As African heads of state and government converge in Kampala for a special summit on refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees in Africa (19 – 23 October), hopes are high that they will sign a draft African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. If they do, the Convention will be the first instrument in the world to legally oblige States to protect and assist IDPs. State signatories will also commit to elimination of the root causes of persistent conflict on the continent, and to putting in place a comprehensive framework for ending displacement and providing reparations for victims of war and conflict
