A delegation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to the new leadership of the ECOWAS Court, Honourable Justice Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves, President of the ECOWAS Court, and the Vice President of the Court, Honourable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma.
The delegation’s visit marks the first official engagement of the Court’s new leadership, underscoring the Court’s special relationship with the UNHCR.
In his remark, Mr Hervé Kuate, Senior Adviser, UNHCR who led the delegation, congratulated the new leadership of the Court and acknowledged the longstanding relationship between both organisations.
He expressed the need to build on the partnership under the current MoU with the Court. “We look forward to building on the achievements and exploring new horizons together,” he said.
In his welcome remark, the Honourable President Ricardo Gonçalves expressed the Court’s commitment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UNHCR, highlighting the Court’s preparedness to ensure a productive collaboration. “You can count on the full support of the Court,” the president stated.
On his part, the Vice President Sengu Mohamed Koroma, thanked the delegation for the visit and expressed his optimism for a continued and strengthened partnership with the UNHCR. Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama, Chief Registrar of the Court, who was also present at the meeting provided an update on the implementation of the MOU signed in 2022 to strengthen capacity-building, training, and other areas of collaboration between the two organizations. The Chief Registrar later held a technical meeting with the delegation to draw an action plan for some activities earmarked for implementation under the MoU.
