ECOWAS experts finalise strategies to eradicate statelessness
Published: 8/May/2017
Source: The Point (Gambia)
Experts from within West Africa and outside are meeting in The Gambia to review a draft 8-year Plan of Action which set forth concrete measures to end statelessness in the sub-region by the year 2024.
The Plan of Action is developed in line with the Abidjan Declaration adopted by the 15 ECOWAS member states in February 2015 as a commitment to set measures to end statelessness.
Stateless people are those without the legal nationality of any country in the world.
In line with the declaration, ECOWAS, in consultation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has developed an 8-year Plan of Action with concrete actions and time-frames to end statelessness in the sub-region.
At a three-day meeting, open yesterday, organised by the ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with UNHCR and hosted by The Gambia government, the document would be reviewed and adopted as the Regional Plan of Action to Eradicate Statelessness in West Africa.
Two of the three days is the expert meeting during which the experts and stakeholders would go through the document for the final review.
The third and final day, Tuesday, the reviewed Plan of Action would be tabled before the sectoral ministers responsible for nationality issues, for validation and adoption.
Read further: http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/ecowas-experts-finalise-strategies-to-eradicate-statelessness-1