Harare, Zimbabwe 5 April 2017
Your Excellencies the Ministers in charge of issues relating to the forced displacement of populations;
Your Excellencies Ambassadors, Permanent Representative to the African Union;
Excellencies Representatives of the Diplomatic Missions in the Republic of Zimbabwe;
Representatives of the organs of the African Union,
Mr. Chanda, Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the African Union,

Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be in Harare today. It is an honour to deliver this statement at the opening of this first Conference of State’s Party to the African Union Convention on Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, commonly known as the Kampala Convention on Internal Displaced Persons. Let me also state that Zimbabwe is one of the first countries I am visiting as Commissioner for Political Affairs of the African Union. Believe me, I am amazed by the hospitality and courtesy of the people of Zimbabwe. The warm welcome and the excellent facility put at our disposal by the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe at this meeting is an expression of a culture peculiar to the people of this beautiful country.
On behalf of Mr. Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, allow me, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, to sincerely thank the Government and people of the Republic of Zimbabwe for their willingness to host this Conference of States Parties to the Kampala Convention in Zimbabwe.
Allow me also to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to the efforts of the African Union to make the Kampala Convention a reality. First of all, want to thank the delegates of the various States Parties to the Kampala Convention, here. The twenty-five member states that have ratified the Kampala Convention to date have therefore taken the lead in African’s quest to protect the most vulnerable people in our societies, namely internally displaced persons. The ratification therefore, by these states is an indication of the willingness to participate in building a just and safe Africa for all.
My thanks also go to the representatives of the partner organizations and institutions involved in the humanitarian action who made the trip to attend this meeting. To all of you participants, we are grateful for the availability you have shown by honouring our invitation. Your presence among us is undoubtedly a sign of your commitment to working for the protection and well-being of the displaced on our continent.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

This is truly a historic moment for the African Union and for all those concerned with the protection of displaced persons in Africa. The holding of this first conference of the States Parties to the Kampala Convention marks an important step in the fulfilment of our collective commitments as contained in the Convention.
It is important to remind your excellencies that the African Union Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, adopted in Kampala on 23 October 2009 by our Heads of State and Government, entered into force on 06 December 2012. This Convention has just been into force for four years as a legally binding instrument protecting people forced to move within their own countries for various reasons and have not cross the international border. The adoption in Africa of this legal instrument was welcomed by the international community as a significant contribution to the construction of international humanitarian law. This Convention opens up new horizons for victims of forced displacement, including those who have moved away due to environmental causes as well as economic projects to find protection and assistance.
Given the current state of internal displacement on the continent, particularly in the Horn of Africa, South Sudan, Northeastern Nigeria, Eastern DRC and Mali, there is no doubt that urgent action is required to increase the number of ratifications of this Convention and, above all, to work on the effective implementation of the provisions contained in this Convention. It is therefore extremely important and urgent that we jointly examine this worrying situation with a view to finding ways and means of extending the application of this Con