Honourable Justice Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves, new President of the ECOWAS Court, and the new Vice President, Honourable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma on 16 October 2024, received a delegation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who paid a courtesy visit to the new leadership of the Court.
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.
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.
On his part, the Honourable 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.
The delegation’s visit marks the first official engagement of the Court’s new leadership, underscoring the Court’s special relationship with the UNHCR.