Tuesday, May 17, 202

10:00am EST / 2:00pm GMT Registration link

The importance of human protection and security as the foundation of human development cannot be over emphasised. The entire DSAG/DHD essentially has a “Prevention and Protection” mandate which covers issues of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Risk Reduction, Drug Prevention and Control and Social Affairs; Gender and Development which addresses, among others, Gender and climate change, women and trade, Gender and migration, Gender and Political participation ; Counter Trafficking In Persons; Child Rights/ Protection and Child Labour (which addresses Violence Against Children –VAC) ; Emergency Protection which covers Refugees and IDPs, Mixed-Migration and International Humanitarian Law Programs. Critically, the Women Peace and Security and Civil Society Programme are of central importance from the perspective of women’s equality and agency and in terms of a social mobilization approach embracing Civil Society and other Non-State Actors.

To advance its protection mandate and promote the institutionalisation of protection and human security in the ECOWAS region, the DSAG/DHD in 2021 introduced an integrated Human Security programming approach which considers the interconnection of all the above mentioned themes. The integrated approach supports Member States to institutionalise a whole of Government/ State and society coordinated approach and shared responsibility to ensuring the protection and human security of every individual citizen and especially people in vulnerable situations.