The African Union Citizen is an independent e-Newsletter. Bringing Alive the Spirit and Letter of Agenda 2063, which includes the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is the mission.
The articles, from politics, economics, social, educational, cultural, the recreational to where Africa intersects with the world, are connects to Agenda 2063 Goals while maintaining the African ID.
The Diaspora phenomenon is one of the most powerful forces shaping the globalized world in the 21st century.
The then Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and then US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry
"For diaspora communities, diplomacy and development are intrinsic and personal matters." Secretary of State John Kerry
Soft Power: Diasporize
For decades, nations such as Israel, India, Mexico, Ireland have leveraged Diaspora transnationalism to raise billions of
hard cash and deployed soft power (diplomacy) to home advantages for socioeconomic developments and to influence policies.
BEFORE THE TABLE OF CONTENTS
On September 19, 2016, historic decision of the United Nations (UN) to include the Diasporas as drivers of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cemented the status of the Diasporas as a combined force in the global arena and political economy.
Super powers are using soft power and special initiatives to engage the multiracial Diaspora population in developments in their respective countries or regions and to influence diplomacy that cannot be accomplished with threats and sanctions. More than paid lobbyists, the Diaspora is an authentic voice.
The Global Compact on Migration (GCM) being negotiated is an outcome of the landmark UN decision.
Africa has Common African Positions on the SDGs and the GCM. All the 17 SDGs are integrated in corresponding Agenda 2063 Goals. Therefore, implementing Agenda 2063 Goals and the SDGs are not separate or parallel processes at the national or regional levels.
This is a Two Part Special Edition that chronicles the phenomenal rise of the Diaspora to the top of international agendas, bringing together world leaders, including the Vatican, acclaimed institutions not to discuss an immediate threat or refugee crises.
They assemble to explore ways to
incentivize the unique stream of resources from the Diasporas that consist of immigrants and their descendants in the era of modern migration. Migrant, in the context, used refers to the Diaspora.
Part I opens with a presentation of the compelling Migration-Development Nexus and Diaspora Transnationalism from which all else flow. You may not want to miss the
Historic Countdown if you are a leader, a preacher from the pulpit or politician from the podium; African Union officials and representatives; civil society advocates; transnationals; to those in tune with human civilization in an increasingly interconnected world.
There are two strands of the migration discourse: The woeand the
woo .
Of the "woe" side many know with tragic lamentation. For Africa, the destiny of her youth should not be a story of the vanished in the Mediterranean seas nor the lost in deserts. The levels of destitution that account for the plight of women who are trafficked is just as alarming. African can do better with an abundance of untapped wealth and efficient management.
"Harness 'immense' potential offered by migration, UN officials urge at global forum.
The woo side articulates the positive side of migration. From Hollywood, elective offices, to the ordinary folks, emigrants and their descendants dazzle in their fields, contribute to the development of the country of residence and, most important, they are fueling the economies of their countries/regions of origin and sustaining millions of families each day.
The positive benefits of migration also help in redressing the woe.
The "woo" aspect includes the scramble for Africa's finest. AU
Member States Diaspora population is one of the most educated and skilled in many western countries where it comes first in some. It is not a negative unless it is a paradox.
In an example of the scramble, study by researchers and scientists led by Edward Mills, chair of global health at the University of Ottawa, showed that Western nations are in for the bargain. In one citation, Canada has saved nearly $400-million by "poaching doctors" from Africa.
Cited Source: Brain Drain Of African Doctors Has Saved Canada $400-Million: Started by CanadaQBank, Nov 28 2011.
The incomprehension here is that Africa is loosing her own capacity to the West yet paying foreign experts from the West in handsome price, then declaring to wean Africa from dependency. This dizzying attribute is relevant in the thematic areas of the GCM that address brain drain, circular migration, right of exit and return.
In addressing the SDGs and the GCM, the African Union does not use its own definition of "African Diaspora" and no country or institution in the world does. Therefore, the context in which the "African Diaspora" is used can make the point apt or daft.
This reality necessarily warrants discussions on the implications of AU Diaspora Initiatives by the department and Member States Diaspora Priorities, and the distinction between the Migration-Development Nexus based on
Transnationalism and
Global Pan Africanism whose enduring ethos sprang from vital cooperation across the oceans and not defined within the confines of "Diaspora" or the sixth region mantra.
