The ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), meets in Abuja on August 14, 2024, to boost partnerships.
The UNHCR high-level delegation led by Mr. Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection and Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Director, Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa were at the ECOWAS Headquarters to seek support to strengthen partnerships with the ECOWAS Commission as UNHCR advances towards sustainable programs in the ECOWAS Region.
While welcoming the delegation, Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted the prevailing humanitarian situation in the ECOWAS Region mostly because of conflicts leading to displacement of populations and food insecurity, particularly in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin Regions.
The Vice President informed the UNHCR delegation that there are currently about 7,337,979 forcibly displaced population due to conflicts, violence and disasters in the ECOWAS Region, including 6,526,928 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 811,051 refugees and asylum seekers.
Tchintchibidja, urged the UNHCR to continue to support the ECOWAS Com-mission and Member States to implement their Global Refugee Forum (GRF) pledges.
She highlighted that ECOWAS has committed about 9 million USD from the Humanitarian budget in 2024 to assist refugees, IDPs, asylum seekers and stateless persons.
She assured the Delegation that ECOWAS will continue to work with UNHCR to achieve durable solutions in the management of refugee situations while working towards the reduction of dis-placements and its eradication in the Region.
In his statement, the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou, applauded ECOWAS on the Regional Policy on Asylum being developed and assured Tchintchibidja, that the UNHCR will work closely with ECOWAS to implement programs.
He added that a regional approach and strategy will be needed for the current humanitarian situation in the Region.
The ECOWAS Commission and UNHCR renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organizations in 2023 amidst increased violent conflicts, disasters, and insecurity in some Member States.
