MEDIA ADVISORY

African Union Commemorates the World Refugee Day 2023

INVITATION TO THE MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

What: Commemoration of the World Refugee Day 2023

Theme: “Hope away from Home. A World where Refugees are always included”

When: Tuesday, 20 June 2023, starting from 9:30 am (EAT).

Where: AU Headquarter, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Who: The Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS) of the African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Why: The refugee problem continues to be a persistent challenge on the African continent due to complex factors. Conflicts and political instability affecting parts of Africa continue to force multitudes of African people into forced displacement in different countries. The widespread use of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), terrorism and religious extremism has further compounded the situation, and also resulted in lives lost, homes and properties destroyed. These challenges are compounded by a sharp increase in food insecurity; notably in the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, Central and Western Sahel due to a combination of back-to-back poor rainy seasons, raging and protracted armed conflict with inter-communal violence in some of the contexts. Over 8 Million refugees currently seek asylum and are in need of International Protection on the continent. While some of the refugee situations are relatively new, many are protracted, dating back to over 30 years. In some instances, refugees have been displaced multiple times and some refugees have their third or even fourth generation living in asylum, with most having no connection to their places of origin. All this continues to create desperation and despair, in addition to eroding community resilience and self-reliance.

Many AU Member States have largely maintained a favorable asylum space allowing forcibly displaced persons access to their territory to seek and enjoy asylum, an approach that is buoyed by the African spirit of Ubuntu. The African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on their part have also shown strong momentum in responding to the ongoing crises at a time when humanitarian needs are severely underfunded due to competing needs globally. The African Continent also has one of the most progressive refugee legal framework. The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention (Governing Specific Aspects of Refugees), the bedrock of refugee protection on the continent, is considered the most generous and flexible international agreement on refugee protection. In addition to the 1969 OAU Convention, other regional human rights instruments, such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, and international conventions provide a full spectrum of refugee protection rights and obligations. The 2009 Kampala Convention, expanded on both the protection and assistance of both displaced persons and refugees, whilst also bringing the beneficial effects of durable solutions to both categories.

The 2023 WRD highlights the necessity to include refugees in national socio-economic systems. Including refugees in the communities where they have found safety after fleeing conflict and persecution is the most effective way to support them in restarting their lives and enable them to contribute to the countries hosting them. It’s also the best way to prepare them to return home and rebuild their countries, when conditions allow them to do so safely and voluntarily, or to thrive if they are resettled to another country. In line with the theme, the African Union are organising a panel discussion to theme Refugee inclusion: What role can key stakeholders play in moving the agenda forward?

Refugee inclusion is even more timely as the African Union and international community prepare for 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), which will take place between 13 - 15 December in Geneva, with advance events on 12 December. It will provide an opportunity to build on the significant progress made by governments and other stakeholders towards the implementation of pledges and initiatives announced since 2019.

Objective: The objective of the commemoration initiative is to generate attention to the situation of refugees in Africa, the efforts of stakeholders in determining root causes and implementing policies to protect, assist, and find durable solutions for affected populations by:

1. Creating continental awareness of the ongoing pressing refugee needs and take stock of the challenges over the years and echo the growing consensus on the humanitarian emergencies driven by a combination of complex and inter-related circumstances;

2. Highlighting efforts of the African Union, Member States, and partners to prevent forced displacement, protect and assist people during displacement, and realize durable solutions for displaced people. Within this context, reflect on the new African Humanitarian Architecture, principally the operationalization of the African Humanitarian Agency as a vehicle for humanitarian action on the continent while noting the challenges on refugee protection and humanitarian access;

3. Reflecting on the outcomes of the humanitarian and pledging summit held in May 2022 in Malabo and mobilize support for post-Malabo plans of the AU Commission, the PSC, Member States, and Humanitarian Partners;

4. Stressing that respect for relevant legal frameworks including the 1969 OAU Convention, 2009 Kampala Convention and the CAP Humanitarian Effectiveness as it contributes to reducing the scale and impact of protection challenges for refugees, asylum seekers and bolstering of their welfare;

5. Emphasizing the imperatives of political and durable solutions; and

6. Accentuating the fundamental importance of adequate resources in the face of escalating Protection and Assistance needs for refugees.

Participant: Participants will include: Representatives from select AU member states hosting significant numbers of refugees; RECs and RMs; Representatives from the AU Commission and Organs; International Organizations: United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), European Union (EU); Representatives from the AU partners Group (AUPG): Canada, The Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, France; Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS); Institute for Security Studies (ISS); and Media.

Media representatives are invited to cover the Commemoration of the World Refugee Day 2023 on 20th June 2023.

For any additional information kindly contact:

1. Mr. Michel Nshimba | OIC Humanitarian Division, Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development | E-mail: Nshimbam@africa-union.org

2. Mr. Hanson Ghandi Tamfu/ Gov’t Liaison Officer/ UNHCR Representation to the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa(RAUECA), Email: Tamfu@unhcr.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communications Directorate, African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org
Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia I Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram| YouTube |