The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention at 50

The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention has been ratified by 47 of 55 AU member states and is credited with expanding the legal definition of a refugee to include those fleeing external aggression or public order disturbances. Despite its wide domestication, implementation is hindered by xenophobia, security concerns, and declining international funding. The report argues that the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and its Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) can reinforce the Convention by promoting responsibility sharing, regional approaches, and socio-economic inclusion of refugees.

• The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention is one of the most widely ratified regional treaties in Africa, with 47 of the 55 African Union member states having ratified it as of May 2019.
• The Convention's most significant contribution is its expanded definition of a refugee in Article I(2), which includes people compelled to leave their homes due to external aggression, occupation, foreign domination, or events seriously disturbing public order. This definition has influenced the UNHCR's mandate, the Cartagena Declaration in Latin America, and the use of the prima facie approach to refugee status determination in countries such as Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Togo, and Uganda.
• Implementation of the Convention faces severe challenges, including the tendency of host states to view refugees as security threats and the rise of xenophobia. This has led to restricted movement for refugees in Kenya and Tanzania, and instances of refoulement, such as the forced return of approximately 100,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Cameroon to Nigeria since 2015.
• The scale of forced displacement in Africa is immense, with 7.4 million refugees and 17.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) as of 2018. The high number of IDPs—more than double the number of refugees—strains the resources available for states to address refugee protection.
• The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and its Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) can support the Convention by promoting 'predictable and equitable burden and responsibility sharing'. This includes the World Bank providing US$2 billion from 2017–2020 via the IDA18 regional sub-window to support low-income countries hosting large numbers of refugees.
• The CRRF encourages a shift from purely humanitarian aid to development assistance, promoting refugees' self-reliance and socio-economic inclusion. Examples include Ethiopia amending its refugee proclamation and Chad converting refugee schools into public schools.

APA

Abebe, T. T., Abebe, A., & Sharpe, M. (2019). The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention at 50. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar19.pdf

Chicago

Abebe, Tsion Tadesse, Allehone Abebe, and Marina Sharpe. The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention at 50. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar19.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abebe |first1=Tsion Tadesse |last2=Abebe |first2=Allehone |last3=Sharpe |first3=Marina |title=The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention at 50 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=October 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar19.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abebe20191969, author = {Abebe, Tsion Tadesse and Abebe, Allehone and Sharpe, Marina}, title = {{The 1969 OAU Refugee Convention at 50}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ar19.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }