ECOWAS reiterates commitment to cooperate with UN High Commissioner for Refugees
By Linus Aleke
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has reaffirmed its commitment to dynamic and more fruitful cooperation with the High Commissioner of the United Nations Refugee Agency, (UNHCR).
The ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, reiterated this commitment at the just concluded 73rd session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in Geneva, Switzerland.
ECOWAS Commission in a statement on Monday said the 73rd session of the UNHCR raised serious concerns on the over one hundred million people forcibly displaced in the world due to COVID-19, climate emergency, conflict, energy and cost of living crisis.
The statement added that the World is struggling to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to those in desperate need in the face of dwindling resource gaps.
“The meeting also provided an opportunity for UNHCR, Member State delegates, partners, and NGOs to share their experiences on the policy and practical approaches used by host States and communities to address the plight of refugees, displaced persons, asylum seekers, and to eradicating statelessness,” the statement said.
In her address during the general debate, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr highlighted some of the ECOWAS Commission’s efforts to address the growing humanitarian challenges in the region, especially in the Sahel, and urged for increased support for food, shelter, water, and sanitation, including mental health and psychosocial support for vulnerable populations in need.
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She also participated in several events at the margins of the Session including as a panellist at the African Union (AU) – UNHCR High-level Side-event on the outcomes of the AU Extraordinary Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference, 25-27 May 2022, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The Commissioner in her discourse highlighted some of the interventions of the ECOWAS Commission in tackling the root causes of the growing humanitarian challenges in the region induced by conflicts and the impact of climate change.
She commended the AU on the initiatives to operationalise the Declaration of the Malabo Humanitarian Summit and the AU Humanitarian Agency and ended by stating that the “solutions will come from African Unity.”
The Commissioner also held a bilateral meeting with Ms. Gillian Triggs, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection in which she acknowledged and commended the UNHCR for the support to the ECOWAS Commission in the elaboration of a 4 – year Regional Action Plan on the Global Compact Refugees to be validated by ECOWAS Experts and Ministers in October and November 2022 respectively, in fulfilment of ECOWAS Global Refugee Forum (GRF) pledges.
She urged UNHCR to continue to support ECOWAS in its efforts at implementing its pledges and that of the Member States.
