UNHCR Ethiopia ||Conference_Special

African Union Special Summit of Heads of State and Government on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa

The African Union actively monitors the problem facing refugees, returnees and other forcibly displaced persons as part of its regular activities in the continent. The issue of forced displacement is part of the regular agenda of the African Union. A sub-committee of the Permanent Representatives Committee of the African Union (where all AU member states are represented) reviews the situation of forced displacement in the continent through field visits, regular meetings and interactions with concerned countries and AU partners working in Africa. Twice a year the AU Executive Council also reviews a report on the situation of refugees, returnees and displaced persons during the regular AU Summits.

The AU has also established a consultative and coordination forum (The Coordinating Committee on Assistance to Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons - CCAR) that brings together the AU Commission, members of the PRC Sub-Committee and organizations involved in refugee issues in the continent. In addition, the African Union from time to time also holds high-level meetings and conferences to address emerging challenges relating to forced population displacement. The first African Union Ministerial Conference on refugees was held in Khartoum, Sudan in 1998.

The Second Ministerial Conference of the African Union on the situation of refugees, returnees and displaced persons held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in May 2006, among several of its conclusions, recommended the need for a special summit of African Heads of State and Government. Subsequently the AU Summit of June/July 2006 endorsed the recommendations of the Ouagadougou Conference and decided to convene a Special Summit on the Situation of Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons in 2008. During its 9th Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa in January 2007 the Executive Council of the African Union further requested the AU Commission to commence preparation for the special summit in collaboration with its partners. Following this decision the AU established a Technical Task Force that will coordinate preparations for the Summit.

During its first meeting the Technical Task Force for the 2008 summit decided that the summit will focus on the following thematic areas:

1.Preventing Forced Displacement

2.Effective Protection of Refugees, IDPs and the Stateless

3.Meeting the Specific Needs of Displaced Women and Children

4.Meeting the Specific Needs of Displaced Victims of Natural Disasters

5.Rebuilding Affected Communities Emerging From Conflicts and Disasters

6.Forging Partnerships in Addressing Forced Displacement in Africa