A/HRC/4/38 page 14 shaping their own future and that of their nation. Rather than a luxury in conflict or post-conflict situations, the Representative emphasized, political participation can effectively contribute to peace, recovery and to long-term development. The Representative identified the challenges faced by the internally displaced in trying to exercise their political rights and called on national authorities as well as relevant international and regional organizations to develop targeted and comprehensive programmes to address the political rights of IDPs. D. Regional organizations The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights 47. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights invited the Representative to make a presentation to its 39th ordinary session which took place from 15 to 29 November 2006, in Banjul. On this occasion, the Representative underlined the synergies between his mandate and that of his African counterpart, the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons. He highlighted that closer cooperation between them should be developed to strengthen the protection of IDPs on the African continent, despite the differences between their two mandates. In this regard, the possibilities of joint missions were explored and welcomed by the Commissioners as well as the State representatives present. The Representative also stressed his wish to strengthen his communication and cooperation with the Commission as a whole. 48. In an open dialogue with civil society and delegations, the Representative presented his mandate, as well as the challenges he has seen on the African continent. During the ensuing question and answer session, issues such as persons displaced by slow-onset disasters and the situation of Darfur were discussed. The Council of Europe 49. Building on past cooperation with the Council of Europe concerning situations of internal displacement occurring in its member States, the Representative was invited, in June 2006, to address the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly on the situation of IDPs in southern Europe. The Representative welcomed the fruitful dialogue and looks forward to pursuing a closer relationship with the Council concerning issues of internal displacement within its mandate. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) 50. The Representative, the Brookings-Bern Project, ECOWAS and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) co-sponsored the First Regional Conference on Internal Displacement in West Africa, held in Abuja from 26 to 28 April 2006. The Conference was hosted by the Government of Nigeria and brought together more than 70 participants, including representatives of ECOWAS Governments, national human rights institutions, ECOWAS Secretariat, local and international NGOs, the African Union, United Nations agencies, donor Governments and independent experts. Speakers and participants noted several challenges to the protection of IDPs, including the lack of comprehensive and reliable data, inadequate support provided to host communities and insufficient inclusion of IDPs in decision-making processes. Participants made several