The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday, 7th October, concluded a three-day technical workshop on migration management in Brussels, Belgium.
The international workshop held from 5th -7th October 2022, brought together officials of the IOM in Banjul and Brussels, officials of the Gambia government such as members of the National Committee on Migration (NCM), officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs such as the diplomatic representatives, a representative of the Gambia Refugees Association Europe Branch, and other representatives of the Diaspora and Network of reintegration and irregular migration data. The theme of the discussion was centered on the theme, Strengthening Communication on Migration in The Gambia.
The following subjects were discussed on the agenda of the technical workshop:
· Presentation of the main achievements under the Strengthening Communication on Migration in The Gambia project, including 1) NCM and NMP (general overview of migration governance in The Gambia); 2) Capacity building on communicating on migration and Migration Communication Strategy; 3) Return Readmission and Reintegration;
· EU legal framework on migration management
o Migration management in the EU (protection statuses, legal pathways, consequences of irregular migration)
o Legal and policy frameworks on return and readmission (agreements, arrangements)
o Human rights standards and access to rights for returnees
· Exchange of views on mutual engagement and cooperation pertaining to migration-related matters as well as communicating on migration, coming up in exchanges with representatives from the Gambian diaspora in Europe (Germany) and government actors (inclusive of consular representatives), common concerns and responses;
· e-RCMS and demo
· Recommendations and way forward.
Recently, the IOM implemented a project in close coordination with the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), funded by the European Union. The purpose is to build the capacities of multiple government actors – across different ministries – on migration and communication.
“In complement to capacity development activities undertaken in The Gambia, further training and engagement look at involve also stakeholders in the diaspora, as well as consular representatives, to comprehensively address communication on migration-related issues,“ IOM officials say.
“Members of the Gambian diaspora play an influential role in shaping the migration discourse as well as in bridging migrant communities with governmental authorities, thus it is vital for governmental and non-governmental stakeholders involved in migration management to strengthen collaboration and continue building their mutual trust to ensure that information shared on migration is accurate, coherent and balanced. This approach will contribute to enhancing the quality of the discourse on migration management overall.“
Among the diaspora participants were Mr. Assan Sallah, chairman of the Gambia Refugees Association Europe Branch, who represented his association’s members, Mr. Yahya Sonko, founder and chairman of the Network of reintegration and irregular migration data, who also doubles as the Speaker of Gambian migrants at the Refugee Council in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, and Mr. Yahya Moro Yaffa, a member of the Migrant Media Network based in Berlin. Mr. Yaffa is also a Social and Human Rights advocate.
