On 23 June 2021, a webinar was convened within the framework of the C2CMMD to launch the study on Return, Readmission and Reintegration (RRR) Programmes in Africa. In their opening remarks, the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, HE Amira El Fadil, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ms. Ylva Johansson, and ICMPD’s Director General, Mr. Michael Spindelegger reiterated the importance of strengthening cooperation in line with respective agendas and priorities, reinforced by contributions from Managing Director at the European External Action Service, Ms. Rita Laranjinha, and Mme. Mariama Cisse, Director for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission.
The study was implemented within the framework of the AU-EU Continent-to-Continent Migration and Mobility Dialogue (C2CMMD), with funding from the European Union through the Support to the Africa-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue programme (MMD), and with the African Union as the direct beneficiary. The research was carried out by the research team from Samuel Hall. It responds to the priorities anchored in the Migration Policy Framework for Africa as well as with the EU Strategy on Voluntary Return and Reintegration. Research shed light on principles and approaches that can be applied by relevant stakeholders to ensure migrants’ sustainable return, readmission and reintegration, and allowed the delineation of a definition for sustainable reintegration, namely: “Sustainable reintegration can be achieved when returnees can rely on expanded capabilities to attain a stable, safe and dignified life of economic self-sufficiency, psychosocial well-being, political, social and civil inclusion, as a result of which they can respond to the drivers of irregular migration.” The study includes in-depth research on nine selected AU Member States (Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guinea, Nigeria, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, and Sudan), thereby providing a solid evidence-base for good practices, key success factors and recommendations presented in the study.
Benefitting from contributions of the AU-EU-ICMPD steering group of the study and the Samuel Hall research team, the discussion focused on the key programmatic orientations at the core of the study, in particular the need for: (1) Increased ownership and capacity development of country of origin (CoO) on return, readmission and reintegration; (2) Increased knowledge on reintegration by CoOs; (3) Better linkages between Reintegration and Development programmes; (4) Stronger and more structured cooperation with the private sector, and (5) Innovative approaches on reintegration programme implementation. The webinar was attended by more than 200 participants, and saw the engagement of focal points from the selected AU Member States, nominated for the purpose of the study, to share their experiences and best practices along the different themes.
The study is foreseen to pave the way for concrete actions, leveraging the lessons learned from the country-level experiences and the common ground at the continental level, on which future policy and programming can build upon. To this end, ICMPD reiterated its commitment to supporting partners in Africa to translate the recommendations of the study into concrete and tangible actions.
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Please click here to read the Press Release published by the African Union Commission
Please click here to view to the recording of the webinar. It is advised to use Google Chrome (Password: 20hgA@08).