A/HRC/26/33 III. The Kampala Convention: a road map for action A. Introduction and overview 25. Africa is home to nearly one third of the more than 28.8 million persons internally displaced by conflict, generalized violence and human rights violations around the world.4 Displacement in Africa and globally is also caused by natural disasters and the effects of climate change, as well as by development projects. Data on displacement caused by development projects have not been collected systematically.5 26. Although over the past five years, 81 per cent of global displacement by natural disasters has been in Asia, n 2012, the Africa region witnessed a record 8.2 million people newly displaced in 27 countries, more than four times in the figure of the previous four years.6 In some countries, displacement due to natural disasters further exacerbated the dire situation of people already displaced due to conflict. 27. On 6 December 2012, the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (or Kampala Convention) came into force. Its adoption on 23 October 2009, in Kampala, was a milestone for internally displaced persons in Africa and throughout the world. As the world’s first legally binding regional instrument on internal displacement, the Convention represented the will and determination of African States to address the problem of internal displacement in a holistic fashion. 28. At the time of writing, 39 of 54 States Members of the African Union had signed the Kampala Convention, while 22 had ratified it.7 The Convention is an innovative agreement in that it provides guarantees against forced displacement and standards for the protection of and assistance for persons during displacement, as well as with regard to durable solutions. It also addresses the causes of displacement, which are not limited to situations of armed conflicts and human rights violations but also encompass situations of natural or humanmade disasters. Moreover, the Convention is unique in that, in its article 2(d), it provides for the obligations and responsibilities of States parties, while also specifying the roles and responsibilities of non-State armed groups, private companies, humanitarian agencies and civil society organizations, the international community, internally displaced persons and communities affected by displacement. 29. Since the adoption of the Kampala Convention, the African Union Commission has spearheaded the promotion, signing and ratification process for the Convention. Its plan of action for the implementation of the Convention has been adopted by the States Members of the African Union, which have thus demonstrated their commitment to the instrument by signing and ratifying it. While the Convention is a momentous step towards enhancing the human rights of internally displaced persons and provides for a solid framework for the effective protection and assistance of those affected by displacement, challenges remain. 30. At the sixteenth session of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur presented the priority areas for his mandate, and shared his intention to promote actively the ratification by States of the Kampala Convention and to continue to assist in putting in place 4 5 6 7 8 IDMC Global Overview 2012: People internally displaced by conflict and violence, Geneva, 2013 (available from www.internal-displacement.org/publications/2013/global-overview-2012-peopleinternally-displaced-by-conflict-and-violence), p. 9. Ibid. Ibid. Including the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, not a State Member of the United Nations.