Abuja, Nigeria — The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have solidified their partnership with the adoption of a comprehensive 2025 workplan aimed at enhancing legal protection and support for vulnerable populations in West Africa.
The initiative was formalized during a coordination meeting held at the ECOWAS Court Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday, February 7. A statement from the Communications Division of the ECOWAS Court over the weekend emphasized that the collaboration is rooted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in July 2022, which underscores a commitment to advancing refugee protection, addressing statelessness, and strengthening judicial capacity in the region.
Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, Chief Registrar of the Court, and Mr. Hervé Kuate, UNHCR Senior Liaison Adviser for ECOWAS/ECCAS, reaffirmed their dedication to working together to uphold the rights of displaced persons and stateless individuals.
The meeting, attended by representatives from key departments within the ECOWAS Court and UNHCR, commenced with a review of the 2024 joint workplan. The evaluation allowed both institutions to assess achievements and realign priorities before officially adopting the 2025 framework. The renewed partnership is designed to fortify legal protections and improve access to justice for vulnerable communities across the ECOWAS region.
The 2025 workplan outlines several strategic initiatives, including:
– Partnership Coordination Meetings – Bi-monthly sessions to track the progress of joint initiatives and provide updates on legal cases relevant to UNHCR’s mandate.
– Statelessness Prevention Initiatives– Programs focused on enforcing international and regional policies, such as a regional training in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and an annual statelessness coordination meeting.
-Capacity-Building and Awareness Campaigns – Joint training sessions for legal practitioners, advocacy campaigns across ECOWAS member states, and consultations on a moot court program developed by the ECOWAS Court.
– Humanitarian Field Assessments – Fact-finding missions to refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps to evaluate the humanitarian landscape firsthand.
-Judicial and Legal Framework Support – Information sessions for UNHCR country offices, NGOs, and legal professionals on ECOWAS Court procedures, along with the creation of a lawyer roster for legal capacity-building initiatives.
– Resource Support – Donations of legal books to the ECOWAS Court Library and specialized training programs for court staff on refugee and international humanitarian law.
The statement concluded with both institutions reaffirming their commitment to promoting justice, strengthening legal frameworks, and ensuring that displaced persons and stateless individuals in West Africa receive the protection they deserve.
By Enoch Odesola| February 9, 2025
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