When the two are blurred, it has always been to the detriment of progress, the arrest of reason, and a reign of total chaos in the inoperable initiative - or nobody ever saw its productivity. Whether the chaos is intended and fashioned by humans for desired outcomes is not the point. The clarification is necessary to close the coherence gap.
OFFICIALLY LICENSED DIASPORA AS DRIVERS OF UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Part Two sensitizes the multi-sectoral contributions of Member States Diaspora population into the formal and informal sectors of Africa's economy. The two segments are respectively titled:
Africa's Third Sector at Work in the Diaspora and
When Smart Diaspora Comes Home.
But who is in charge of ensuring coordinating, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and providing reports that are harmonized at the national level and integrated at regional and continental levels? Based on Agenda 2063, the duty lies AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC).
With the peoples' mantle, the organ has been reminded by the Union to focus on its mandate. When millions of families count on the Diaspora, it is also daily bread and butter, brick and mortar matter.
Seizing the moment is a conscientious duty to be done. The historic avenue cannot the deferred. The Common African Position on Migration and Development is scheduled for adoption at the African Union Summit in January 2018. It would then be Africa's position in the negotiating phases running to the International Conference on Migration in September 2018 at the UN in New York, USA.
In Historical African Diaspora of non-AU Member States population, rumples of assorted grumbles have understandably greeted AU declarations as a utilitarian
One Way Street. Part Two also addressed Global Pan African Cooperation. By any definition it has an inbuilt "Two Way Street" on mutual benefits arising from relations with parameters.
With the sizzle and fizzle of the sixth region idea, which has existed, so far, in fertile imaginations than a structured population in any way, shape or form, bringing back the PanAfrican congress, as some notable voices say, is worth looking at the different levels of Pan Africanism and the last great one in 1945.
It is not limited to people of African descent living outside Africa, neither is it an integration call. Improving the quality of life where people live - in their own communities, their dignity and self-determination constitute the philosophical genius of PanAfricanism.
Table of Contents is next after the African Leaders and Portfolios.
The Trio
From left to right: Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Idriss Déby Itno of Chad; Alpha Condé of Guinea.
You may go through the Table of Contents and the Summary of Edition
.
DECISION FROM THE 29TH AFRICAN UNION
AFRICAN HEADS OF STATE AND LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIOS
H.E. Mr. Jacob Zuma: President of the Republic of South African: Leader on African Union-United Nations Cooperation.
His Majesty Mohamed VI: King of Morocco: Leader on the Migration Issue.
H.E. Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni: President of the Republic of Uganda: Leader on the Continent's Political Integration.
H.E. Mr. Edgar Lungu: President of the Republic of Zambia: Leader on Combating Early Marriage of Young Girls.
H.E. Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou: President of the Republic of Niger: Leader on Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA).
H.E. Mr. Idriss Deby Itno: President of the Republic of Chad, Leader: of the Theme of the Year 2017.
H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn: Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Leader on the Implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme: (CAADP).
H.E. Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé: President of the Togolese Republic: Leader on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa.
H.E. Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika:President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Leader on the Thorny Issue of Combating Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa.
H.E. Mr. Alassane Dramane Ouattara: President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire: Leader on the Follow-Up of the Implementation of African Union Agenda 2063.
H.E. Mr. Nana Akufo Addo: President of the Republic of Ghana: Leader on Gender and Development Issues in Africa.
H.E. Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma: President of the Republic of Sierra Leone: Leader and Chairperson of the Committee of Ten (C10) on the United Nations Security Council Reform.
H.E. Mr. Paul Kagamé: President of the Republic of Rwanda: Leader on the Institutional Reform of the African Union.
H.E. Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba: President of the Gabonese Republic and Chairperson of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
H.E. Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso: President of the Republic of Congo: Leader and Chairperson of the High-Level Committee on Libya.
THIS EDITION
UNDERSTANDING
THE MIGRATION-DEVELOPMENT NEXUS
Agenda 2063: Aspiration 3: Goals 11-12
An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law
THE BALLOT ROCKS with DIASPORA CASTING THEIR VOTES
Senegal, Rwanda and Kenya
Senegal made history with Diaspora Contestants
Polling kits sent to polling stations abroad.
