Brussels – Deepened engagement on migration between national and regional authorities in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions emerged as one of the most promising practices in the concluding analysis of a five-year, European Union-funded programme implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

“We have seen how regional and inter-regional peer-to-peer meetings boosted regional and South-South cooperation. They enabled all involved to share experiences and good practices around remittances, trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants, visas and cooperation on mobility,” said Jill Helke, IOM Director of International Cooperation and Partnerships. 

“At the same time, ACP governments, non-state actors and regional organizations expressed a variety of needs during the programme and this led to a better understanding of the migration priorities in each region,” she added.   

These and other good practices and key lessons learned were presented at the ACP-EU Migration Action programme closing event in Brussels yesterday (11/07) with over 90 stakeholders of the ACP-EU Dialogue on Migration and Development, representatives from ACP and EU Member States, the ACP Secretariat and the European Commission, think tanks, IOM and other UN agencies.  

“With our EU development assistance, we help partner countries improve capacity to ensure well-managed migration, so that they are better positioned to address the migration challenges they face. We also help boost the development opportunities deriving from migration, by working on lowering remittance prices and engaging with the diaspora,” said Camilla Hagström, Acting Head of Unit at the European Commission’s DG for International Cooperation and Development.    

“The ACP-EU Migration Action programme has served as a valuable tool to support concrete actions in these regions. We will keep working alongside our partner countries on migration governance, fully in line with Agenda 2030 and the European Consensus on Development. Of course, this will involve drawing on the lessons learnt from the programme itself,” she continued.  

The programme provided technical assistance, supported local projects and knowledge production on migration for ACP countries and regional organizations. 

“The demand-driven requests enabled tailored technical assistance interventions. They helped develop a more complete understanding of ACP regions and country-specific needs and enhanced ownership of the process and of the results on the part of the requesting entities,” said ACP Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Léonard-Emile Ognimba.  

Through the programme, IOM also organized three peer-to-peer regional thematic meetings in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific and offered financial support to 15 non-State actors for grass-root level projects. To harness the knowledge generated by the programme, it produced five thematic publications on visas, remittances, trafficking in human beings/smuggling of migrants, readmission, and good practices.   

The programme, launched in 2014, was funded from the 10th European Development Fund and supported by the ACP Secretariat and the EU.  

For more information on the programme, please visit its website: www.acpeumigrationaction.iom.int and follow it on Twitter: @ACP_EU_Action and Facebook: facebook.com/acpeuaction 

Watch this video for further details about the ACP-EU Migration Action programme.  

For more information please contact: Vasiliki Polychronopoulou at IOM’s Regional Office in Brussels, Tel: +32 (0)2 287 78 17, Email: polychronop@iom.int and acpeumigrationaction@iom.int