Closing of the GFMD 2020 regional consultation process in Africa

The official closing session of the African consultations of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) was held on 23 June for the English-speaking countries and on 25 June for the French-speaking countries, in the presence of the representatives of the co-chairs of the regional consultation process (United Arab Emirates and African Union), the 3 thematic experts and the representatives of the 3 GFMD mechanisms (civil society, mayors and the private sector).

UCLG Africa and the city of Ouagadougou took the floor during this session on behalf of the Mayors’ Mechanism.

The closing session was marked by two highlights, first the word of the representatives of the different mechanisms who thanked the organizers for holding these virtual meetings; then the exchange on possible partnerships between the different actors.

The mayors’ mechanism has highlighted three points:

– The importance of multi-stakeholder dialogue platforms necessary for local elected officials to find new allies and partners.

– The role of local elected representatives in changing the discourse on migration, as local and regional authorities, being at the forefront of migration management, have an impact on the lives of migrants.

– The need not to forget migrants

It should be noted that with regard to partnerships, the African Union has promised to work more closely with local and regional authorities on the issue of migration in Africa.

The African consultations agreed on the following 4 points:

• Participation and partnerships: National and regional migration policies should be designed in coordination with all stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, the diaspora, civil society and the private sector. There is also a need to test new partnerships in which cities engage directly with humanitarian and development actors and are eligible to directly benefit from technical and financial support.
• Legal framework and access to resources: In practice, local governments are the ones who ensure the inclusion of migrants in the local community. However, they often lack the legal framework to engage in the governance of local migration. Existing migration governance frameworks need to include decentralized actions and resources.
• The importance of data at the local level: There is a lack of reliable data on the vulnerabilities of the population, especially at the local level.
• Access to services: The importance of providing access to protection and social security for migrants, regardless of their migration status.

Read the intervention of the Secretary General of UCLG Africa here.

Read the intervention of the Mayor of Ouagadougou (in French) here.

Read the full report (in French) here.