WHAT: The 5th Ordinary Session of the STC on Migration, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons (STC-MRIDP) will be held under the theme “Re-Imagining Migration and Pivoting Humanitarian Architecture in Africa”.

WHEN: Meeting of Experts: 10–12 November 2025

Ministers meeting from 13–14 November 2025

WHERE: African Union Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia          

WHO: The 5^th STC-MRIDPS will be attended by AUC and the Member State Ministers and Experts responsible for Migration, Immigration, and Forced Displacement Matters.

The STC-MRIDPS will consider validating and endorsing migration and humanitarian frameworks and strategies that support migration, refugees, and internally displaced persons alignment with the Agenda 2063 of the African Union by focusing on several critical policies and reports, including:

• Draft AU Continental Guidelines on Return, Readmission, and Reintegration of Migrants and their support tools.
• AU Statutes of the Africa-Arab Centre on Migration.
• Plans of Action for combating Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) in Africa.
• Implementation frameworks for the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) and the Migration Policy Framework for Africa.
• Progress reports on the operationalization of the African Humanitarian Agency and post-Malabo outcomes.
• Humanitarian diplomacy strategies and civil-to-military aid mechanisms.
• Studies on challenges to ratifying the Free Movement of Persons Protocol and its integration mechanisms.

Background Information

The Specialized Technical Committee on Migration, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons (STC-MRIDPS) is one of the key policy organs of the African Union (AU).  It was established in accordance with Article 5 of the AU Constitutive Act, which requires each Specialized Technical Committee to meet at both the ministerial and expert levels every two years.

The Committee serves as a platform for AU Member States to deliberate on issues relating to migration governance, refugee protection, and humanitarian response across the continent. The 5th session of the STC aims to reshape prevailing narratives on migration, from viewing it as a burden to recognizing it as a catalyst for continental development, innovation, and integration, while strengthening rights-based humanitarian responses and advancing Africa’s vision of unity and growth.

For any enquiries, please contact:

Mr. Beatram Okalany | African Union Commission | Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development Department| Tel.+(251)11551 7844| OkalanyB@africanunion.org