Partners implementing the programme (ILO, IOM and AUC); funding partners Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden; representatives of regional economic communities (RECs) and countries where the new project will roll out, such as Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Malawi, Ethiopia and Morocco; as well as experts in labour and migration attended the meeting.

“Cooperation and coordination among stakeholders at the continental, regional and national levels is critical for the success of JLMP Action. In this regard, I call on the beneficiary RECs and member states to support and work with implementing partners to ensure maximum and impactful results from the initiative,” said Mr Sabelo Mbokazi Head of Division, Labour Employment and Migration speaking on behalf of the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), H.E. Ambassador Cessouma Minata Samate.

The JLMP was set up to improve the effective governance of labour migration on the continent and from Africa to other regions such as Europe and the Middle East, and it lends support to the achievements of the First Ten Year Implementation Plan (2013 to 2023) of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In addition, the Programme plays a crucial role in fulfilling the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) and its 2018-2030 Plan of Action adopted by the AU Executive Council in January 2018. It also aims to realise relevant provisions of the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and other labour migration standards.

From July 2018, the JLMP has been implemented through several projects such as the ‘Priority Implementation Actions of the AU-ILO-IOM-ECA Joint Programme on Labour Migration Governance for Development and Integration in Africa (JLMP Priority)’, funded by Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), among others.

Another major component is the SIDA-funded Capacity Development in Migration Statistics that kicked off in 2019 and brings together the African Union, Statistics Sweden, and four Regional Economic Communities in Africa to improve the availability of regular, good quality and up-to-date migration statistics, for use by African Union Member States and relevant actors across the continent.

With JLMP Priority component ending in a few months, the programme’s steering committee reviewed achievements. It found that effective management structures for JLMP have been established, and operational and technical support has been extended to strengthen the labour migration portfolios of the AUC and three RECs – the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – including the establishment of an AU Labour Migration Advisory Committee (LMAC).

“I would like to reaffirm ILO’s full commitment and continued engagement with all partners in making the JLMP a success and to play its optimum role to support the implementation of its 10 Year Strategic Vision. We already came this far and have demonstrated that we can go all the way to achieve our mutual objectives, to promote decent work and the protection of the rights of migrant workers in Africa,” said Mr. Alexio Musindo, Director, ILO Country Office for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.

For his part, Mr. Jian Zhao, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM Ethiopia and Representative to the African Union and ECA, said, “From IOM, we acknowledge that the objectives of the strategic framework are in line with, and support achievements of the labour migration aspects of several global and continental policy and strategic frameworks, including the IOM continental strategy for Africa, which, among others, prioritizes contribution to African economic and social integration and development through programmes like the JLMP, AfCFTA and the Free Movement Protocol.”

In his remarks, H.E. Pietro Mona, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the African Union, IGAD, UNECA and Ambassador to Djibouti, said, “First and foremost, our gratitude goes to the African Union Commission for the leadership in setting up the JLMP and paving the way to bring us to a point where we can today launch the Catalytic Action. Thanks also to implementing partners the ILO and IOM, as well as to other development partners, Sweden and Germany.”

He added that the JLMP was a key component of achieving broader African development aspirations as reflected in the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda, and that migration must be governed in a safe, regular, and orderly manner for it to be a positive driver for sustainable development.

Representatives of Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Malawi expressed appreciation for the timely decision to choose their countries for the JLMP Catalytic Action and underlined the importance of synergizing action to improve labour migration governance on the continent.

For further information, please contact:

1. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate | Email: GamalK@africa-union.org
2. Ms. Sarah Abdel-Mohsen Elsayed, African Union Commission, Tel: +251 91 1510166, Email: ElsayedS@africa-union.org
3. Mr. Eric Mazango, IOM Ethiopia, Tel: +251 904645879, Email: emazango@iom.int
4. Ms. Jennifer A. Patterson, ILO Regional Office for Africa, Tel: +225 07 69 42 86 89, Email: patterson@ilo.org