ILO and IGAD consult social partners on IGAD draft Protocol on Free Movement of Persons

ILO and IGAD invite social partners to discuss the draft Protocol on Free Movement of Persons before it is adopted.

Press release | Nairobi, Kenya | 09 May 2019
Nairobi (ILO News): The International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) launched a two-day Social Partners Consultation on the IGAD Free Movement protocol on 9 May, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop is part of the EU funded project titled “Free Movement of persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region: Improving Opportunities for Regular Labour Mobility.”

The overall objective of the social Partners Consultation is to foster exchange of ideas among workers’ organizations and employers’ organisations in the region and enhance the contribution of social partners in the drafting of the IGAD protocol on Free Movement of persons. More precisely, the consultation aims to sensitize social partners about the draft free movement protocol, simulate discussions around the free movement of persons and workers, gather concrete inputs, comments and recommendations from the social partners on the IGAD Draft Free movement Protocol and further implementation of the IGAD Protocol on Free Movement of Persons once it is adopted by member States.

Background:

IGAD and its member states have entered into substantive discussion towards establishment of a free movement regime in the IGAD region. To this end, IGAD prepared a zero draft protocol on free movement of persons in 2017. After incorporating initial comments and inputs from the national consultations, IGAD prepared draft one of the protocol on free movement of persons in the IGAD region and a road map for implementation in the first quarter of 2019. The “draft one” protocol and draft road map were then presented to a high level experts meeting comprising IGAD Specialized Institutions and IGAD Partners namely African Union Commission (AUC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Labour Organization (ILO), Swiss Development Cooperation Agency (SDC), GIZ, Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD), East African Community (EAC) and Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) 18-21 March, 2019 in Kampala, Uganda. Currently, the IGAD secretariat is incorporating comments and inputs from the experts meeting.

The deliberations of this tripartite dialogue will be submitted to the IGAD Secretariat for their review and consideration in finalizing draft one version of the protocol on free movement of persons.