The Commissioner of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), Ambassador Ernest Mbaimba Ndomahina, has held a high-level side meeting with the UNHCR Director for the Regional Bureau of West and Central Africa, Abdourahmane Gnon-Konde, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The engagement, which formed part of Sierra Leone’s participation in the 76th UNHCR Executive Committee (ExCom) Session, focused on deepening strategic cooperation and advocating for durable solutions for refugees and host communities.
The two leaders discussed mobilizing donor support, strengthening institutional capacity, and advancing policy reforms to enhance refugee protection and integration in Sierra Leone.
Ambassador Ndomahina underscored the urgent need for joint advocacy between UNHCR and NaCSA to unlock critical funding for refugee programming through collaboration with UNDP and other donor partners. He highlighted the “Tenki Salon Project” as a flagship initiative supporting the phase-out strategy for the remaining refugee caseload in about nine communities, promoting durable solutions and preventing statelessness.
He further called for multi-donor support to scale up socio-economic infrastructure projects benefiting both refugees and host communities to foster peaceful coexistence.
Ambassador Ndomahina appealed for UNHCR’s diplomatic intervention to expedite the release of the ECOWAS-approved humanitarian fund of $287,000, earmarked for identity documentation and cash transfers to vulnerable refugees. He emphasized that timely disbursement would sustain momentum and credibility in Sierra Leone’s regional humanitarian cooperation efforts.
He also requested UNHCR’s support in advocating for the Free Movement of Persons and Migration (FMM) and Demand Driven Facility (DDF) initiatives under the ECOWAS–EU partnership, stressing the importance of cross-border coordination and proper legal documentation to promote safe passage, reintegration, and reduce irregular migration.
Reaffirming Sierra Leone’s commitment to international refugee protection standards, Ambassador Ndomahina announced plans to review the 2007 Refugee Protection Act and sought UNHCR’s technical guidance to address institutional overlaps in NaCSA’s dual role in Refugee Status Determination (RSD) and appeals processes.
He also proposed a follow-up technical session to focus on Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and Global Compact for Migration (GCM) complementarity and differentiated protection procedures.
NaCSA reaffirmed its readiness to share registration data with UNHCR to improve coordination and visibility and called for technical assistance to strengthen the refugee database and restore the country’s RSD infrastructure.
In response, UNHCR’s Regional Director, Abdourahmane Gnon-Konde, commended the Government of President Julius Maada Bio for his leadership in addressing challenges faced by refugees and displaced persons across the subregion.
“Mr. Commissioner, your President is doing a lot for Sierra Leone and the subregion. We want to visit him to see how we can learn from his valuable experience as ECOWAS Chair in dealing with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Sierra Leone — and share our experience with him about the 13 million IDPs and refugees, with DRC having the highest number,” he said.
He reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to deepening refugee protection and enhancing cooperation on multilateral and global issues, leveraging Sierra Leone’s growing role in regional humanitarian leadership.