Rwandan Diaspora residents all over the world voted on August 3, 2017 with an impressive turnout a day ahead of Presidential poll in Rwanda that took place on August 4, 2017
The Honorable Samuel C. Dotse (above):
Member of AU ECOSOCC General Assembly,
President of ECOSOCC Ghana selected by the AU Commission Chairperson as a Member of the AU Observer Mission to the Presidential Elections in Rwanda
15 seats for Senegalese Living Abroad:
For the first time, Senegalese Diaspora members vied for Parliamentary seats on July 30, 2017. All 165 seats were up for contest.
Senegalese Living in the Diaspora will have direct representation.
KENYA DECIDES
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr. Raila Odinga Met Again at the polls. The President is leading. Mr. Odinga accepting that thrice is not a charm does not appear in his book at this point.
SUMMARY OF THE EDITION
Part 1 and 11
Cornerstone Points in Segments
WHO IS IN THE DIASPORA
AFRICA:
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
THE POWER OF THE DIASPORA
DYNAMISM, DEVELOPMENT, DIPLOMACY
Hard Cash and Soft Power
Global Diaspora Forum
HISTORIC:
COUNTDOWN: THE DIASPORA RISE TO THE TOP OF THE AGENDA - 2013-2016
Details and Schedule April 2017 to D-Month September 2018
HIGH STAKES
June 22, 2017: UN Secretary-General António Guterres co-chaired the Uganda Refugee Solidarity Summit 2017 with President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda. Uganda is the host, after Turkey, to the largest number of refugees and its program is hailed as a model.
WHO PROFITS FROM G20 COMPACT WITH AFRICA
Pope Reminds G20 Folks About Great Leaders through German Chancellor Angela Merkel, host of the G20 Summit 2017
Voices
of Citizen
WHERE IS AFRICA ON THE COMPACT?
The Common African Position
Part 2 of This Edition
AFRICA'S DIASPORA THIRD SECTOR AT WORK:
TRANSFORMING ON THE GROUND
AND CREATING POLICY SPACE
REDUCING AFRICA'S DEPENDENCY ON FOREIGN AID
From Morocco, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda to the regions, the Diasporas are engaged at the highest level of government.
DIASPORA PHENOMEMON
WHEN SMART DIASPORA COMES HOME
May-July 2017
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, East African Community Community
Courtesy Feature:
Best Practice on Significance of the Diasporas:
The Migration-Development Nexus.
The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama,
opened the 4th Congress of Indonesia Diaspora (CID-4) in Jarkata on July 1, 2017
Over 9000 people attended the Keynote Speech by the 44th President of the US at the 4th Indonesia Diaspora Congress on July 1, 2017
Riding with Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in a golf cart
Do not miss the write-up on CID-4, more pictures and videos
CAMEROON
FORUM OF THE DIASPORA: June 26-30, 2017
Theme: "Cameroon and its Diaspora: Acting together for the Development of the Nation."
Cameroonian Prime Minister Philemon Yang opens FODIAS 2017 at cuts the Ribbon for the FODIAS Village.
GHANA
GHANA DIASPORA HOMECOMING SUMMIT 2017
July 5-9, 2017
Theme: "Development, Opportunity, Value:
Welcome Home."
President Nana Dankwa Akufo Addo was the Keynoter. H.E. John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, former President of the Republic of Ghana and former Chairperson of the Africa Union, spoke on harnessing the potential of returnees, moving Ghana from Brain Drain to Brain Gain.
Ghana had "Roadshows" from Toronto, Netherlands, Australia, London, Norway Asian cities and more to sensitize the Homecoming. You can watch some of the videos.
NIGERIA
Nigerian Diaspora Day
July 25-26, 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria
Theme: "Promoting Diaspora Participation and Engagement for National Development."
Hon. Rita Orji, the Chairperson of the House's Committee on the Diaspora
A matter of civil equity to an estimated 15-17 million Nigerians Living in the Diaspora, participants met with the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to mutually understand the details involved in the quest of Nigerian in the Diaspora to vote.
Nigerian in the Diaspora Organizations (NIDO) had sent an appeal to INEC to extend the voting right to Nigerians living in the Diaspora through Out of Country Voting system (OCV).
INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, in an official statement acknowledged NIDO delegation visit with INEC.
Other Nigerian Diaspora Pivotal Dimensions
On July 3, 2017, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo signed the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Establishment Bill 2017 into law.
Nigerian Diaspora Bond on London and US Stock Exchange
Members of NIDO Worldwide leaders in a group photograph with Members and the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives in Abuja recently. Far left is Hon. Rita Orji, the chairperson of the House's Committee on the Diaspora and 4th from left is Speaker Yakubu Dogara / Photo: NIDOE
EAST AFRICA COMMUNITY
EAC Adds Dimension to One People, One Destiny in integrating EAC Diaspora in its Development Framework.
Special focus on the Role of East African Diaspora at the 2nd East African Community Manufacturing Summit: May 23-25, 2017.
AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF REMITTANCE
AIR ON INVESTMENTS; NOT JUST IMMEDIATE CONSUMPTION
Light Moments on the Floor
Then President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa
Vote: President Edgar Lungu or President Uhuru Kenyatta - who won the dance moves? Watch the video in the segment.
The MANDATE OF THE ECOSOCC
May 31, 2017
H.E. Richard Ssewakiryanga, Presiding Officer of AU ECOSOCC (left) and H.E Faki Mahamat at the Chairperson of the AU Commission (right) at the head-table with the Standing Committee Members, Mr. Ahmed El-Basheer and Ambassador Jalel Chelba of AU CIDO
MATCHING
CONTENT, CONSTITUENTS AND CAPABILITY
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING
CARICOM AND UNASUR
GLOBAL PANAFRICANISM
ROOTED IN ITS ESSENCE
Two-Way Street: Cooperation
The Sizzle and Fizzle of Sixth Region
Bring Back Pan African Congresses
COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THIRTY-EIGHTH
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF
GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY
4-6 JULY 2017, GRAND ANSE, GRENADA
SECOND EDITION
AGENDA 2063 CITIZEN SUMMIT
The Migration-Development Nexus and Sustainable Development Goals
The AU INSTITUTIONAL Reform
The Front Burner Matter of Self-Reliance and Integration
The Rise of French Fifth Republic:
Pieds Noires (French and other European immigrants in Algeria)
"Françafrique-cum-Africa France
The Commonwealth
The Fiasco of Britain's Empire 2.0 in 2017
THRID EDITION
Theme of the Year: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in Youth
BRINGING ALIVE ELEMENTS OF ASPIRATION
The Role of the Indigenous African Institution
An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics: inculcating the spirit of Pan Africanism; tapping Africa's rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major contributors to Africa's growth and transformation; and restoring and preserving Africa's cultural heritage, including its languages.
Intergenerational dialogue on culture
Cultural Patrimony
Implementation of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance.
Algiers Declaration on the Harmonization and Coordination of cultural policies
Educational curricula to include the ideals of Pan Africanism and African Cultural Values and Heritage
Modern Day
President Patrice Talon of Benin and his administration want France to return Benin's cultural treasures - Cultural Patrimony that were incidences of Elginism- cultural vandalism and theft. Benin has written to France.
France's stockpiling of treasures from Dahomey happened during colonialism between 1892 and 1894 but also by missionaries who "robbed communities of what they considered to be charms"said Benin's ambassador to the UN cultural body UNESCO in Paris, Irenee Zevounou, who believes some 4,500 to 6,000 are in France, including in private collections. Many are on display in French museums, including the Quai Branly in Paris, which exhibits indigenous art from across the world.
REDEMPTION RITUALS
By Jah Kente International
EduArts: The Spoken Word and Curriculum
Understanding and Appreciating the Lived Experience
Creative Arts Weaving the
Cooperation and Connection
Slavery. Discovery. Recovery.
H.E. Sam Kutesa (Ugandan), President of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly, addressing the event launching the International Decade for People of African Descent Dec. 10, 2015
In the International Decade of People of African Descent
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco handing over a copy of the Vision for an African
Agenda for Migration to the Chairperson of the Commission, President Alpha Condé
of Guinea. Based on assigned leaderships, King
Mohammed VI of Morocco is the Leader on Migration
FROM UN, G20, TO AU
UNDERSTANDING
THE MIGRATION-DEVELOPMENT NEXUS
By Evelyn Joe
A bit of background.
