UNHCR welcomes Chad’s asylum law and its implementing decree

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, welcomes the signing of the application decree of the asylum law in Chad by the Government of the Republic of Chad. This follows the adoption of the law on asylum in Chad in December 2020, which was a result of the country's commitments made during the Global Refugee Forum in December 2019.

This law and its application decree are a sovereignty act that actually marks the domestication of international and regional conventions related to refugee protection. This text is expected to strengthen the protection provided to nearly 600,000 refugees and asylum seekers currently hosted in the country, representing more than 3% of the Chadian population.

The law is expected to strengthen the framework for refugee and asylum seeker protection, thereby ensuring the respect for their civil and socio-economic rights, including freedom of movement, access to justice, the right to work, access to healthcare, education, land, and more.

By signing the application decree of the asylum law, Chad has become one of the pioneering countries in the region in terms of implementing the commitments made during the Global Refugee Forum.

"The signature of the decree in a context of transition and influx in the East once again demonstrates that Chad has set an example of significant progress in the protection of asylum seekers and refugees," says Patrice Dossou Ahouansou, Deputy Representative of UNHCR.

UNHCR and the CNARR (National Commission for Refugee Reception and Reintegration), will ensure the dissemination of the law and its application decree throughout the country.

For more information, please contact:

• Aristophane Ngargoune, Communications Associate, Chad, [email protected], +235 66983792