Thursday, 24 June 2021 - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa, the North Africa Mixed Migration Task Force (NAMMTF) in coordination with the UN Network on Migration (UNNM) are holding a virtual consultation session with academics from North Africa in preparation for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) Continental Review for Africa in July.

The consultation brings together speakers from academic institutions, migration studies experts and researchers in North African countries to discuss emerging research priorities and most updated migration trends and data regarding the progress on the GCM implementation in North Africa in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. They will also make recommendations to enhance the contributions of research and academia in the formulation of evidence-based migration policies. 

“Representatives from Academia have a critical role to play. Through methodological data analysis, findings and recommendations, decision makers can be informed in the formulation of evidence-based policies and contributing to defend the universal and inalienable rights of migrants,” said Mrs. Carmela Godeau, IOM Regional Director for MENA region.

The outcomes of the consultation session will contribute to the discussions at the African Continental GCM review set to take place on 7-13 July 2021, where participating countries will exchange views and updates on the achievements and challenges to accomplishing GCM objectives. Regional and continental reviews will feed into the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) to be held in 2022.

“When we talk about involving academia in the monitoring of the implementation of the GCM objectives, governments must work on facilitating data gathering, conducting surveys and other related field studies in order to enable all stakeholders to put evidence-based plans and strategies.,” said Dr. Ayman Zohry, population and migration studies expert and moderator of the consultation.

The GCM was adopted in December 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly and is based on a human rights and migrants-centered approach to migration and aims at balancing national sovereignty and migrant rights, regardless of their status, and promoting gender-responsive and child-sensitive migration governance. 

As part of the GCM, member states underlined the importance of engaging with all relevant stakeholders, including academia, to ensure a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach for effective implementation. 

Issues discussed during the consultation include recent migration trends, research gaps, impact of COVID-19 on migration and mobility and progress in the implementation of the GCM in North Africa.

More information about the intergovernmental conference are available here

ENDS

For further information, please contact: Tamim Elyan at telyan@iom.int