Eradicating Statelessness: Unhcr Rep Lauds Ecowas As Global Pacesetter

Mrs Liz Ahua, the Regional Representative, UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), has described ECOWAS as a global pacesetter for its progress towards eradicating statelessness in the West Africa sub-region.Ahua said on Sunday in Banjul at the opening of a three-day ministerial meeting on the adoption of the Regional Plan of Action to Eradicate Statelessness in West Africa.

She noted that since the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration in February 2015, ECOWAS member states had made significant commitments and progress which could not be over-emphasised in the drive to combat statelessness in sub-region."The progress made since Abidjan has been significant and it is without hesitation that I can say this region is setting an example, not only for the continent, but for the world.

"Three member states have newly acceded to the 1954 and 1961 international statelessness conventions 12 member states have developed National Action Plans to end Statelessnes."Three officially adopted the declaration, including one at presidential level.

"Reforms of national legislation are under way in seven countries.''Ahua said that notwithstanding the progress and success made so far, a lot more needed to be done to achieve the UN global target of eradicating statelessness by 2024.According to her, statistics have shown that while over one million persons are stateless in West Africa, 60 million people lack documentation proving their identity or nationality.

Statelessness, she explained, had considerable cost in terms of human rights, security, socio-economic development, marginalization of communities and their exclusion from mainstream society.She said it was in consideration of these costs that the UNHCR and ECOWAS earlier organised a meeting of stakeholders and experts to work together on the next critical step in the fight to eradicate statelessness in West Africa.

Also speaking, Dr Fatimata Dia Sow, the...