The ECOWAS ministers in a group photo after the meeting.
Ministers of Interior and Justice of Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had adopted regional Plan of Action to end statelessness in West Africa.
The ambitious plan, adopted at a joint ECOWAS/UNHCR Conference hosted by the Government of the Republic of the Gambia lays out concrete measures and a specific timeframe that aims at resolving the obstacles to the acquisition of nationality so as to end statelessness by 2024.
It also aims at addressing the causes of statelessness by rectifying gaps in nationality laws and issues relating to proof of nationality in the region.
Volker Turk, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, (UNHCR) congratulating the region said the adoption of the regional plan of action represents a major step forward in the fight against statelessness.
“Through these bold efforts, West Africa is positioning itself as the world leader in the fight to end statelessness,” he said.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel said the Secretary-General of the UN considers the eradication of statelessness as a priority of his efforts at conflict prevention, resilience, development and the promotion of human and peoples’ rights.
This meeting represents a crucial landmark in the progress being made by ECOWAS, the UN in general and UNHCR in particular towards the implementation of the February 2015 Abidjan Declaration of Ministers of ECOWAS Member States on the Eradication of Statelessness,” Mr. Chambas added.
The fifteen ECOWAS Member States adopted the landmark Abidjan Declaration in February 2015, recognizing statelessness as a scourge in the region and committing to end this phenomenon by 2024.
The Plan of Action adopted today operationalizes the Declaration and is underpinned by three pillars: identifying stateless people and the risks of statelessness; preventing and reducing statelessness; and raising awareness among the general public.
“In the region, some nationality laws still contain discriminatory elements based on gender, ethnicity or race,” says Liz Ahua, UNHCR Regional Representative for West Africa.
“These are the very obstacles faced by up to 60 million people in the region who are without documents proving their identity or nationality,” she says.
ECOWAS Member States will implement the mechanisms to ensure that all persons who are eligible are able to obtain identity papers and proof of nationality.
“Statelessness has a devastating impact on the life of individuals, as having a nationality is essential to the full participation in society and a precondition to enjoy fundamental human rights,” says Dr. Fatimata Dia Sow, Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender of the ECOWAS Commission. “I can assure you of ECOWAS determination to solve this problem,” she adds.
“It is important to bring statelessness under the spotlights, as we do here: although an invisible phenomena, its consequences are often very real, including the denying of fundamental rights such as education, health or right to work,” she says.
The technical experts of ECOWAS Member States met on 7 and 8 May 2017 to formulate and validate the Plan of Action before its validation by ECOWAS Ministers. This document will be presented for approval at the forthcoming ECOWAS statutory meetings, which would make it legally binding on all the Member States.
From Jamila Akweley Okertchiri, Banjul, The Gambia