East African Officials Trained in International Migration Law, Migration and Development

[Deeq A.]

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, in cooperation with the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), organized a capacity building training from 30 October to 3 November at IOM’s African Capacity Building Centre (ACBC) in Moshi, Tanzania.

The training aimed at enhancing the understanding of international migration law and migration and development, as well as building the capacity within the IGAD region, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

The first two-week training took place from 18 to 29 September also at the ACBC. Thirty-three trainees were selected from institutions belonging to the National Coordination Mechanisms (NCMs) with diverse backgrounds including Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Labour, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Immigration and Police Services from IGAD Member States.

“We believe that it is important to have a holistic approach to migration management with the aim of emphasizing the positive contribution that well-managed migration can bring to the development of the IGAD region, ‘’ said Aaron Tekelegzi, IOM Special Liaison Office (SLO) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Sound policy and integrated approaches to migrant assistance during crisis situations, well supported regional labour policies, and cohesive free movement frameworks are of paramount importance to the development of the region,” added Marcellino Ramkishun, IOM ACBC Senior Migration Specialist.

“Effective participation and valuable proposals are needed to improve migration management, maximize the benefits of migration and strengthen the cooperation among the IGAD countries,’’ stressed Dr. Khalid A.A. Lord, Director of the Sudan Centre for Migration and Development Studies.

The recommendations to IGAD countries emerging from the training included better diaspora mapping and closer collaboration with financial institutions and private sector to encourage diaspora investment in their home countries.

The training also led to recommendations to establish closer collaboration on bilateral labour agreements with host countries, as well as the development and adoption of migration policies and their fast-tracking at national levels.

“This second training represents an important step in achieving the project’s objectives, building predominantly on capacity building of the NCMs from the IGAD Member States,” said Qasim Sufi, IOM Tanzania Chief of Mission. “The practical recommendations made by participants are also clear indicators of the success of the Regional Migration Policy Framework project,” he added.

The training was held under the auspices of a joint regional migration project that is being co-implemented by IOM and IGAD to build regional and national capacities and implement the Regional Migration Policy Framework (RMPF). The RMPF aims at empowering the NCMs on migration through trainings, seminars and advocacy activities that help address mixed migration in the region and mainstream migration into development planning and programming by Member States.

Source: IOM