IOM and Namibia's Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration will
convene next week a Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA)
Conference on Managing Migration through Regional Cooperation.

The two-day event, which opens on 15 November in Windhoek,
Namibia, will bring together ministers from the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) nations to discuss ways to optimize
the benefits of migration in the region and beyond.

Given the region's increasing economic, cultural and political
shifts, many of which are attributable to the movement of its
people within and across borders, this Conference has become
increasingly significant.

Bernardo Mariano, IOM Regional Representative for Southern
Africa, says "Operating from a mutual platform is vital to the SADC
region's ability to effectively manage migration on a sustainable
basis, with the aim to positively contribute to development of the
region. Policies which support the needs of mobile populations
while equipping Governments and the communities to benefit from
migration are possible, given opportunities for dialogue."

The conference will provide a forum for policy makers,
inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations to discuss in
broad terms mechanisms to maximize the benefits and minimize the
challenges related to migration, and to identify potential areas
for improved regional cooperation on this front.

Attending the Conference will be IOM Director General William
Lacy Swing, who will meet with governments and stakeholders dealing
with migration in the region.

"MIDSA has created a platform for migration-related issues to be
discussed in an informal setting, increasing awareness of both the
challenges and best practices in migration management in fields
including migration and health, human trafficking, border
management, and the facilitated movement of persons," says Director
General Swing. "This ministerial conference shows there is a
commitment to move towards an action-oriented agenda."

MIDSA is a consultative process for SADC member states (Angola,
Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) initiated in 1999
allowing members to meet in an informal and non-binding scenario
and to exchange views on common challenges and solutions on
migration issues.

For more information contact:

International Organization for Migration

Puseletso Mompei

IOM Pretoria

Tel: +27 (0) 7168 999 66

E-mail: "mailto:pmompei@iom.int">pmompei@iom.int

or

Government of the Republic of Namibia

Julia Hamhata

Tel: +264 61 2832665

E-mail: "mailto:jhamhata@gmail.com">jhamhata@gmail.com