African Diplomatic Dialogue on Migration launched

Addis Ababa, October 10, 2023 (FBC) – The African Union Commission, in close collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), African Union Member States, Regional Economic Communities and other partners, on 10 October 2023 inaugurated the Africa Diplomatic Indaba (ADi) series on migration and mobility as well as Labour Migration.

The ADi is conceptualized as a platform aiming at uniting specifically the members of Diplomatic corps and Parliamentarians, and leaders for collective policy discussions to shape the governance of migration and labour migration in Africa.

The inaugural session of the ADi, hosted at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, witnessed the gathering of distinguished leaders , including the AUC Deputy Chairperson, Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the newly-elected Director-General of IOM, Ms. Amy Pope, H.E. Rose Sakala, the Ambassador of Zambia to Ethiopia (Representative of the Current Chairperson of the Specialized Technical Committee for Migration, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons), representatives from AU Member States, IOM, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the International Labour Organization (ILO),  and various development organizations.

“This initiative has been conceptualized as a harbinger to positioning the African groups located in strategic geographical jurisdictions around the globe, which hold a responsibility to negotiate and advance the African policy position pertaining to the Migration and Labour Migration policy discourse,” said Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa.

Representing Zambia’s Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, H.E. Ambassador Rose Sakala noted that the ADi will serve as a catalyst to change the narrative on migration and allow Africa to present its perspective on the global stage.

Delegates engaged in discussions pertaining to policy issues surrounding the return, readmission, and reintegration (RRR) of migrants, specifically highlighting the protection of returning labour migrants, drawing from key findings and recommendations of RRR studies, and exploring Member States’ insights on policy and practice in migration governance.

In her remarks, IOM DG Ms. Amy Pope called for more comprehensive, inclusive, and strategic migration solutions and humane mobility policies.

“Regular pathways can make migration safer and reduce unsafe and irregular migration, improve the capacity to identify who enters, transits through, and remains in a territory, respond to labour market needs and contribute to sustainable development, thus, regulatory safeguards against unethical and exploitative migrant worker recruitment practices that adversely impact job quality, employment conditions, access to decent work and life, and adequate recognition of skills must be in-built within such pathways,” Ms. Pope said.

In recent years, Africa has witnessed evolving patterns of migration, marking a dynamic and increasingly complex phenomenon. “Nations need to harness advantages arising from linkages between migration and development as the continent endeavors to realize the goals set forth in Agenda 2063,” Mr. Sabelo Mbokazi, the Head of the Labour, Employment and Migration Division at AUC, noted.

For certain communities, migration has evolved into a vital survival strategy, creating a need for a united voice on the centrality of human rights in migration management. “Regrettably, today the world is deeply polarized by the ongoing debates on Migration. What is clear is that Africa is getting increasingly fragmented due to external influence and divergent views on ways to manage international Migration,” Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa noted.

“IOM stands ready to support South-South Cooperation needs,” said Ms. Pope, emphasizing the importance of capacity-building with governments to ensure compliance with international law on the entire return spectrum, including readmission. This is achieved through facilitating inter-State return and readmission cooperation and providing policy advice and technical solutions for return management, she said.

The ADi is launched at a moment when migration and human mobility play crucial roles in shaping global geopolitical and socio-economic discussions. All partners committed to sustaining the ADi platform to harmonize ideas and advocate for safe, regular, dignified, and humane migration in solidarity with a unified voice.