The African Union, International Organization for Migration and partners have unveiled the Africa Diplomatic Indaba (ADi) series on migration and mobility as well as labor migration.
The African Union Commission, in close collaboration with the IOM, African Union Member States, Regional Economic Communities and other partners inaugurated ADi.
The inaugural session of the ADi was held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa today.
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 labor migration in Africa, according to a press release of the AU.
“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 Labor Migration policy discourse,” AUC Deputy Chairperson Monique Nsanzabaganwa said.
Regrettably, today the world is deeply polarized by the ongoing debates on migration, she added.
What is clear is that Africa is getting increasingly fragmented due to external influence and divergent views on ways to manage international migration,” the deputy chairperson pointed out.
In her remark, IOM Director-General Amy E. 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 labor market needs and contribute to sustainable development,” the director general said.
Thus, regulatory safeguards against un-ethical 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.
Pope also reaffirmed the commitment of IOM that stands ready to support South-South Cooperation needs.
She further emphasized the importance of capacity-building with governments to ensure compliance with international law on the entire return spectrum, including re-admission. This is achieved through facilitating inter-state return and re-admission cooperation and providing policy advice and technical solutions for return management.
In recent years, Africa has witnessed evolving patterns of migration, marking a dynamic and increasingly complex phenomenon.
In its press release, the AU stated that the ADi is launched at a moment when migration and human mobility play crucial roles in shaping global geopolitical and socio-economic discussions.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency