Excellencies,

Distinguished Officials from the Member States, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Colleagues from the AUC, IOM and the ILO

It gives me pleasure and great honour to welcome you all to the 6st steering committee of the Priority Actions of the AUC-ILO-IOM-ECA Joint Labour Migration Programme on Governance an integration in Africa (the JLMP Action and JLMP Lead projects), here in Addis Ababa. As you all know, the project steering committee offers guidance in a programmatic approach that should be followed in the implementation of the activities in the two projects, therefore our joint effort to be here is a resounding testimony to the commitment of all development partners, implementing partners and key beneficiaries of the programme.

The JLMP governance architecture focuses on strengthening the coordination, coherence, and implementation strategy of the activities in the programme so as to achieve better labour migration governance in Africa and avoid fragmented implementation of different outcomes, outputs and activities at all levels including in the RECs and Member States.

As the African Union Commission we take lead in the implementation of the programme, and part of our mandate is to promote safe, orderly, dignified and regular migration, advance sound labour and employment policies to safeguard workers’ rights and social protection by among others providing technical support to Member States and the RECs in developing labour migration policies, mainstream them into their development plans, provide support to Member States and the RECs to improve their capacities on producing reliable, high quality and up-to-date data on labour migration and offer training on migration governance including labour migration governance. Therefore, proper guidance, dialogue and engagement of all stakeholders in this process including the development partners, RECs and MS during the planning, review and guidance on the implementation modalities for the activities in programme is of paramount importance.

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Joint Labour Migration Programme is a key instrument for the implementation of the AU Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Ouaga +10 as well as the Migration Policy Framework for Africa, and the UN Agenda 2030. With the aim strengthening effective governance and regulation of labour migration and mobility in Africa, the JLMP values the involvement of key stakeholders ranging from government, legislatures, social partners and migrants, international organizations, NGOs and civil society organizations in their effort to ensure that decent work and social protection of migrant workers and their families through effective labour and social protection mechanisms, strengthened regional integration and inclusive development as well as enhanced employment, productivity and improved skills training and recognition.

In addition, the programme looks at supporting MS and RECs in ensuring social cohesion, increased equity and better social and economic integration of migrants and their families to achieve the aspirations of the Africa Union as well as meet the vision of having an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, that is driven by its own citizens and represent a dynamic force in the global arena. To achieve its objectives, the programe is conceptualized under four pillars:

1. Strengthened effective governance and regulation of labour migration and mobility in Africa.
2. Migrant workers in both the formal and informal sectors enjoy safe and secure working environments, access to social protection and mutual recognition of skills and educational levels.
3. Increased utilization of labour migration disaggregated data and statistics by all for evidenced based decision-making, policy planning, formulation and
4. Strengthened governance and accountability.

Indeed, it feels great to see the actions of the implementation of the JLMP by the AUC, ILO, and IOM with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and GIZ yielding impactful results in the continent. I also take this opportunity to offer our appreciation to the Regional Economic Communities and Member States herein for their utmost commitment and support in the implementation of the activities.

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The increasing trends of the migration phenomenon in Africa over the last decades has drawn interest from policy makers, experts and other stakeholders in the African Continent and across the Globe. Access to social benefits, justice and decent working environment continue to be a major topic of interest beside migration and development in many countries. Remittance data and the economic benefit of migrant workers to both countries of origin and destination. It is a major indicator showing the contribution of migrant workers. Therefore, it is important to continue with the ongoing initiatives of putting in place good policy and legal frameworks to support Member States and RECs on extending social protection and social benefits to migrant workers and their families.

As I conclude, I want to urge all the implementing partners to ensure that we put in place ardent measures to strengthen the coordination and collaboration for improved synergies and complementarity in the implementation of activities in various ongoing initiatives at national, regional and continental levels. Finally, allow me to express our sincere appreciation to our financial partners SIDA, GIZ, and SDC for their generous contribution and look forward to continued support in improving labour migration governance in Africa.

I thank you all for your attention.

Merci beaucoup!

Obrigado(a)

Asante Sana.