Coordinating Labor Migration Policies in East Africa and the Horn of Africa: A Unified Approach to Safe, Regular and Humane Labor Migration is the theme of the fourth such meeting chaired by the Government of Ethiopia, which will run until March 17.
According to the International Organization for Migration, there will be ministers of labour, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the East African Community, the African Union Commission and other UN agencies.
Participants will discuss how to protect people who leave or migrate within the region, keeping in mind that while a large number of migrants expect to travel to Europe and the Gulf region, most movements take place within the region.
Other points of analysis will be to reach consensus on common regional approaches and priorities, and to promote social dialogue in the formulation and implementation of human rights-based labor migration management initiatives in order to further promote labor mobility.
During the event, technical working groups and policy experts will assess labor shortages, bilateral labor agreements and ethical recruitment, and engagement of expatriates and the private sector to address development and humanitarian challenges, among other topics.
The forum will bring together labor ministers from countries such as Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s Regional Data Center, there are 13.7 million migrant workers in Africa and 3.6 million in the region.
The East and the so-called Horn of Africa are home to one of the three largest migration corridors in the region.
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