AU Peace and Security Council Discusses Humanitarian Challenges in Africa

As chair of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) for June 2024, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odongo Jeje Abubakhar, chaired a virtual Ministerial Meeting of the AUPSC on Refugees, IDPs, and Humanitarian Assistance in Africa on June 19.

The objective of the virtual meeting was to discuss and exchange views on the humanitarian situation on the continent, the efforts being deployed to curb the problem, the challenges being encountered, and effective ways and means of addressing the growing situation.

In his statement to the members, Odongo said that according to the AU Commission, Africa accounts for the highest number of displaced persons in the world, with over 37 million people forcibly displaced since the entry into force of the Kampala Convention on the Protection and Assistance of IDPs in Africa.

Odongo further shared that the UNHCR predicts that by 2024, 130 million people will be displaced globally.

He highlighted the mental health challenges faced by displaced persons, in addition to the multiple social, economic, and protection concerns in their daily lives, including a lack of adequate and nutritious food. “We call for reflection on ways and means of integrating psychosocial support for refugees and IDPs during humanitarian responses,” said Odongo, while also calling for more international support towards refugees, IDPs, and host communities to enable them to respond effectively to those in need.

Odongo commended all Member States and International partners who made pledges during the Extraordinary Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference in Malabo in May 2022, urging all those that made pledges of any kind, including in Malabo and Paris, to redeem them.

In addition to the 15 members of the AU PSC, also in attendance at the virtual meeting were Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Prof. Julio Rakotonirina, Director for Health and Humanitarian Affairs; Ambassador Almon Mahlaba Mamba, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Permanent Representative to the AU and ECA and Chairperson of the PRC Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees, and IDPs; Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, World Food Programme; Dr. Buti Kale, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; and a Representative from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.