KAMPALA (AlertNet) Â? The African Union is due to adopt a convention to protect and assist millions of people on the continent, who have been uprooted within their own countries by violence and natural disasters.
Here are some key quotes from senior U.N. officials about the significance of the pact.
Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
Â?The African Union is approving the first internationally relevant legally binding document in relation to internally displaced people. To give you an idea of the importance of this we have about 11 million refugees in the world but we have 26 million people displaced by conflict within the borders of their own countries.
Â?This is indeed from our perspective a historic moment and we strongly hope this will not be just another convention, that it will be a document fully ratified by African countries and fully implemented. I also hope that other parts of the world will copy the African Union.Â?
John Holmes, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordinator for Emergency Assistance
Â?There are few more dispiriting experiences in many ways than to visit people (IDPs) in those situations whether they are living in camps or theyÂ?re living with host communities because they very often have lost everything. They face a totally uncertain future, their fate is no long is no longer in their own hands, and their sense of hopelessness, as well as homelessness, their sense of humiliation almost is very palpableÂ?so thatÂ?s why this kind of convention which can help address those problems, which can help to make sure they can get the assistance they need, to make sure their rights are respectedÂ?is so important and this convention is so welcome.
Of course most of the people displaced in the world at the moment are displaced by conflict, and thatÂ?s true in Africa too but what we see is climate change is beginning to produce more intense disasters, more frequent disasters of every kind. For example, in 2008 in Africa there were 104 internationally reported natural disasters, 99 percent of them were climate-related. The number of people in Africa affected by natural disasters has doubled in the 10 years from 9 million in 1999 to nearly 17 million in 2008 Â? a lot of that is to do with drought. Drought is becoming more frequent and more intense. But itÂ?s also of course more extreme flooding.
What we fear, what the scientists predict is, is this is simply going to get worse for the foreseeable future. This is bound to result in more and more forced displacement."
Walter Kaelin, Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General on Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
Â?ItÂ?s important for at least five reasons. First, governments ratifying the convention recognise that internally displaced persons do have specific vulnerabilities and must be protected and assisted. Second the convention is very comprehensive. It covers all phases of displacement Â? prevention of displacement, protection during displacement, also a way to find durable solutions for these people.
Third, the convention covers all causes of displacement not only armed conflict, situations of violence, but also natural/manmade disasters. It even talks about people being displaced in the name of development projects. The text speaks about governments having the obligation Â? this is important for the work of humanitarian agencies in engaging with governments.
Finally the convention goes beyond addressing the role of states, it also speaks about other relevant actors, the African union, humanitarian organisations and even non-state actors and thatÂ?s important because non-state actors are very often a cause of violations of the rights of IDPs or are responsible for displacement."
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