The United Nation Vision 2030: Sustainable Development Goals are integrated in the African Union Agenda 2063 Goals.
One of the most salient features of globalization is transnationalism and its global force shaping the 21st century economic, social, and political landscape in an age of instant technology.
On September 19, 2016, history was made with a notable inclusion that was absent in the UN Millennium Development Goals. International migration, as a multidimensional reality with significance to the development of emigrants' countries of origin and beneficial to host countries, was recognized and included in Vision 2030 - the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Discussions on migrations have traditionally focused on the crisis end, which are exploited with neurotic populism on the rise. Politicians employ demagoguery and scapegoating antics to work up their masses to various stages of xenophobic frenzy and foreclose informed dialogue. There is no shortage of the histrionics.
In 2003, with the growing international migration and the increasingly complex phenomenon directly linked to key issues on development at regional and national levels, the UN General Assembly decided to devote a High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (HLD).
Citation: UN General Assembly Resolution 58/208 of 23 December 2003.
The HLD was scheduled for 2006. It was the first of its kind.
This newer strand of the migration discourse has captured the attention of world powers. Understanding and developing the knowledge base on the links between migration and development is key to giving practical effect to the formal recognition of these links in the Sustainable Development Goals (International Office for Migration) and the corresponding Agenda 2063 Goals.
Global Migration Group
In preparation for the HLD, the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), an independent intergovernmental group consisting on 19 members, was launched by the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in December 2003 in Geneva.
Its mandate was to provide a framework for the formulation of a coherent, comprehensive and global response to issues related to international migration.
The GCIM Report in May 2005 called for
"better cooperation between the different multilateral organizations that often act in a disconnected manner. It also requested that governments create coherent migration strategies on the national level to overcome the competing short-term priorities of different branches of government."
The Report further demanded
"concrete measures with regard to the strengthening of diasporas, the facilitation of remittance flows, as well as the need to establish incentives for successful, highly-skilled migrants to return to their countries of origin. The commission also stressed the need to address human rights issues such as irregular migration, trafficking and labor exploitation."
The final 98-page Report was titled:
"Migration in an Interconnected World: New Directions for Action."
The Report was presented to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, UN Members States, and other stakeholders on October 5, 2005. It included 33 recommendations aimed at creating a comprehensive framework in six broad areas: migrants in a globalizing labor market, migration and development, irregular migration, migrants in society, the human rights of migrants, and the governance of migration. Two chapters will still be denominate in the current negotiations of the Global Compact on Migration.
Chapter two recommended that countries seek to retain people with the critical skills needed for development (addressed brain drain); that remittances be encouraged with lower costs and investment-friendly policies, and that diasporas be encouraged to retain ties to their countries of origin. This chapter encouraged governments and international organizations to promote circular migration (temporal) and the contributions of migration to foster development.
Chapter four covered integration and called on governments to integrate and protect migrants in partnership with associations formed by migrants, paying special attention to the rights and needs of migrant women. Guest workers and irregular migrants are to be protected against exploitation, and the debate over foreigners is to be conducted in an objective and responsible manner.
The Report concluded that the international community has failed to realize the full potential of migration, and has not risen to the many opportunities and challenges it presents. It also called for citizenship status for long term migrants.
Left: Then UN Secretary General Kofi Anan and then AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Konaré(right)
"We cannot ignore the real policy difficulties posed by migration, but neither should we lose sight of its immense potential to benefit migrants, the countries they leave and those to which they migrate."-Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General
The first High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development took place on September 2006 14-15, 2006 at the New York at UN Headquarters.
The first-ever plenary session of the UN General Assembly, it was specifically focused on the contributions of the Diaspora, which departed from the crises end of migration to include ways to maximize the development benefits of migration and to reduce associated difficulties.
"
We are only beginning to learn how to make migration work more consistently for development," Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. "
Each of us holds a piece of the migration puzzle, but none has the whole picture. It is time to start putting it together."
Since the first UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and through numerous conferences, the distinctive link between the benefits of migration and development has steadily climbed to the top of international agendas and captured the attention of world leaders, institutions, policy makers, practitioners and academics as an area of vibrant research.
