Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Guinea

Refugee convention under the spotlight

    ABIDJAN

    Some 150 specialists in refugee and humanitarian law began a three-day meeting in Conakry, Guinea, on Monday on strengthening the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Refugee Convention.

    The meeting, organized by the OAU and the UNHCR, will review key issues such as the level of implementation of the convention signed in 1969 and now ratified by 45 countries.

    Participants will review causes of new refugee flows and then make proposals to strengthen the implementation of the convention. The meeting will also discuss internal displacement of populations and the question of stateless persons in Africa.

    When the convention was signed, the largest cause of refugees in Africa was a result of people fleeing colonial oppression and apartheid. Now, however, refugee flows are caused by internal disputes, human rights violations and by a lack of good government and democratic institutions.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join