IV Africa
| Author | Gina Bekker |
| Published date | 01 March 2010 |
| Date | 01 March 2010 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/016934411002800107 |
| Subject Matter | Part B: Human Rights News |
Netherlands Q uarterly of Human R ights, Vol. 28/1 (2010) 97
IV AFRICA
G B*
1. AFRICAN UNION AU
e Specia l Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU)
on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa took plac e in
Kampala, Uganda f rom 19–23 October 2009, the outcome of wh ich was the adoption
by t he Heads of State and Government on 22 October 2009 of the African Union
Convention for the Prote ction a nd As sistance of Inter nally Displaced Persons i n
Africa (Kampa la Convention).1 e Kampala Convention provides a legal framework
intended to address bot h the prevention of internal displacement, which is dened
in the Convention as ‘the involuntar y or forced movement, evacu ation or relocation
of persons or groups of persons wit hin internationally recognized state borders’, as
well as the protec tion and assista nce of internally displaced persons (IDPs).2 e
objectives of the Convention include the promotion and strengthening of regional
and national measures designed to ‘prevent or mit igate, prohibit and eli minate root
causes of internal displacement as well as provide for durable solutions’.3 In addition to
providing that al l persons have a right to be protected against arbitrary displacement
and arming a host of other rights which d isplaced pers ons are entitled to both
under human r ights as well as human itarian law, the Convention also places a range
of obligations on var ious actors i ncluding State parties, i nternational organisations
and humanitarian agencies and the AU.4 In addition, the Convention also details roles
and responsibilities which ar med groups and non-State actors, including civil society
organisations have with regards to both the prevention of internal displa cement as
well as the protection of interna lly displaced persons.
* Lecturer, University of U lster, Northern Ireland , the United Kingdom.
1 is Convention requires 15 rati cations in order to come into force (see Ar ticle 17).
2 Article 2(b). On the denition s contained in the Convent ion, see Article 1.
3 Article 2(a).
4 e right to be protec ted again st arbitra ry displac ement is provided for in Art icle 4(4). Art icle 6
provides for the obl igations relating to int ernational organi zations and human itarian agencies a nd
Article 8 set s out the AU’s obligations in respect of i nternally displ aced persons (IDPs).
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