MEDIA ADVISORY

Inaugural Workshop for Stakeholders of the Continental Operational Centre in Sudan

INVITATION TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

What: Inaugural Workshop for Stakeholders of the Continental Operational Centre in Sudan

When: From 28 – 30 September 2022

Where: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Who: The Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission of the African Union Commission, is organising the Inaugural Workshop.

Why:

Given the magnitude of intra-Africa migration and mobility on the Continent, the dearth of information on the phenomenon, the appetite by Member States to manage migration (and the need for evidence based policy formulation and programming) and the enormity of human trafficking/migrant smuggling, the AU endorsed decisions for the establishment of the following 3 migration centres as specialized technical offices of the Commission: (a) The African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration; (b) The African Migration Observatory; and (c) The Continental Operational Centre in Khartoum. The three centres will work collaboratively and will act to support Member States and RECs on collection of data and undertaking research, in abide to improve the overall migration governance regime in Africa.

The African Migration Observatory will provide the Continent with a centralized, unified source of statistics/data on migration for further research, policy formulation and programming. The African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration will advance the knowledge base of the African Continent on migration and mobility issues through conducting research. In a bid to combat irregular migration, the Continental Operational Centre in Khartoum will provide Member States with a platform for sharing information on transnational organized crime, in particular human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

About the Continental Operational Centre for Combating Irregular Migration:

The purpose of the Centre is to improve the overall migration governance regime in Africa, specifically the management of irregular migration and other transnational organized crimes.

The Centre shall have the following objectives:
a. To provide a platform for sharing information on transnational organized crime, in particular human trafficking and migrant smuggling;
b. To support the other existing initiatives on migration notably the African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration, the African Migration Observatory, the AU-Horn of Africa Initiative, the Africa-Arab Technical Coordination Committee on Migration, the Khartoum Process, the Rabat Process, etc) and other similar initiatives and processes in Africa and beyond in combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Media representatives are invited to cover the opening ceremony of the Inaugural Workshop for Stakeholders of the Continental Operational Centre

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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