On 27-28 November 2019, the Stakeholder Workshop on “the role of free movement of persons agreements in addressing disaster displacement in Africa” was officiated at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS).
The workshop was jointly organised by the Swiss based Platform for Disaster Displacement (PDD); the Development of the Rule of Law Programme (DROP), Stellenbosch University; the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the German Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The event provided an opportunity for discussion amongst stakeholder on the role of free movement of persons agreements in addressing disaster displacement (also in the context of climate change) in Africa.
This workshop brought together policymakers and experts from the Secretariats and Member States of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Select researchers and resource-persons from relevant UN agencies and other partners also attended.
“The workshop aimed to explore opportunities and limitations of free movement agreements in addressing disaster displacement in Africa; it explored strategies or solutions that can enhance the role of free movement agreements in this context; and identified key areas for further research and engagement on this topic,” added prof Oliver Ruppel, Director of DROP.
Photo Opening Panel:
Prof Oliver Ruppel, Director, Development of the Rule of Law Programme (DROP), Stellenbosch University; Dr Tamara Wood, Centre Affiliate, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW, Australia; Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector (Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies), Stellenbosch University; Marie Traisnel, Cooperation and Cultural Attaché, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Cape Town; Prof Walter Kälin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform for Disaster Displacement (PDD); Véronique Haller, Deputy Head of Mission of the Swiss Embassy in South Africa, Pretoria.