DECISION ON HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN AFRICA
Doc. EX.CL/1018(XXXI)
The Executive Council,
1. NOTES WITH CONCERN the rapidly changing humanitarian landscape and the growing complexity of humanitarian crises which is affecting millions of people across the continent;
2. EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN
i) of the dire humanitarian situation of migrants in Mediterranean Sea trying to cross over to Europe;
ii) regarding situation of refugees in Africa and CALLS ON all stakeholders, Member States and international organizations to look at the root causes of refugees in Africa, working collectively on finding solutions to conflicts on the continent.
3. COMMENDS the invaluable efforts made by Member States in hosting refugees and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and CALLS on all stakeholders to provide the necessary support in handling the refugee situation in Africa;
4. REQUESTS the Commission to improve the reporting methods on refugee situation and to rely on credible sources of data, especially from Member States in order to reflect updated and faithful information on the situation of refugees in Africa; ;
5. WELCOMES the New York Declaration adopted at 71st Session of the UNGA and the commitment towards the adoption of a global compacts on refugees and on the safe and orderly migration, by 2018 and the comprehensive refugee response framework (CRRF) for large scale movements of refugees including tackling protracted situations;
6. RECALLS the various Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly on Alternative Sources of Financing the AU, and REITERATES the imperative need to have predictable, reliable and sustainable resources to enable AU fulfil its humanitarian responsibilities and CALLS ON the Commission in collaboration with the PRC Sub-Committee on SEAF and PRC Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons to organize a Donors’/Pledging Conference to raise resources to replenish the Special Emergency Fund for humanitarian response;
7. CALLS ON Member States to take measures to shift from managing and responding to humanitarian crises as they occur to implement effective measures for preparedness and building resilience, where applicable, with effective measures for early warning and early response, where applicable;
8. RECOGNIZES that 2019 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Situations in Africa and the 10th anniversary of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in Africa; and calls on the Union to declare 2019 as the Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa : “towards durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa,” and develop an implementation road map;
9. CALLS ON the African Union to work together with the RECs, the Office of the United Nations Secretary General and the UNHCR to organize an activity that will bring global visibility to forced displacements in Africa;
10. REQUESTS the Commission:
i) in collaboration with the PRC Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees and IDPs and the Sub-Committee on the Special Emergency Fund to take all necessary measures to convene the Donors Pledging Conference, which should include the private sector, in order to mobilize further financial support for refugees;
ii) in collaboration with the PRC to engage in further reflections on the situation of refugees to develop practical modalities to assist refugees in Africa;
iii) to work in close collaboration with relevant international partners to address migration flows of Africans through the Mediterranean Sea and other channels.