Between Commitment and Implementation: Refugee Protection in East Africa
Seventy-five years after the 1951 Refugee Convention, how have international norms and commitments translated — or failed to translate — into practical protection for displaced people?
As the 2026 Global Compact on Refugees review approaches, our upcoming virtual session, "Between Commitment and Implementation: Refugee Protection in East Africa," brings together regional voices from across East Africa to examine these vital questions. With a particular focus on refugee and displacement issues in East Africa, they will explore how this core global commitment is tested daily amid complex protection challenges.
From Uganda’s progressive open-door policies to the chronic underfunding of regional response plans, the discussion will explore where cooperation is working, where critical gaps persist, and what a renewed commitment to protection must look like.
Those who are in New York can attend an on-campus watch party for the event, providing Columbia students with the chance to engage with these discussions in their community. Register for the in-person watch party.
Featured Speakers
- Prof. Mary Mendenhall (Moderator), Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education and Director of the George Clement Bond Center for African Education at Teachers College, Columbia University
- Ayla Bonfiglio, Head of Mixed Migration Center, Eastern and Southern Africa / Egypt & Yemen
- Prof. Loise Gichuhi, Professor, University of Nairobi
- Barlet Colly Jaji, Executive Director, Refugee Consortium of Kenya
- Sylvia Kamencu, Coordinator, Resettlement and Complementary Pathways, RefugePoint
About the Series
This event is part of a global series, Displacement in a Changing World: Global Dialogue Across Campus and Continents, a year-long initiative convened by Columbia Global to explore the evolving realities of displacement around the world. Through regional events hosted by Columbia Global Centers and cross-campus dialogues in New York, the series brings together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and students to examine the drivers of displacement, emerging policy responses, and the future of global protection frameworks.
Explore the full series and register for other upcoming events.
