Nouakchott – The UN Migration Agency, IOM, facilitated the first national stakeholders event (25/09) in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott in view of the adoption of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration which will be held in Morocco, on 10-11 December 2018.

The Global Compact for Migration is the first-ever United Nations global agreement that sets out a range of principles, commitments and understandings among member States regarding international migration in all its dimensions. It provides a blueprint for States on how to best manage migration based on their own migration realities and capacities and on how to enhance cooperation with one another.

More than 70 national key stakeholders, included representatives of national authorities, police and gendarmerie, local and international non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and academia gathered to discuss concrete ideas, recommendations and good practices for the implementation of the Global Compact in the country.

Discussions evolved around the challenges on collecting migration data in Mauritania to inform policy and programming, border management issues, the role of diaspora in enhancing innovation for employment creation and the protection of migrants' rights in the country.

Some of the recommendations addressed law enforcement to enhance border management and improved coordination between relevant authorities, the setting up of an integrated system for data collection. Recommendations also concerned the establishment of mechanisms to determine the best interest of the child and ensure their specific needs are reflected in national policies.

“The Islamic Republic of Mauritania welcomes the multilateral cooperation as well as the technical support of our partners to face the challenges but also the opportunities brought by migration”, said the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. M. Mohamed Ould Soueidatt.  “This event helps us understand the importance of this Compact and reflect on its upcoming implementation in the country,” he added.

“For it to be sustainable, we must ensure that government, civil society, private sector and diaspora actors work closely together to achieve a coherent implementation of the Global Compact”, said civil society representative, Pr. Cheikh Saad bouh Kamara.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania has participated to all African and Arab consultations on the Global Compact and has committed to a number of international agreements the Global Compact builds on, including the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

From the very onset of the intergovernmental negotiations leading to the Global Compact, IOM, has collaborated with governments and non-governmental organizations at the national, regional and global level and provided support towards the implementation of the Global Compact on Migration. The event has been funded by the European Union.