Second Regional (Continental) Review of the Global Comact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration for Africa

8 - 10 October 2024 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

KEY MESSAGES FOR AFRICAN MEMBER STATES

In the past few years, the African Non-state Actors Platform has been deliberate in its       engagements in the GCM Regional Review process, particularly ensuring the diversity of voices and participation of civil society, diaspora actors and trade unions. This is not simply about recognition at the dialogue but most importantly about advancing the concerns of migrant populations from various sub-regions at this Second Regional Review in Addis Ababa, and towards the second International Migration Review Forum in New York in 2026.    

As African Non-State Actors, our ambition is to go beyond sharing human stories, and humanising migration governance discourse, but also wanting to directly impact the hearts of policymakers to shape policies and practices that impact real lives behind numbers and global frameworks like the GCM. To achieve this, there is an urgent need for meaningful partnership and intentional commitment between member states and non-state actors, including civil society, academia, the private sector, migrant organisations, diaspora actors, and the  trade unions.          

In preparing for the Second GCM Regional Review in Addis Ababa, the African Non-State Actors also note the difficulties for stakeholders (states and non-states) in obtaining visas to enter Ethiopia. We note with disappointment that our colleagues had to spend several hours overnight at the airport. This puts into context the challenges that Africans face in moving within Africa due to rigid visa regimes.

Within the context of the insights gathered from the Stakeholders Consultation on the GCM Review held in Dakar from 3 – 4 September, and the Virtual GCM Exchange on Building Brides with Champions for Impact held on 3 October, key messages are proposed to African member states in light of this Second African Regional Review of the GCM. In this regard, we present the following recommendations:

Legal pathways have to work for migrants             

• Prioritize the harmonization of existing policies and frameworks surrounding legal pathways in the continent, while also committing to meaningful implementation of these strategies.
• Strongly Prioritize renewed commitment to regional integration, through investing political and economic instruments that will remove artificial barriers to free movement in the sub-region.
• Strongly urge the ratification of existing regional migration frameworks - such as the AU Free Movement Protocol.
• Strongly invest in economic growth and development both at the country, sub-regional, and regional levels, with aim of creating sustainable jobs and improving people’s standard of living, which will in-turn minimize irregular migration in the sub-region.
• Urge member states and stakeholders to invest skills and capacity building to advance socio-economic development and achieve the ‘Africa We Want’.

Protection of Migrants and Migrant Workers

• Protect human rights of migrants and migrant workers by adapting and implementing the GCM Objectives and other international instruments on labor migration standards.
• Enhance social protection, access and integration through regular pathways for migrant workers regardless of their migratory status, at both transit and destination countries
• Encourage bi-lateral agreements to promote the protection of labor migrants, women, and children, as well as enhance safe and right-based movements
• Prioritize the protection of migrants’ rights against racist and xenophobic attacks, both within and outside Africa.
• Member states must stop the politicization of migration, which usually creates a negative narrative around migrant populations and sets the scene for coordinated xenophobic attacks and racism.

Good data collaboration

• Strongly call for collaborative approach on scientific and valid data to reflect the reality of migration challenges, particularly on issues of missing migrants, communities affected by climate migration, urban-migration impact, promote skills mobility and formulate rights-based pathways based on evidence.
• Advocate for the integration of population and multi-sectoral data to enhance evidenced-based migration programs and interventions.

Go beyond just counting your diaspora: 

• Acknowledge the role of diaspora organisations in supporting the development of both countries of origin and destination.
• Create the space for diaspora organisations to contribute to the discussions on migration and development; opportunities to drive meaningful partnership.  
• Urge states and other stakeholders to provide funding support for diaspora organisations in carrying out their activities.

GCM Processes

• Bring civil society, diaspora and trade unions with you to GCM-related fora as well as the second IMRF. Beyond stakeholders’ participation in meetings, member states need to support them and include them in national-level dialogue and regional reporting on GCM.
• Meaningfully engage diaspora, civil society, and trade unions. We need to enhance dialogue opportunity for candid discussions between states and non-state actors and scale-up regional and national initiatives that work for migrants.

The above statement was issued by the Civil Society Organisations from the East and Horn of Africa as way of bringing their voice to the table in Addis Ababa. The Regional Review Mechanism was convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to bring African Member States together in an effort to sustain the GCM implementation momentum and peer review processes.

The following CSO organisations attended the convention from Kenya: Counter Human Trafficking Trust-East Africa (CHTEA), Candle of Hope Foundation and TDH (Kenya Office).