World Refugee Day 2018, #WithRefugee-Statement by Hon. Samuel Nartey George on June 20th 2018

STATEMENT BY HON. SAMUEL NARTEY GEORGE (MP) ON THE THEME #WITHREFUGEES TO MARK WORLD REFUGEE DAY ON JUNE 20TH 2018

Rt. Honourable Speaker,
Today we live in a world in which uncertainty often abounds; economic instability, political upheaval and violence close to home can make us want to shut our eyes or close our doors.

But fear and exclusion will not lead us to a better place - they can only lead to barriers, alienation and despair.
It's time to change this trajectory.
And for the better.

To do this, the UN Refugee Agency launched the #WithRefugees petition in June 2016 to send a message to governments that they must work together and do their fair share for refugees.

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In countless communities around the world, including in the poorest countries that host the vast majority of the world's refugees, business people, faith communities, teachers, journalists and many more are joining together to provide refuge to the displaced and foster their inclusion in their societies.

In this regard, Ghana has been a gracious host to a protracted refugee population of approximately 13,000 from various nationalities, with the majority coming from neighboring Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Liberia.
Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continuously work together to ensure that this population and the host communities live together in peace, dignity and in safety.

Refugees around the world face multifaceted challenges, including obstacles to access national social protection, justice and security systems and face inadequate policies which contribute to statelessness.
To overcome these challenges in Ghana, a ‘Multi-Year, Multi-Partner Protection and Solutions Strategy’ (MYMP) has been developed to advocate for durable solutions for the protracted refugee caseload in Ghana, by 2020. Refugees who are unable to return to their country of Origin and are appropriate candidates for local integration, will need an effective legal pathway to do so.

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Refugees, whom have fled conflict and persecution, are not always burdens on the societies in which they find themselves nor are they security threats as some may perceive.

Experience has shown that in fact, they greatly contribute to their hosting communities by bringing their skills,
economic contributions and diversity.

These can only be realized however, by lifting the barriers to inclusion, and in the case of Ghana, through the Government’s approval to formalize the locally integration process for the most protracted refugees.

Rt. Hon. Speaker, by removing the barriers to inclusion, it additionally reduces the risks of statelessness. Statelessness is estimated to affect at least one million people in West Africa today. A Stateless person is someone who is not recognized as a national of any State.

This can occur through discrimination and arbitrary deprivation of nationality; situations of State successions; inadequate civil registration practices; problems in acquiring documents proving nationality and/or through gaps in nationality laws.  This global challenge is what necessitated the adoption in 1954 and 1961 respectively of the United Nations Statelessness Conventions.

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Mr. Speaker, sadly Ghana is yet to accede to the two United Nations Conventions on Statelessness and is one of only two (2) countries within the West African Sub-region, which has yet to accede to either.

In May 2017 ECOWAS Ministers, responsible for nationality including from Ghana adopted the ECOWAS Plan of Action on Eradication of Statelessness, 2017-2024.

This regional Plan of Action is based on the commitments and recommendations made in the Abidjan Declaration, and the Conclusions and Recommendations therein and therefore strictly follows the spirit of the Abidjan Declaration.

As part of this commitment, a focal point for statelessness was appointed by Ghana and tasked with the responsibility of developing a National Action Plan to end Statelessness.

In taking action in these issues, Ghana would be internationally recognized as progressive and responsible, in relation to finding durable solutions for the refugees hosted on its soil.

In view of the role our President occupies as a Co-Chair of the Eminent Advocates on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whose central theme is to “leave no one behind”, it is imperative for Ghana to take steps to provide a legal pathway for the local integration of its most protracted refugee population and become a party to the statelessness conventions.
Rt. Hon. Speaker, inclusion requires opening our minds, hearts and communities to refugees.

It requires a whole of society approach - joining up students, business leaders, athletes, activists, religious leaders, politicians and artists - to share responsibility.

For this reason, and the recent funding shortfalls experienced by UNHCR especially for refugees in Africa caused by the escalation of the Syria crisis, the UN-Refugee Agency is looking for new partnerships from Africa’s Influencers, philanthropists and individuals to bring lasting solutions to the plight of refugees and other affected persons whilst encouraging the spirit of communism and giving- a doctrine that is not alien to us as Africans and Ghanaians for that matter.

This has given rise to an Africa-wide social fundraising and awareness campaign- LuQuLuQu- to provide avenues for everyday persons touched by the plight of the displaced to give and in so doing, help change the narrative of Africans and the African Refugee.

The theme #WithRefugees has been kept till now emphasizing the need to stand with the displaced now more than ever.

Today, as we mark World Refugee Day, I ask this august House to join me honour the resilience and courage of more than 65 million people who have been forced to flee war, persecution and violence.

But it's also a moment to recognize those communities and people around the world who receive refugees and the internally displaced in their midst, offering them a safe place, and welcoming them in their schools, their workplaces and their societies.

So today, as we pause to contemplate the fate of the millions of people who cannot return to their homes tonight because of war or persecution - it's also a moment to ask ourselves what each of us can do to overcome indifference or fear and embrace the idea of inclusion, to welcome refugees to our own communities, and to counter narratives that would seek to exclude and marginalize refugees and other uprooted people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge you and Honourable Colleagues to use our positions to act as Ambassadors in this movement to end Statelessness and encourage our Government to commence as a matter of urgency, steps towards ensuring that the refugees on Ghana’s soil have an effective pathway for local integration and to advocate for the ratification of the two United Nations Conventions on Statelessness because, when we stand together #WithRefugees, we also stand for respect and diversity for all.

I thank you Right Honourable Speaker for the opportunity given me.

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