17/10/2022
The IDPs and Refugees Committee of the Inter-ministerial Taskforce (IMTF) completed the first draft of the "Proclamation on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons"
The drafting work was preceded by a comprehensive legal review of domestic legislations by the FDRE Ministry of Justice and a fast-tracked stocktaking exercise conducted by the technical team established to prepare the draft Proclamation. The two assessments indicated gaps in the institutional governance of internal displacement and revealed inadequacies of the domestic legal frameworks to effectively respond to particular needs and vulnerabilities of IDPs.
The draft law is envisaged to close these legal and institutional gaps as it applies to all stages and causes of internal displacement. The draft proclamation clearly designated a coordinating body that would serve as the focal point for the implementation of the Kampala Convention. It also pursued a human rights based approach and is guided by principles of non-discrimination, participation, accountability and transparency of responses to internal displacement issues.
On its ratification, the Proclamation would provide guidance to government agencies and other actors involved in responding to situations of internal displacement on the ground and augment domestic implementation of the Kampala Convention. Bilateral and multilateral consultations will be conducted with all relevant actors and internally displaced persons themselves before the draft law is sent to the House of Peoples Representatives for adoption.