Refugees commission seeks domestication of Kampala Convention on IDPs

The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has described the ongoing workshop of domestication of the African Union Convention on Internally Displaced Persons (Kampala Convention) as worthwhile.

Addressing delegates and international partners in Lagos yesterday, she said the move marked the start of a new phase of inter-institutional engagement in the development of the long-awaited standalone domestication.

She noted that the Kampala Convention is a pioneering instrument, the first legally binding instrument on IDPs, and is a standard-setting international instrument of regional scope on how to provide protection and assistance as well as durable solutions for

IDPs throughout Africa.

She expressed optimism the domestication would address the unique characteristics of internal displacement in African countries and provide a clearer and stronger legal basis for the protection of IDPs.

“It provides an appropriate legal framework for the protection and assistance of IDPs. It is geared towards ending internal displacements by addressing the root causes, providing durable solutions, and enhancing or addressing gaps where no legal instrument protects the housing, land, and property rights of the vulnerable IDP.”

She added that the Kampala Convention covers all causes and phases of internal displacement and expressly commits both state parties and other stakeholders to act, to the extent of their capacity, to prevent displacement and protect IDPs throughout their displacement until a durable solution is found.