A/HRC/32/35 as the work of the technical working group on durable solutions of the Solutions Alliance and the Global Cluster on Early Recovery. In January 2016, a workshop was held in Geneva and, in March 2016, the first phase of the project was finalized with the commitment of partners to continue their collaboration.13 36. From 4 to 6 April 2016, the Special Rapporteur attended a forum on new approaches to protracted forced displacement, coorganized by the World Bank, UNHCR and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, held at Wilton Park, United Kingdom. The forum was an ideal model for the engagement of humanitarian and development actors with real country situations to provide creative and innovative approaches to protracted displacement. The Special Rapporteur emphasized the need for stronger national protection systems for internally displaced persons in their countries while respecting their right to leave their country or seek asylum. He proposed concrete measures, including developing multi-year and multipartner frameworks to achieve clear outcomes; establishing legislation, policies and strategies to support the protection of internally displaced persons; and giving greater priority to building self-reliance and resilience. 2. Promoting the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (the Kampala Convention). 37. When he assumed his mandate in 2010, the Special Rapporteur stated that a key priority during his tenure would be to promote the implementation of the Kampala Convention. The Convention was designed and adopted as a tool to deal with the issues of internal displacement in Africa. He dedicated a thematic report to the Human Rights Council on the Convention in 2014,14 in which he provided a comprehensive series of recommendations aimed at its implementation. 38. Internal displacement figures and trends in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of North Africa reveal a bleak picture and reflect ongoing and new conflicts. Massive new displacement and protracted crises in countries such as Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and the Sudan further demonstrate the critical need for action. At the end of 2014, 11.4 million people were displaced across 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, representing over one third of all internally displaced persons worldwide.15 In some cases, responses such as camp closures or returns cannot be considered as constituting appropriate durable solutions for internally displaced persons. 39. The Special Rapporteur continued to engage the African Union on the promotion, ratification and implementation of the Convention. As at February 2016, it had been signed by 40 and ratified by 25 of the 54 member States. Among the most recent ratifications have been Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti and Mauritania. The Special Rapporteur urges all African Union member States to ratify the Convention. 40. Those States that have ratified the Convention must go further to implement it in practice. Recent positive steps by some countries include the development of national legislation, policies and measures to domesticate the Convention. The Central African Republic has a new draft law on internally displaced persons, Nigeria is working to adopt a draft national policy and Zambia has taken steps towards incorporating the Convention in domestic legislation. Although not a party to the Convention, Kenya has introduced comprehensive legislation on internally displaced persons, based on the Protocol on the 13 14 15 10 See www.jips.org/en/profiling/durable-solutions/measuring-progress-towards-solutions. A/HRC/26/33. See Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Global Overview 2015, p. 8.