Yaoundé, 11 September 2024 - In preparation for the regional review of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, scheduled for 08-10 October 2024 in Addis Ababa, a strategy workshop was held on the premises of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The main objective of this workshop was to mobilise civil society organisations (CSOs) to increase their participation in the implementation of this Global Compact. This important event brought together key Cameroonian civil society players involved in managing migration issues, as well as representatives of the German Development Cooperation Migration (GIZ-MEG) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The workshop also provided an opportunity to collect data on migration-related actions and challenges in Cameroon.

At the workshop, led by Brice CHUEPO, Coordinator of the GIZ's Migration for Development Programme (Migration Entwicklungspolitish Gestalten_MEG) in Cameroon, participants were encouraged to share their experiences of initiatives put in place to support migrants, in relation to the 23 objectives of the Global Compact. This approach made it possible to collect valuable data on the challenges faced by CSOs and to propose potential solutions to optimise their actions.

Marianne Haase, focal point for GIZ's MEG programme in Eschborn, Germany, took part in the video conference to highlight the importance of building the capacity of civil society players in the management of migratory flows. Her speech resonated with the participants, confirming their feeling that they play an essential role in this process.

A key moment of the meeting was the proposal to organise a side event during the review of the Global Compact in October 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The aim of this event is to involve local CSOs and the Cameroonian diaspora more closely in the development of a proactive migration policy.

Another highlight was the presentation of the Cameroon CSO platform, an ambitious initiative aimed at listing all civil society organisations in Cameroon. Although still in the development phase, this platform aroused great interest, promising to offer almost free visibility to registered CSOs, thereby strengthening the impact of their actions.

The workshop ended on a convivial note, with a lunch provided by the organisers, encouraging informal exchanges between participants. The event not only helped to consolidate the links between the various players, but also opened up new prospects for managing migration challenges in Cameroon. Capacity building, increased collaboration between CSOs and the implementation of concrete actions will be essential to ensure more fluid and sustainable migration, in line with the objectives of the Global Compact for Migration.

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For further information, please contact:

• Charles Quentin MAURICE, IOM Cameroon, Tel: 692 55 58 10, E-mail: cmaurice@iom.int
• Brice Martial CHUEPO, GIZ-MEG Cameroun, Tel : 683230259, E-mail: brice.chuepo@giz.de