Prominent Human Rights advocate, former Prime Minister of Ireland who had served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, chaired the Plenary Session of the first Global Forum for Migration and Development and Civil Society Days in July 9-11, 2007 in Brussels.
Workshop Session of Temporal Migration Labor. International organizations had pointed out the potential benefits of new system of mobility with links between three development processes: the country of origin, the receiving country, and the temporary workers. The "triple win" effect is promoted by different institutions and influence the narratives of the current discourse.
The First High Level Dialogue inspired the creation of the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) and Civil Society Days (CSD).
The "Civil Society Day" is usually set in advance of the intergovernmental GFMD meeting. This allows civil society participants to discuss relevant issues and to offer harmonized input to the intergovernmental discussions. Civil society actors from around the world, with diaspora organizations, advocacy groups, trade unions, the private sector, and researchers, have made CSD an institutional pillar in the Diaspora world.
In conferences, seminars and workshops, institutions and governments began reevaluating what is known as the migration-development nexus, which examines the relation between migration and its positive impacts and produces a more realistic and constructive set of policy recommendations to maximize the positive outcomes of migration.
In essence, the "migration and development nexus" policy discussion is centered on the contributions and welfare of emigrant communities within the larger context of national, regional and continental development and human rights, and in ways that would enable better understanding of the peculiarities of emigrant communities and the dynamics at stake.
Course on codevelopment. 2014. Image Coordinadora d_ONG Solid_ries-Fons Catal_ de cooperacial desenvolupamen
The welfare of the emigrant communities, including issues related to labor laws, human rights and dignity, diasporic engagements, integration and opportunities for returnees can only be understood by studying the socio-economic, political and other relational factors in the home/sending and receiving/host societies (Levitt, 2001) and the experiences in the emigrant communities. This is known as the rights-approach and not just the supply-approach of the benefits.
The dialogue and interaction help in appreciating, developing and articulating the political, economic and social factors that address both processes of (migration and development) simultaneously and to avoid the pitfalls and failures that result from only academic perspectives, superficial discussions, symbolic gestures, ad hoc or piecemeal policies.
Both approaches converge as the transnational approach. It incorporates the interests and obligations that result from emigrant communities' simultaneous engagement in countries of origin and destination.
All these suggest that the Migration-Development Nexus and programs cannot be designed and evaluated outside the experiences and realities of the target population. The phenomenon is distinct from Global Pan Africanism and should not be confused with the sixth region lobby.
Mrs. Mary Robinson, First woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002) a passionate, forceful advocate for gender equality, women's participation in peace-building and human dignity, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa (2013-2014) UN Envoy on Climate Change (2014-2015) and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (1997-2006) discuss Migration developments in December 2015. Both are members of the Elders Forum founded by Nelson Mandela.
Commanding the attention of world leaders and civil society notables, the Diasporas today are not only features of the international system, they are pivotal demographic populations in understanding the elaborate interplay between ongoing migration and the amalgamation of sociopolitical communities in the broader context of human rights and sustainable development.
September 19, 2016: The Day the Compact of Migration was adopted.
"The Way Ahead'
.
"Given the comprehensive Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals, the New York Declaration itself, I thought it was an obvious point that the Global Compact should predominantly be about practice, performance and positive impacts."
"We face a moral hazard: Do we persist in negotiations for the lowest common denominator, subject to being dragged down by the unwilling and the obstructionists? Do we spend much of our inadequate resources and time declaring and reaffirming the basic things we already agree on?
Do we indulge in negotiations and gamesmanship whilst existing conventions, agreements and best practices remain inert for want of implementation? I argue that for the Global Compacts, we need to provide a practical framework to move from the 'Coalition of the Willing
' to the 'Hyperactivity of the Devoted.
'
Positive impact will come from action and practice, not repetition of agreed commitments or re-wording of diluted principles."
Gibril Faal, Chairman of African Foundation for Development (AFFORD), a UK-based charity that has put diaspora and development issues on the policy agenda.
President Obama greeting the then UN secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (sitting right).
With the formal inclusion of the Diaspora in Development, evidence-based Diaspora program is now an inescapable process to meet the goals.
November 18, 2015: Some of the presenters at the Global African Diaspora Convention at the AU Mission in Washington DC.
In the current era of intensifying global human and capital flows, diaspora contribution to the development of their home countries is crucial.
