On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Togo LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Togocountry of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Togo COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Togo.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Togo is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
Togo acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 1962 and 1969. However, Togo has not yet acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons nor to the 1961 on the Reduction of Statelessness Convention.
Togo is a State party to the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects Refugee Problems in Africa. Togo has also ratified the 2009 African Union Convention for the protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa.
The Togolese authorities collaborate with UNHCR in the management of refugees and asylum-seekers in Togo, through the National Coordination of Assistance to Refugees (CNAR), the National Commission for Refugees (CNR) and Board of Appeal (Commission de Recours). No cases of refoulement have been recorded to date. Refugees are generally
accorded the same treatment as nationals.
Since August 2016, the status and treatment of refugees in Togo is governed under a new law (Loi 2016-021 du 24 août 2016 portant statut de réfugié au Togo) and implemented by CNAR. This law is in line with international standards for refugee protection and takes into account the need for an independent Board of Appeal for asylum applications rejected at the
first instance. The Board of Appeal began to work in 2021.
Legal aid organisations
Lomé office:
Address: 27, rue Maréchal Bugeaud, BP 62210 Lomé, Togo
Tel: +228 22 21 57 20
Fax : +228 22 22 08 32
Email: contact@scpmakakpo.com or jdegli45@aol.com or jdegli@gmail.com or scpmartialakakpo@yahoo.fr
Benin country office:
Address: Me Aline Edwige ODJE, Quartier Fidrossè Kpota, lot 1800, Cotonou, Benin
Tel: +229 90 01 22 11
Email: alineodje@yahoo.fr
Sokode office:
Address: Quartier Barrière, Sokode, BP 523, Togo
Tel: +228 25 50 00 99
Aneho office:
Address: Quartier Kpota
Tel: +229 23 31 02 02
Martial Akakpo et Associés is a law firm in Lomé whose lawyers specialise in many areas of law, including investment and finance, energy, transport, infrastructure, media, property, companies, taxation, arbitration, employment and human rights. They are experienced and familiar with Togo, the ECOWAS (Economic Organisation of West African States), the WAEMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union) and the OHADA (Organisation for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa) zones and have correspondent partners across Africa and elsewhere. They deal with urgent and complex cases in both French and English.
Dr Jean Yaovi DEGLI is the firm’s expert on human rights, having graduated from the USA in this field. He has been President of the Togo Human Rights League (Ligue Togolaise des Droits de l’Homme), leader of various international organisations, has represented people before national and international bodies in human rights cases and has written books and articles on human rights law.
Website
Address: Rue de la Pature, 182 SJO, (A Cote de UNICEF), Lome, Togo
Tel: +228 220 96 61
Email: toglo@unhcr.org
The Multi-country Office (MCO) Senegal is based in Dakar. It is responsible for operations in Togo, Benin, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cabo Verde, and Senegal. There are National UNHCR Offices in Togo, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Website
Address: 103, Rue Kadjalewa-Tokoin Wuiti, Lome, Togo
Tel: +228 22 21 20 08
or 228 9890 2488
IOM Togo continues to support the efforts of the Government through different projects and initiatives aiming at ensuring a safe, dignified and sustainable return of Togolese migrants, refugee resettlement to third countries, counter-trafficking, conflict prevention and diaspora engagement.
Togo COI
Find Togo Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023