ECOWAS COMMON APPROACH ON MIGRATION

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The current and future policy framework of -

ECOWAS

ABIDJAN, COTE D‘IVOIRE, 13TH MAY, 2014

Mr. Tony Luka Elumelu, Principal Program Officer Migration

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ECOWAS Commission

Objective of the Presentation

Present the current applicable policy framework for

Migration, Mobility, Employment and Higher Education

within ECOWAS; discuss various challenges in its

implementation and sketch out our ideas to address these

challenges to foster the regional development and

integration process.

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ECOWAS Commission

Current Policy Framework

ECOWAS Free Movement Protocols

– Rights of entry, residence and establishment

ECOWAS Common Approach to Migration

– Specific provisions included for Mobility, Employment and Higher

Education

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ECOWAS Commission

ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration

– The road to the ECOWAS Common Approach

• Change of paradigm – Migration has raised in the global political agenda (Global Commission on International Migration, UN High Level Dialogue on Migration, Rabat-Process etc.)

• Migration Management is key to the regional integration and development process

Need for a coherent and comprehensive view of Migration within

the ECOWAS Region

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ECOWAS Commission

– Actions to promote Free Movement within the ECOWAS space

• Implementation of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Establishment

• Making the regional fund to finance cross-border cooperation operational

• Defining a regional territorial planning strategy

– Actions to promote the management of regular migration

• Implementation of pilot experiments at the national and regional levels

• Measures concerning students and young professionals

• Measures concerning Diaspora

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ECOWAS Commission

– Measures concerning students and young professionals

• Facilitate West African students’ access to universities, institutes and African, North American European, Asian and other

professional institutes ;

• Facilitate students’ return to their country of origin at the end of their studies ;

• Conclude young professional exchange agreements in order to improve their linguistic and professional knowledge and acquire salaries work experience in another country;

• Broaden the range of university and technical courses offered, taking into account the labour market needs (public and private) ;

• Create or strengthen entrepreneurship training and excellence

centres and business development support structures.

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ECOWAS Commission

– Actions for Policy Harmonisation

• Setting up a system for monitoring migration and migration policies

• Harmonizing policies related to migration and development

– Actions for controlling irregular migration and human trafficking particularly of women and children

• Fight against irregular migrations and human trafficking

• Strengthening the dialogue framework between ECOWAS, host countries and transit countries

• Strengthening Migration Management capacities

• Strengthening the protection and assistance system for victims of

human trafficking

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ECOWAS Commission

– Actions to protect the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees

1) Protection of the rights of migrants

• Formulate an active integration policy for migrants from ECOWAS

• Member States and combat exclusion and xenophobia

• Encourage Member States and their EU partners to ratify the UN

• Convention on the rights on migrants

• Put in place regional mechanism to monitor the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrants

2) Protection of asylum seekers and refugees

• Put in place mechanisms for granting rights of residence and

establishment to refugees from ECOWAS countries

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ECOWAS Commission

– Actions aiming to take into account the Gender and Migration dimension

• Include gender dimensions in migration policies ;

• Establish and strengthen support institutions for entrepreneurship training for female migrants ;

• Remove all illegal trade barriers which stifle the entrepreneurships

potential of women when they migrate.

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ECOWAS Commission

Challenges to the implementation of the Common Approach

– Lack of strategic vision;

– Lack of comprehensiveness in the action plans;

– Lack of coordination and cooperation mechanisms for its implementation etc.

– No monitoring and evaluation machanisms

– No available funds

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ECOWAS Commission

ECOWAS Regional Migration Policy

– Aims of this Initiative

• Free movement of persons is a pinnacle element for the regional integration and development process

• Enhancing the benefits of migration while combating its negative impacts is crucial for the achievement of the ECOWAS Vision 2020

• Bringing the ECOWAS Community to next level of migration

governance by formulating a regional migration policy

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ECOWAS Commission

– Objectives

• Enhance the regional integration and development process in West Africa as well as the achievement of the ECOWAS Vision 2020;

• Provide all stakeholders a common policy framework on migration;

• Enhance the possibilities for coherent policy development at the national level by agreeing on a joint regional framework;

• Allow the ECOWAS Commission and other stakeholders to strategically enhance its capacities based on the objectives formulated in the policy framework;

• Clarify the specific roles of regional and national stakeholders;

• Facilitate the dialogue with and coordination of donors through the presence of clearly formulated objectives in the framework;

• Enhance the exchange with other Regional Economic Communities

as well as directly with the African Union.

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ECOWAS Commission

Visualization of ECOWAS Migration Policy Structure Long-Term Policy Framework:

2012 2020

Policy area strategies and action plans *:

2012 2014 2015 2017 2018 2020

* one strategy in each area: Free Movement / Regular Migration / Irregular Migration / Migration and

Development / Protection / Gender and Migration / Climate Change and Migration

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ECOWAS Commission

Long Term Policy Framework

– Conceptual basis of ECOWAS Migration Policy – Long-term vision for ECOWAS

– „File rouge“

Policy Area Strategies and Action Plans

– Free Movement – Regular Migration – Irregular Migration

– Migration and Development / Coherence – Protection

– Gender and Migration

– Climate Change / Migration and Health …

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ECOWAS Commission

10th European Development Fund

– EUR 26m for the sub-region

– Starting end of 2012 / early 2013

– Three Components of Capacity Building for the ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS Member States (similar to MIEUX) and ECOWAS Civil Society

Institutionalizing MIDWA as Platform for Dialogue

– Conference in Summer to adopt framework

– Platform for dialogue, exchange, coordination, planning

etc.

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ECOWAS Commission

Possible areas of enhanced cooperation and capacities

– Strengthen capacities to collect and manage data

– Promote knowledge on the Free Movement Protocols

• Counter false pretext that Free Movement hinders better control of cross- border organized crime and Reduce cases of harassments at borders

– Strengthen cooperation of involved stakeholders

• Establish working networks to share data and information and facilitate assistance

– Strengthen human security in the sub-region

• Enhancing human and economic development will reduce the pressure of migrating out of necessity and not out of choice

– Better secured documents and civil registries

• Access to affordable and secured documents based on a reliable civil

registry

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ECOWAS Commission

– Increase border management capacities

• More adequate border management equipment, Training and capacity building

• Strengthen cooperation of relevant agencies throughout the continent and between Africa and Europe (f.ex through frequent exchange of operatives between European and African States)

– Enhance cooperation and exchange of information in the field of transnational organized crimes (Human trafficking, trafficking of drugs and weapons)

– Address the issue of climate change and forced migration – Increased support to protect migrants in emergency