On September 1, 2021, the African regional review on implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration met for the second day in a virtual format. It was organised by the UN Network on Migration, IOM-UN Migration, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Global Compact for Migration. In the concluding session, the four round table discussions by the respective rapporteurs were summarised. The panel was chaired by Mr. Sabelo Mbokazi, Head of Labour, Employment and Migration Division, African Union Commission. There were four speakers namely, Miss Coumba Diop, Miss Sophie Nonnenmacher, Mr. Gideon Rutaremwa and Miss Kristina Mejo.
Towards Voluntary and Safe Migration
Miss Coumba Diop, Regional Labour Migration Specialist, International Labour Organisation summarized the First Round Table Conference. She briefed on the theme of ensuring voluntary, orderly, and regular migration by addressing GCM objectives 2, 5, 6, 12 and 18. In the First Round Table Conference speakers were high-level representatives from Kenya, Senegal, ILO Africa and ITUC Africa. The discussion focused on the push factors which lead to undocumented migration and exploitation of migrants. Miss Coumba highlighted that the Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on employment, poverty alleviation and inclusive development in Africa has created decent jobs for job seekers. However, the need is to promote skill development, ensure recognition and utilisation of migrant worker’s skills. Miss Coumba said, ‘Private sector can help migrants’ skill development along with national and continental actors’. She cited Senegal as a noteworthy case.
Another recommendation discussed in the round table was the need to ratify the European Union Free Movement of Persons Protocol. This can make sure migrant security, fair implementation of rights and labour conventions for the migrant. She cited Senegal and Tunisia to discuss the case of robust national legislation promoting the rights of migrant workers. The speakers in the round table advocated for the adoption of bilateral labour agreements and the EU declaration for protection and promotion of rights of migrant workers, African Union template and model. She also focused on African countries’ participation in labour and migrant law. It is the lynchpin to link migrants with development, especially economic development and to harness the maximum potential of migrants by recognition. It can also help in formulating evidence and rights-based gender-responsive migration policy for African states. She concluded with the most crucial point of formalizing the informal economy.
Towards Rights-based Governance on Migration
Miss Sophie Nonnenmacher, Senior Regional Policy and Liaison Officer, IOM Regional Officer for West and Central Africa, Dakar was the second speaker, and she summarized the Second Round Table Conference. She briefed on the theme of protecting migrants through right-based border governance measures by addressing GCM objectives 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 21. Her synopsis dealt with the chief concern of strengthening security, integrity and order concerning international norms, African instruments and the African Union convention on cross-border cooperation. Miss Sophie said, ‘Legal assistance should be provided to migrants to stop illegal trafficking and enable the dignified return of migrants‘. She emphasized that the high-level representatives from Sudan, Chad, Algeria and UNICEF in their presentations saw Chad and Tunisia as countries with a well-built national legislative framework for the protection of the basic rights of migrants. They also argued for the importance of bilateral agreements, support and integration of youth and child migrants.
Some of the recommendations were a multi-sectoral committee on trafficking in Chad; international cooperation for identification of migrants; a cross border system to manage and better find missing migrants between Zimbabwe and South Africa; creation of a consultative committee along with a hotline set up for providing special assistance on health, housing and food services. A very important aspect covered was stakeholder cooperation, government-to-government linkage, department-to-department linkage and state to non-state actor linkage for the promotion of evidence-based policy and cooperation.
Towards Integration of Migrants
Mr. Gideon Rutaremwa, UN Economic Commission for Africa was the third speaker, and he summarized the Third Round Table Conference. He briefed on supporting the integration of migration and their contribution to development by addressing Global Compact objectives 14, 15, 16, 19, 20 and 22. Mr. Gideon encapsulated the contribution of migrants in the process of the development in both the country of origin through remittances and in the country of destination by his/her skills. He presented the gist that despite migrants’ contribution to economic development and cultural exchange, they lack basic rights. This is a concern, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic.
He then mentioned that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights urges to uphold rights for migrants. He encapsulated that the high-level representatives from the Kingdom of Eswatini, Egypt, IFAD and PANDMR recommended a proper registration process for a proper flow of remittances and skill development of migrants. He ended the brief with a remark that financial literacy and education can help in the integration of migrants.
Towards Value and Evidence driven Migration Policy
Miss Kristina Mejo, Senior Regional Policy and Liaison Officer, IOM was the fourth speaker, and she summarized the Fourth Round Table Conference. It had participants from Tunisia, Niger, UNFPA and IFRC. She briefed on the theme of improving value-driven and evidence-based policymaking and public debate and enhancing cooperation on migration by addressing Global Compact objectives 1, 3, 7, 17, and 23. Discussing the impact of COVID-19 on data collection, she said, ‘a large gap between reports and ground situation exists’. Although, even before the current pandemic, the reporting on migration was not sufficient to capture the dynamics of migration. The situation is grave with COVID-19 causing at least 24.5 million migrations in 2020. The major driving forces are social instability, climate change, diminishing natural resources and struggling economies. Miss Kristina said, ‘The Convention for Elimination of Racial Discrimination forbids states to discriminate based on race and colour in providing services of health, housing and education’. However, both formal and informal barriers continue in the national law, deportation process and documentation process pertaining to gender and language.
Various multisectoral consultations held last year raised concerns on the fulfillment of GCM objectives. In the COVID-19 situation, there is a need for greater solidarity to ensure safe cross-border movement and reduce the social-economic burden on migrants. Hence, she recommended strengthening international cooperation for an effective migrant policy; strengthening the 17 UN networks that exist for migration; robust data structure; increased survey and census for migrants. One of the most remarkable recommendations was that migrants should get their basic human rights as well as the information about these rights. She praised the splendid role of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society for their humanitarian network which consists of over 2 million volunteers in Africa. The collective action has ensured change and today at each stage migrants get assistance. In her concluding remarks, she said that there is a need to ‘enhance the GCM objectives’ for orderly migration and end undocumented migration.
Re-looking Migration as Developmental
The chair of the session gave substantive reviews at the end of the speakers’ summary. He provided the keynote in all summaries in his statement, ‘Migration discourse is now rich with country-specific dynamics which look at migration as development, not as securitization’. He summed up that migration shows economic, cultural and societal development.
The entire session was virtual, incisive, well-moderated and above all precise on GCM-African Review by the specialists in the field.
Upasana Detha is currently an intern at the GRDFT in ‘The Migration News’ forum. She holds M.A. in International relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She pursued her B.A. in Political science (Honors) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. She has keen interest in diplomacy, global governance, multilateral negotiations, gender, environment, public policy, sustainable development, etc. She has completed a course on understanding conflict at the Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance. She was a part of the Centre for Civil Society’s young leaders e-policy cohort. She enrolled in the course on COVID-19, disaster risk management and our future at the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management. Her constant motivation is eagerness to learn and unlearn. Email address: 05.upasana@gmail.com