Commemorating 15 years of the Kampala Convention
Commemorating 15 years of the Kampala Convention
Displaced people fleeing attacks in northern Mozambique gather at a transit site in Chiure, Cabo Delgado Province, in March 2024.
GENEVA – Today, we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention).
This landmark treaty remains the world’s first and only binding, continent-wide legal framework aimed at safeguarding the rights and well-being of individuals displaced within their own countries. It reflects Africa’s leadership and united commitment to addressing the pressing challenges faced by millions displaced by conflict, violence, human rights violations, disasters, and the impact of climate change.
Internally displaced people (IDPs) across the continent continue to face immense challenges, with durable solutions to their displacement remaining elusive. As of the end of 2023, nearly half of the world’s 75.9 million IDPs were in Africa. From January to June 2024, conflict in Sudan displaced 1.5 million people, resulting in 10.5 million internally displaced in the country. Similarly, ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo triggered 852,000 new displacements in the first half of the year, leading to over 7 million IDPs. Attacks by non-state armed groups in Mozambique displaced 201,000 people, raising the number of IDPs to nearly 600,000. Meanwhile, Nigeria experienced catastrophic floods in September 2024, displacing over 600,000 people in a few days, adding to the 3.3 million previously displaced.
These figures underscore the urgent need for continued action and the central role of the Kampala Convention in outlining the responsibilities of States and non-state actors, including armed groups and other stakeholders. It further provides Member States with guidance on coordinating their responses at national and local levels, while emphasizing the inclusion of displaced people and host communities in finding durable solutions.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Special Rapporteur commend the foresight of the African Union and the dedication of the 34 Member States that have ratified the Convention over the past 15 years.
We recognize and applaud the concrete steps taken to implement the Convention, particularly through incorporating its provisions into national legislation, and we remain committed to supporting these ongoing efforts. To date, 21 African countries have adopted 43 laws and policies addressing internal displacement. Success stories come from Niger, Chad, and the Republic of the Congo, where the treaty has been turned into national law. They provide helpful examples for other countries to follow.
On this anniversary, UNHCR and the Special Rapporteur reaffirm their commitment to supporting African Union Member States in advancing protection, assistance and solutions for IDPs. We call on African Union Member States that have not yet ratified or incorporated the Kampala Convention into national law to act without delay and to ensure that its provisions are fully implemented to provide meaningful protection for those impacted by displacement.
For more information on this topic, please contact:
- UNHCR: Eujin Byun, [email protected], +41 79 747 8719
- For the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons: Nadine Walicki, [email protected], +41 77 472 4927