Monrovia – On the margins of the ECOWAS Heads of States Summit, a High-level Panel on International Migration in Africa will be launched on 6 June, 2017 in Monrovia, Liberia, with the aim of pushing the migration issues to the top of policy agenda by engaging major stakeholders and partners.
Chaired by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the panel comprises representatives from Liberia, Canada, China, Malta, and Norway, as well as the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The establishment of the Panel follows a decision of African Ministers attending the Ninth Joint Annual Meetings of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the ECA Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in Addis Ababa Ethiopia in April 2016.
Held on the theme, “Towards an integrated and coherent approach to the implementation, monitoring and Evaluation of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals”, the ministers recognized the vital role of migration in Africa’s transformation and adopted a resolution on International Migration in Africa.
The resolution mandated the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) to establish a High-Level Panel on International Migration in Africa (HLPM).
Through the establishment of the Panel, the two institutions hope to increase collaboration and cooperation among African member States, regional economic communities, and international development partners to promote migrants rights and facilitate their movement, and reduce vulnerability of migrants, especially women.
Furthermore, the Panel will aim to work on determining the nature and patterns of inter, intra and international migration streams in Africa. It will also conduct assessments on the impact of irregular migration and skilled migration, both for countries of origin and of destination, among other related issues.
The Panel will also focus on enhancing the production of migration-related knowledge to support formulation of evidence-based policies; sensitize policy makers to integrate migration into national plans and strategies; and propose and advocate policies and mobilize support for practices that promote international migration for the development of Africa.
According to the two institutions, the High Level Panel shall provide guidance and support to policy dialogues on an African perspective on international migration and create an environment conducive to encouraging the mobilization and effective utilization of political, financial and intellectual resources of migrants for the development of Africa.