WARIPNET (West African Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Network

INTROCUTION TO WARIPNET

West African Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Network (WARIPNET) WARIPNET is a coalition of NGOs in West Africa who have come together to advocate for the rights of refugees in the region. The network’s membership is diverse, including direct service organizations, grassroots political activists, human rights organization and lawyers. The Network aims to strengthen the impact of its members by facilitating exchange of experiences between member organizations dealing with different issues relating to refugee protection, working to build and promote a shared platform of action and working to highlight issues of concern to West Africa on the international stage. WARIPNET grew out of a series of workshops organized by the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights over a two year period. The workshops were designed to provide technical and strategic training to NGOs in West Africa, and at the final workshop in Dakar in July 2000 the participants formally founded WARIPNET. WARIPNET has since also joined the Darfur Consortium (a coalition of African and international organizations working for peace in Darfur). Through frequent, efficient communication with each other and the WARIPNET secretariat, members collect data and produce up-to-date reports on the issues affecting refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) in member countries. This joining of forces allows members to more effectively advocate, lobby, and work with the appropriate national, regional and international institutions on all issues concerning the protection and welfare of refugees and IDP in West Africa and Cameroon. Additionally, members actively strive to prevent and mitigate conflicts and other situations that cause forced migration. Thus, WARIPNET works to ensure member countries’ respect and adherence to the United Nations Geneva Convention of 1951 and the OAU 1969 Convention on Refugees. Since its founding in 2000, workshop discussions and information gathering through the Network has allowed WARIPNET, in collaboration with Human Rights First, to prepare and present briefings at meetings of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. For example, WARIPNET made a presentation on ensuring refugee protection in situations of mass influx as part of the UNHCR’s Global Consultations Process. WARIPNET also currently serves as a clinic for advice and orientation services to asylum-seekers in the status determination process in member countries. WARIPNET’s partners include: • The Ford Foundation • Human Rights First • International Refugee Rights Initiative • Lawyers Committee for Human Rights WARIPNET members include: Amnesty International (Ghana)- RADDHO (Senegal)- AMDM (Gambia)- ASAPSU (Ivory Coast)- CD Gbarnga (Liberia)- JPC (Liberia)- USE (Senegal) - GRP (Nigeria)- CRP (Nigeria)- CCSL (Sierra Leone) - IRC (Liberia) - JRS (Liberia) - LDHB (Benin) - Methodist Church (Sierra Leone) - MBDHP(Burkina Faso) - OGDH (Guinea) - OLDRE(Cameroon)- SRI (Nigeria) - OFADEC (Senegal)