The African Union Commission Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), Labour, Employment and Migration Division (LEM) and the International Organization on Migration (IOM) organized a 3-day symposium on the Effective and Rights-Based Migration Governance: Return, Readmission, and Reintegration (RRR) in Pretoria, South Africa, from 14 – 16 September 2022.

The meeting recalled that in recent years and in line with the obligations under international law as well as key international and continental frameworks, such as: the Migration Policy Framework for Africa and its  Plan of Action (2018); Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2018); the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (2018); the African Union Agenda 2063 (2015); and United Nations Agenda 2030 (2015).

The objective of the 3-day technical experts level AUC-IOM Symposium on migration governance, migrant protection, including RRR, was to jointly prepare relevant materials to facilitate a series of dialogues among African diplomatic corps, in particular in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Geneva and New York considering the strategic importance of these locations to inter-regional dialogue on migrant protection and RRR. At the symposium, the AUC-IOM teams jointly examined available materials and expertise from both organizations, selected the most suitable resources fit-for-purpose, and streamlined any potential inconsistencies. The symposium further unpacked;

1. The Contextual frameworks and International Legal and Policy Frameworks;
2. Labour Migration Governance and Migrant Protection Systems;
3. Return, Readmission and Reintegration (RRR), Key Tenets of Return, Readmission, and Reintegration; and
4. Operationalizing Diplomatic Dialogue Initiative.

The symposium, on day 3, crafted a Technical Framework with thematic areas to guide African Diplomatic Dialogue initiative and specific key messages in relation to the delivery methodology of the initiative. The follow up actions and the subsequent series of dialogues culminating in a tailor-made package for the expected diplomatic dialogues among the diplomatic corps, will thus focus on:

1. Enhancing foundational skills and knowledge on migrant protection, including rights-based return management and sustainable reintegration.
2. Promoting understanding of continental and international frameworks on migrant protection as well as laws, agreements and non-binding platforms governing international cooperation in return, readmission, and reintegration.
3. Sharing good practices as well as key tools for migrant protection and return and readmission cooperation in the framework of a comprehensive approach to RRR.

The symposium brought together technical experts from the AUC and the IOM offices in Geneva and Africa.

For more information:

Sabelo Mbokazi | Head of Labour, Employment and Migration division | | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 115 517 700 | E-mail:  Mbokazis@african-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Beatram Okalany | Migration and Mobility Advisor | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 115 517 700 | E-mail:  ndongoe@african-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org
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