On 16th – 21st August, 2010 IFFAMPAC’s President, Ms. Jane Durgom-Powers, and its Africa Representative, Mr. Evans Lombe, held a series of successful meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with representatives of the African Union. Separate meetings were also held with ambassadors and other government officials. The African governments of Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Liberia, Angola, and the State of Palestine met with IFFAMPAC independently to discuss its work with the families of missing persons from armed conflicts, and also to address economic, social, and legal issues confronting such families in their respective countries.
At the end of the African Union meetings, IFFAMPAC was presented with a formal letter from The Citizens and Diaspora Directorate of the African Union Commission (CIDO). The letter, in part states that CIDO “is keenly interested in your work and we would like to intensify the process of cooperation and collaboration in this regard of an opportune time in the near future.”
Further, many governments welcomed IFFAMPAC to immediately introduce its programs and projects through their respective national protocols or procedures. IFFAMPAC will begin conducting needs assessment programs to structure activities and projects to assist the families of each of the targeted countries based upon the individual country’s unique needs and opportunities.
IFFAMPAC re-affirms its commitment to continue to be a part of social and economic transformation of the African continent, and looks forward to working with the African Union and the African governments. Through providing opportunities for families of missing persons to heal, reconstruct and be empowered, the United Nations Millennium Goals can be met; transforming families of the missing into strong pillars of social economic development and catalysts for sustainable peace.
For more details and pictures, see Events.
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