It is important to indicate that the first issue of the Quarterly Newsletter focuses on issues emanating from the work of the division taking a lead in advancing migration and mobility policies. However, the subsequent newsletters will capture the cross-cutting issues from wider AUC Departments in order to cover all dimensions of migration and mobility.

Department of Social Affairs

Dear representatives from Member States, RECs, and Partners,

It is quite a pleasing moment for the Department for Social Affairs that in the middle of gruelling work to provide a formidable response to COVID-19, at the same time we are able to present a fresh Quarterly Newsletter on Migration and Mobility. This communication tool aims to share key highlights of migratory developments from the African Union Commission and AU

Organs. This newsletter is the first initiative from our communication strategy which aims at raising awareness, increasing knowledge and understanding as well as advocating on relevant migration and mobility issues for the Continent.

To date, AUC takes pride of the recorded achievements demonstrated in evidence of addressing a number of issues related to migration governance and labour migration through capacity building and policy advise. I seize this moment to express appreciation to partners, and specifically GIZ, for their continuous support to the achievement of AU goals on migration and mobility. I take this opportunity to encourage all African Union Member States and RECs to continue their commitment and leadership in addressing migrants needs in a coordinated and forward-looking approach.

Quarterly Newsletter On Migration and Mobility

H.E. Amira El Fadil,

Commissioner for Social Affairs

Volume 01 May 2020

Commissioner’s Corner

Did you submit your request for technical assistance to strengthen your migration governance regime? If not, you still have time to submit your request under the first round of call for request here.

THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY ON MIGRATION GOVERNANCE

Niger is the latest African country to ratify and deposit the 2018 AU Free Movement Protocol on 08 June 2019 bringing the total number ratification to four (Rwanda, Niger, Mali, and Sao Tome and Principe). The protocol requires 15 ratifications to enter in to force.

SIGNATURE & RATIFICATION

Announcements

THE THIRD ORDINARY SESSION OF THE SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL COMMITTEE (STC) ON MIGRATION, REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS

The Labour, Employment and Migration Division (LEM) under the AUC Department of Social Affairs (DSA) has the overall mandate on migration and human mobility within the African Union Commission. To encourage a coherent and comprehensive implementation of migration policies, LEM has launched the interdepartmental AU Coordination Committee on Migration (CCM) and strongly advocates for close AU-REC coordination.

The division is mainly involved in three key areas of work namely:

The Ministerial Meeting of the Third Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Migration, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 7– 8 November 2019. The STC convened under the 2019 African Union theme: The Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa. The meeting kicked off by deciding on the composition of the new Bureau of the STC to be chaired by Mali with a tenure of two years. The STC considered and recommended to the Executive Council on various policy and operation documents on migration, Refugees and IDPs. The ministerial meeting, among other things, endorsed the Statute of the African Migration observatory in Morocco, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration in Malia and the Continental Operation Centre in Khartoum and adopted the terms of reference of the Pan-African Forum on Migration (PAFOM). The 33rd AU Heads of States and Governments Summit that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 9th to 10th February 2020 has subsequently adopted the structures for the three migration centers in Morocco, Mali and Sudan.

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IN FOCUS: DIVISION ON LABOUR, EMPLOYMENT AND MIGRATION (LEM)

Developing continental Polices: Provide comprehensive policy frameworks and guidelines to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of migration.

Building partnership across Africa: Raising awareness on migration issues and work with stakeholders on all levels to encourage policy coherence and implemen-tation.

Strengthening Capacities: Offer AU member states and RECs technical support and trainings on migration governance to make safe, orderly and regular migration a common reality in Africa.

