EAC set to establish Regional Consultative Process on Migration
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 3rd February, 2022: The regional meeting on the establishment of the EAC Regional Consultative Process on Migration (RCP) organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) is scheduled to take place from 14th – 16th February 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda.
The overall objective of the meeting is to share experiences on migration governance in the regional and international perspective.
The meeting will be conducted through a session of Senior Officials on 14th February, 2022, session of the Coordination Committee (Permanent /Principal/Under Secretaries) on 15th February, 2022 while the Ministerial Session will be held on 16th February, 2022.
Speaking ahead of the RCP meeting, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo said that the three-day meeting will bring together Ministers from the EAC Partners States from the Ministries responsible for EAC Affairs; Interior / Home Affairs; Labour and Directorates of Immigration, as well as the African Union Commission(AUC) representative and IOM Regional Director, among others.
The Deputy Secretary General further disclosed that once the EAC RCP is established and operationalized, it will provide an opportunity for EAC Partner States to collectively mobilize resources to expedite the implementation of EAC migration governance such as: harmonization of migration policies, capacity building initiatives, and research on migration concepts to support and achieve safe, regular and humane migration management in the region.
In addition, the RCP will address migration in a holistic approach and build effective consultation networks on migration governance and policy frameworks that promote migration and development, said, Hon Bazivamo.
Notes to Editors
Under Article 130 of the Treaty for Establishment of the East African Community, the Partner States committed themselves to foster co-operation arrangements with other regional and international organizations whose activities have a bearing on the objectives
Upon the revival of the EAC, the 5th Meeting of the Tripartite Commission held on 7th August 1996, established a Committee on the Movement of Persons, Labour, Services, right of Establishment and Residence. This was one of the strategies envisaged in East African Co-operation Development Strategy (1997 – 2000).
Later, EAC Council of Ministers established a Forum of Ministers responsible for Labour and Employment and the Chiefs of Immigration to coordinate the sector. The reports of the Forum and Chiefs of Immigration were considered by the full Council and Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning respectively. However, over the years, the activities under Immigration and Labour sectors have faced gross budgetary constraints and yet crucial to the implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol.
In the view of that, the EAC Secretariat with the support from development partners such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) organized a regional meeting to establish EAC-Regional Consultative Process to addressing migration governance and policy frameworks that promote migration and development in the region.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified