Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa A/RES/74/131 Republic under the umbrella of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic; 8. Welcomes the outcome of the second regional protection dialogue on the Lake Chad basin, held in Nigeria in January 2019, as well as the signing of the Abuja Action Statement by the Governments of Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria, with a view to enhancing the response to the urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities; 9. Also welcomes the regional dialogue on protection and solutions related to the situation of forced displacement in the Sahel, held in Bamako on 11 and 12 September 2019, hosted by the Government of Mali, with the participation of government officials from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and the Niger, and further welcomes the outcome of the dialogue, namely, the Bamako conclusions and ministerial declaration adopted in Geneva on 9 October 2019 ; 10. Notes with great concern that, despite all the efforts made so far by the United Nations, the African Union and others, the situation of refugees and displaced persons in Africa remains precarious and the number of refugees and internally displaced persons has dramatically increased, and calls upon States and other parties to armed conflict to observe scrupulously the letter and spirit of, and respect and ensure respect for, international humanitarian law, bearing in mind that armed conflict is one of the principal causes of forced displacement in Africa; 11. Welcomes decision Assembly/AU/Decl. 8 (XXXII), adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union at its thirty-second ordinary session, held in Addis Ababa on 10 and 11 February 2019, in which the 2019 theme of the African Union was declared to be the “Year of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons: towards durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa ”; 12. Expresses its appreciation for the leadership shown by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and commends the Office for its ongoing efforts, with the support of the international community, to assist African States hosting large numbers of refugees, including by providing support to vulnerable local host communities, and to respond to the protection and assistance needs of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa; 13. Notes with appreciation the ongoing initiatives taken by the African Union, the Subcommittee on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons of its Permanent Representatives Committee and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in particular the role of its Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa; 14. Underlines the need to provide an efficient humanitarian response to internally displaced persons, and recognizes in this regard the importance of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa; 15. Acknowledges the important contribution of age, gender and diversity mainstreaming in identifying, through the full participation of women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities, the protection risks faced by the different members of the refugee communities, in particular the non-discriminatory treatment and protection of women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities; 16. Affirms that children, because of their age, social status and physical and mental development, are often more vulnerable than adults in situations of forced displacement, recognizes that forced displace ment, return to post-conflict situations, integration into new societies, protracted situations of displacement and statelessness can increase child protection risks, taking into account the particular vulnerability of 19-22226 5/10