OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa
2. African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention)
3. Treaties on migration and employment
4. Decisions, Declarations, Resolution and Motions of the Thirty Second Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on the Theme relating to the Theme of the Year 2019