Nowhere is the role of diaspora in sustaining local livelihoods and supporting national development as evident as in Africa, where about 40% of the population still lives in poverty.
With the financial crisis in 2008-2009 and dwindling foreign aid,
African countries began looking for ways to harness their natural and domestic resources, including Diaspora revenues to reduce the vulnerability against external shocks. The rationale was the compelling reason for the African Institute for Remittances. Please see segment on: The Vitality of African Institute for Remittances (AIR).
An example:
June 14, 2014. The Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) opened its 2nd Diaspora Conference in Washington, DC with a call on the Ambassadors from the region to use their diplomatic experience and network and to facilitate Diaspora engagements to help in the implementation of the ECOWAS integration and development.
The
blue line represents remittance from ECOWAS Diaspora. The
red line represents Aid.
Since 2005, recorded remittance from AU Member State Diaspora have exceeded Official Development Assistance from foreign governments to Africa. For example, ECOWAS Diaspora became a major source of financing for development in West Africa, registering an average annual growth of 5% per year since 2005.
Citation: Diaspora and Development in West Africa: By James Wahome and Maxime Weigertn collaboration with Ismael Mahamoud, Robert Masumbuko and Andre Okou. Page 18. Published by the African Development Bank.
Studies reveal not only the resilient nature of remittance but also the increasingly prominent role it plays in boosting the foreign exchange earnings of their respective countries.
Citation: Global Financial Crisis and Remittance in East Africa. UN Economic Commission for Africa.
While remittance has caught the interests of both the public and private sectors, it is still widely acknowledged that it represents only a fraction of the potential private financial flows and other resources, including investments and skilled expertise. As
Dilip Ratha of the World Bank noted, remittances tap the incomes of migrants but the greater challenge is to mobilize the wealth of Diasporas.
Source: In line with convention, income is the flow of money that individuals receive from labor, government transfers, intrahouse hold transfers, or investments. Wealth or net worth, refers to the accumulated stock of savings, real estate, retirement funds, stocks, bonds, and trust funds.
Innovative development financing that includes novel engagement from the Diaspora remains at the forefront of policy debates. African Union leaders have outlined the need to diversify and improve development financing from domestic as well as private sources.
Cited Source: African Diaspora and Remittances. Introduction by Daivi Rodima-Taylor.
It is critical to recognize the roles that Diaspora / migrants play as enablers, subjects and drivers of development, which in turn can inform policies and program of governments, other stakeholders, and regional and global processes (IOM).
Numerous research and publications have established provide that an alternative to foreign direct investment (FDI) in increasing economic growth in developing societies is Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI), might serve to alleviate the downturn in investment from Western nations G-8, G20 and traditional private sources.
An example:
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project, owned and financed by the Ethiopian government, is under construction in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz regional state on the Blue Nile River, located some 40km east of Ethiopia's neighboring country Sudan.
The Dam is also funded through the Ethiopian Diaspora Bond, which gives the country ownership. It also helps in expanding the government's and policy space because it undertakes a project that is aligned with domestic priorities rather than the objectives of foreign donors.
DDI is also known as
Diaspora Investment Fund and is gaining recognition by African governments as public savings to achieve self-reliance, maintain stability in times of shocks to the national economy, and to accelerate socio-economic development goals.
DDI is distinct from FDI in that it relies on Transnational Network made up of migrants and migrant mechanisms operating simultaneously between host and home countries. The migrants are the linchpin because they have a unique knowledge of their homeland and culture. These factors make the migrants a more viable facilitator of capital acquisition and investment.
Citation: Diaspora direct investment (DDI): The Untapped Resource for Development.
United States Agency for International Development. By Thomas Debass (Office of Development Partners and Office of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade)and Michael Ardovino, Ph.D.
In light of empirical evidence, global trends, and Member States Diaspora Priorities, AU Diaspora Initiatives conducted are mostly outside the field of the Migration-Development Nexus or measurable sustainable development.
Global PanAfricanism or building a global African family aimed at strengthening ties between Africa and Historical African Diaspora and other foreign affairs and partnerships are conceptually and procedurally different from Migration and Development.
Bilateral agreements, programs or exchanges that cut across continents with defined parameters can find expression and meaningful linkage under what Professor Ali Maz'rui called Global PanAfricanism (Maz'rui, 1977, p. 69) with a global conceptualization and framework.
