Zambia: The Government of Zambia has launched the first-ever National Refugee Policy and Implementation Plan.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu said the policy seeks to alleviate challenges faced and improve the management of refugees in the country.
He said despite the country having a history of hosting refugees since 1940, there has not been a policy in place to manage them. The Minister said with the steady increase in refugees entering the country seeking asylum, it is imperative that a legal system is in place to support the provision of essential services and protection.
He reaffirmed the government’s continued commitment to ensuring that refugees and other persons of concern have equitable access to quality services and protection.
Minister Mwiimbu said the development of the policy was done with wide stakeholder consultation at all levels of both private and public sectors to ensure a policy accurately provides the much-needed guidance and clarity on the management of refugee affairs.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) country representative Preeta Law hailed the government for its commitment to improving refugee management.
Law said the launch of the policy reflects the concerted will of the government to create an enabling protection environment for them to attain solutions to enable refugees to flourish and contribute to Zambian society.
She also said the policy is a clear demonstration of the government’s understanding that humanitarian support cannot be a long-term solution to addressing refugee challenges.
Commissioner for Refugee, Prof. Prosper M. Ng’andu, said the refugee policy will help resolve some of the challenges that refugees encounter. Prof. Ng’andu also stressed the need to ensure that some Laws are aligned for effective refugee policy implementation.
The government also launched the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees in Zambia. Moreover, the Policy outlines a progressive approach to asylum and refugee management that reflects and articulates the central ambition of the UNHCR Global Compact on Refugees to include refugees in national systems and plans and provide greater support to the communities and countries hosting them.