Dakar - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized a two-day Peer Exchange on Migration Policy in West and Central Africa on April 27-28, 2023. The event brought together IOM staff members working in the migration policy sphere from the region and beyond to share experiences and take stock of good practices in supporting Member States on the migration policy development and review process.

Migration policies are a key element of an institutional framework that promotes good migration governance, which contributes to sustainable development. Developing, implementing, reviewing, and updating migration policies benefits all countries, regardless of income-level or geographical location. Due to the cross-cutting and dynamic nature of migration, this can present multiple challenges. There are many good practices, but also capacity gaps in the migration policy field.

As the leading UN Migration Agency and Coordinator and Secretariat of the United Nations Network on Migration , IOM supports Governments in reaching these shared goals. The IOM Strategic Vision underlines the importance of IOM’s engagement in migration policy, and identifies well-coordinated migration policy and legislation as key to improving migration governance.

“Migration policies, if developed in a coherent, coordinated, and inclusive approach, have the potential to harness the development potential of migration in the World and in Africa,” says Christopher Gascon, Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the positive contribution of migrants for inclusive growth and sustainable development, while also affirming that international migration is a multi-dimensional reality of major relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination.”

IOM has an array of tools, many developed jointly with partners, to support governments and other stakeholders in migration policy development and review. The discussion sessions at the event were based on the seven-step policy cycle presented in the IOM Essentials of Migration Management (EMM) Handbook. The EMM is IOM's flagship programme on migration management which provides online resources and foundational training to government officials and all stakeholders dealing with migration.

The intention is to have future peer exchanges zoom in on different aspects of IOM’s approaches to policy development, including the content of policies and specific thematic areas of migration governance. This will help to bolster staff capacity and enable replication of best practices.

“The Peer Exchange represents a promising initiative that will enhance staff capacity on migration policy by delivering technical support in the development of national migration policies and promoting regional cooperation in good migration governance”, says Eva Åkerman Börje, the Director of IOM’s Department of Policy and Research in Geneva.

This initiative is part of IOM’s commitment to supporting governments and other stakeholders in migration policy development and review, as well as realizing the potential of IOM’s engagement in migration policy to be of total value to its Member States and deliver effective support to migrants.

***

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Carl, Senior Regional Policy and Liaison Officer, scarl@iom.int

Joëlle Furrer, Regional media and communications lead for WCA jfurrer@iom.int