Participants of the Ministerial Meeting of the Third Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Migration, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. Copyright@2020Africa Union Commission. All Rights Reserved

News on AUC Activities on Migration and Mobility

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CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING FOR MEMBER STATES AND RECS ON MIGRATION GOVERNANCEThe First and Second Member States/RECs Training Workshop on Migration Governance was held in Accra, Ghana from 9-13 December 2019 and in Bahar Dar, Ethiopia from 9 - 13 March 2020 respectively. The trainings were organized in collaboration with GIZ and University of Ghana Center for Migration Studies.

The training held in Ghana brought together twenty experts from Lesotho, Malawi, Ghana and Tanzania working in ministries/departments with migration/ planning responsibilities, Foreign Affairs, immigration, labour, national planning, and refugee agencies. Similarly, the second training was attended by representatives from relevant ministries from Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, IGAD, and ECCAS. These trainings are part of the AU Capacity Building Initiative on Migration Governance, and is in line with the recommendations of the 2018

Some participants of the capacity building. Copyright@2020Africa Union Commission. All Rights Reserved

INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE MEETING ON MIGRATION AND MOBILITY ISSUES (AU CCM)

The 2019 inter-departmental Coordination Committee on Migration and Mobility issues (AUCCM) was held on October 17, 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the meeting the committee, which has the mandate to improve inter-departmental coordination on migration and mobility issues with the AU Commission, considered updates from AU departments on their migration related activities during 2019 and key priorities for 2020. The committee also emphasized that existing collaboration with RECs needs to be enhanced for effective implementation of migration-related polices.

Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop on Labour Migration Governance, bringing together some thirty representatives from different National Schools of Administration and the African Regional Centre for Labour Administration (CRADAT), was held from 26-29 November 2019, in Rabat, Morocco. The TOT aimed at reinforcing the capacity of trainers from the National Schools of Administration and CRADAT on labour migration governance. Modules for the initial training programmes were finalized and plans made in preparation of pilot training sessions for beneficiaries in AU members states.

TRAINING OF TRAINERS WORKSHOP ON LABOUR MIGRATION GOVERNANCE

Representatives of various AU departments. Copyright@2020Africa Union Commission. All Rights Reserved

continental study, «Assessment of the Capacity Building Needs of AU Member States and RECs to Manage Migration». The Commission has prioritized capacity building of Member States/RECs in the area of migration governance, and will conduct a series of similar trainings over the next five years.

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RELEVANT POLICY INSTRUMENTS ON MIGRATION AND DISPLACEMENT

Migration Policy Framework for Africa and Plan of Action (2018-2030)

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) (2018)

Common African Position (CAP) on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2017)

Ouagadougou Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Especially Women and Children (2006)

Implemented by

https://au.int/en/documents/20181206/migration-policy-framework-africa-mpfahttps://au.int/en/documents/20181206/migration-policy-framework-africa-mpfahttps://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180713_agreed_outcome_global_compact_for_migration.pdfhttps://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180713_agreed_outcome_global_compact_for_migration.pdfhttps://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/33023-wd-english_common_african_position_on_gcom.pdfhttps://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/33023-wd-english_common_african_position_on_gcom.pdfhttps://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/33023-wd-english_common_african_position_on_gcom.pdfhttps://au.int/sites/default/files/pages/32899-file-3._ouagadougou_action_plan_to_combat_trafficking_en_1.pdfhttps://au.int/sites/default/files/pages/32899-file-3._ouagadougou_action_plan_to_combat_trafficking_en_1.pdfhttps://au.int/sites/default/files/pages/32899-file-3._ouagadougou_action_plan_to_combat_trafficking_en_1.pdf

African Union Headquarters P.O. Box 3243, Roosvelt Street W21K19, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel: +251 (0) 11 551 77 00 Fax: +251 (0) 11 551 78 44

CONTACTS:Sabelo Mbokazi, Head, Division on Labour, Employment

and Migration, Department of Social Affairs MbokaziS@africa-union.org

https://twitter.com/ausocialaffairshttps://twitter.com/Elfadil_DSA

www.au.inthttps://au.int/en/sa

https://au.int/en/migration-labour-employment

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS