New York, 4 October 2013/ACP: ACP Secretary General Mumuni calls attention to South-South migration and the positive role of migrants as agents for development as he joins the international community at the United Nation General Assembly's second High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development .
ACP Secretary General Mumuni traveled to New York this week to represent the ACP Group at the United Nations General Assembly, which for the second time, held the High-level Dialogue (HLD) on International Migration and Development on 3-4 October.
On this occasion, the international community met to discuss migration and its contributions to development, but also propose ways of integrating migration into the post-2015 development agenda. The second HLD, therefore, provided a unique opportunity to recognize migration as a key enabler of inclusive and sustainable economic and social development to promote the positive role of migrants and to improve cooperation and partnerships on migration governance.
On this occasion, SG Mumuni announced the Joint Declaration adopted by the European Union and ACP Countries in view of the second United Nations High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. The Declaration builds on the ACP-EU Dialogue, which has been taking place since 2010 on the basis of Article 13 of the Cotonou Agreement. Among other issues, the Declaration recalls the joint commitment of EU and ACP States to uphold the human rights of migrants, regardless of their immigration status and to prevent and combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking. It goes further to stress the promotion of well-managed migration and mobility as enablers of inclusive and sustainable growth.
Secretary General Mumuni moderated the Side Event on the Regional Dynamics of Migration and Development hosted by the Governments of Peru and the Russian Federation in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC). At this event, SG Mumuni highlighted that migration today is not just a one-one way street from developing countries to more prosperous ones. He noted that South-South migration is just as important in magnitude as movements from "South" to "North." He noted the particular relevance of regional migration flows in ACP regions, which require enhanced governance to allow migrants as well as their sending and receiving societies to maximize the benefits of this intra-regional mobility. However, SG Mumuni reminded participants that policymakers require a strong evidence base for the development of effective policies and programs and noted the need for continued support of ACP States in the collection, analysis and dissemination of migration data. He highlighted the work of the ACP Observatory on Migration that through training and research has already contributed to strengthening the evidence base on SOuth-South migration and improving capacities in research and data collection.
SG Mumuni also participated in a Side Event on the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) during which he stressed the importance of the GFMD for the ACP Group of States as an invaluable tool for States to exchange practices for tackling the complex and challenging matter of migration. The SG encouraged participants to take note of the tangible results of the ACP Observatory on Migration, including the research findings, which have helped to strengthen the evidence base on South-South migration in ACP regions. He noted that all publications are available on the ACP website (www.acpmigration-obs.org), including the IOM Migration Research Series, authored by the staff of the ACP Observatory, which sheds light on the specific characteristics of South–South migration and presents evidence on the manifold avenues for increasing its contribution to development. This publication outlines key findings of three years of research in ACP countries carried out by the ACP Observatory on Migration.
The SG participated in Round Table 1, on assessing the effects of international development on sustainable development and identifying priorities in view of the preparation of the post-2015 development framework. On this occasion, he highlighted the set of indicators developed by the ACP Observatory on Migration for assessing the impact of migration on development, which represents an important tool for integrating migration into national development planning and into the post-2015 development agenda.
Throughout the discussions, SG Mumuni underlined that human mobility is and has been a key livelihood approach for millions of ACP nationals and is an important opportunity for migrants as well as sending and receiving communities. Yet, without regular migration opportunities and protection of rights, migrants will continue to experience abuse, exploitation, discrimination and xenophobia. He, therefore, highlighted the need for well-managed regular migration channels and migration governance at the national, regional, inter-regional and international level, which should be discussed on the occasion of this HLD.
(Photo: SG Mumuni in New York for the High Level Dialogue on Migration, 3-4 October 2013)