Migrant committee sits at AU Commission HQ
A committee created to discuss the issue of migrants and internally displaced people in Africa met for the first time at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Specialized Technical Committee on Migration, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons convened for the first time on Monday, said Wafula Renny, Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer in the African Union Commission’s Political Affairs department.
In light of the growing migrant crisis worldwide, the committee is seeking to address the crisis effectively and position Africa’s stance on the crisis at the World Humanitarian Summit which is set to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2016.
Key to this summit was considering what the African continent’s position on this issue was, and presenting Africa’s perspective and voice on the issue, Renny said.
The Committee has adopted the theme “Towards Humanitarian Effectiveness in Africa” for its inaugural meeting, and the second theme, “One Africa, One Voice, One Message” would serve as the starting point to develop an appropriate policy framework for the continent’s approach at the summit.
This view “aims to promote and defend common Africa position on issues of interest to the continent and its people,” said Dr Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, the AUC Commissioner for Political Affairs.
Abdullahi, in his opening address on Monday, said that the current migrant crisis had consequences for the continent, as migrants become displaced due to different factors, including conflict, and natural and man-made disasters. The migration crisis, he said, was “further deepened by the lack of capacity at all levels on the continent” and these issues needed to be addressed.
Ambassador Lamine Baali Yahiaoui, Chairperson of the AUC PRC Sub-Committee on refugees, returnees and displaced persons pointed out how the meeting “is strategically held within the period where the continent is facing severe climatic variations that disrupt peace and stability, causing fatalities, disrupting livelihoods and promoting massive displacement of people amongst other consequences”.
He noted that “despite great improvements in some countries, humanitarian emergencies are becoming more complex, calling for humanitarian preparedness and response mechanisms of Member States in general”.
The Committee is sitting from November 16-20. The outcome of this week’s meeting would be submitted at the 26th Ordinary Session of the Union in Addis Ababa in January 2016, ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit. - ANA
(File photo: Getty Images)