The ECOWAS Court of Justice (CCJ) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office have pledged to strengthen their partnership.
The two organisations said that they would strengthen the partnership by implementing existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them.
They made the pledge when a delegation from UNHCR paid a courtesy visit to the new President of the Court, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, on Thursday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CCJ recently elected Cape Verde’s Justice Gonçalves as its new President, and Sierra Leone’s Justice Sengu Koroma as new Vice President.
Gonçalves, in his remark of welcome, expressed the court’s commitment to implementing the MoU, which was signed in 2022, stressing that CCJ was “prepared to ensure a productive collaboration”.
“You can count on the full support of the Court,” the President said.
Also speaking, the Vice President, Justice Koroma, expressed his optimism for a continued and strengthened partnership with the UNHCR.
Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama, CCJ’s Chief Registrar, who provided an update on the MOU’s implementation, explained that it aimed to strengthen capacity-building, training, and other areas of collaboration between the two organisations.
He also held a technical meeting with the delegation to draw an action plan for some activities earmarked for implementation under the MoU.
UNHCR Senior Adviser, Mr Hervé Kuate, who led the delegation, while congratulating the new leadership of the court, acknowledged the longstanding relationship between both organisations.
According to him, there is the need to build on the partnership under the current MoU with the Court.
“We look forward to building on the past achievements and exploring new horizons together,” he said.
NAN reports that the delegation’s visit, which is the first official engagement of the new leadership of CCJ, underscores the existing special relationship between the court and UNHCR.(NAN)