Since April 2007, international organizations, nations and regions are convening multi-sector, multi-stakeholder dialogues with representatives from government, civil society advocates, business and academia to define and thematic areas in the Global Migration Compact.
The consultations and negotiations are run-ups to the UN International Conference in 2018 where the Compact will be adopted.
African Union Theme of the Year
Opening at the 28th AU in Mandela Hall: January 2017
Produced by African Youths
RWANDA DIASPORA VOTES
Hon. Samuel C. Dotse:
Member of the AU Election Observation Mission in Rwanda
The African Union authorized Short Term Observer Election Observer Mission to the Rwandan Presidential Election on the ground.
There were 34 observers from various African countries.
AU Press Release on the Elections
By Friday July 28, Rwanda's National Electoral Commission said almost all 98 polling stations abroad had received voting materials for Rwandans Living Abroad cast their vote, which occurred on August 3, a day before their peers in the country, to make their choice on who, among the incumbent President Paul Kagame (RPF-Inkotanyi), Mr. Frank Habineza (Democratic Green Party of Rwanda), and Mr. Philippe Mpayimana, an independent, would lead the country's transformation agenda for the next seven years.
The national polls took place on August 4, 2017 with reports of heavy turnouts.
Poll Volunteers in New York, USA
In the Netherlands
By midday Rwandan time, on August 3, 2017, most members of the Rwandan community living in the Diaspora had cast their vote.
In Kampala
Young Rwandans after they voted from the embassy in Seoul, South
Rwandan Ambassador to Israel being facilitated to vote
.
Rwandans in Iran queue to vote.
In Kenya
According to Mr. Daniel Murenzi, president of the Rwanda Diaspora Global Network, the mood is high ahead of the poll. Murenzi said: "Most Diaspora members are happy for the increase in a number of polling stations, as well as the online mechanism for verification of where one will vote from.
"We are also happy to have organized ourselves to attend the campaigns [in the country] after having been part of a constitutional referendum held in December 2015. We are happy some Diaspora members were able to come and attend the campaigns."
Countries like Canada and US has have more, about 10 polling stations each, while Italy and Spain, which are being served by Rwandan mission in Paris, will have polling stations for the first time.
The increase the number of voters and polling stations in the Diaspora was requested by Rwandans living abroad during the last National Dialogue (Umushyikirano).
"Previously, we were being constrained by the small number of embassy staff, but this time we have put in place regulations that, instead of sending embassy staff to preside over the elections, we will rely on Rwandan community leaders in specific areas to manage the electoral process and report to the embassies," Munyaneza said.
The Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof Kalisa Mbanda, has said the electoral process in the Diaspora went smoothly with high turnout.
According to accounts from different Rwandans across the globe, there was excitement as thousands thronged their respective embassies, consulates and other polling sites to cast their votes.
Mbanda said: "All has gone well and participation is high in the Diaspora. We are in constant touch with our embassies and we allowed them to extend the voting time, where necessary, depending on their specific time needs given the different time zones."
NEC Executive Secretary Charles Munyaneza said the Diaspora will start counting results at 3pm today.
RWANDA VOTES
In Rwanda, Presidential campaigns officially stopped Thursday morning, 24 hours to the opening of polls.
The three candidates vying for the country's top job rapped up their respective campaigns in the capital Kigali yesterday, with incumbent President Paul Kagame, of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) Inkotanyi, addressing crowds on the campaign trails - in Bumbogo Sector, Gasabo District. Some estimates put the crowd at half a million people, dwarfing previous records witnessed in Rubavu and Musanze districts.
Rally in Burera
Frank Habineza,of the opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, held his last rally in Kigali's business hub of Nyabugogo as well as spontaneous stops in downtown Kigali late Wednesday,
Philippe Mpayimana an independent, addressed voters outside Amahoro National Stadium in Gasabo District on the final full day of campaign.
AUGUST 4
Turnout was reportedly heavy
Frank Habineza,of the opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, held his last rally in Kigali's business hub of Nyabugogo as well as spontaneous stops in downtown Kigali late Wednesday
"The campaigns have been smooth and successful," Charles Munyaneza, the executive secretary of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), said.
Last updated 1:30 am. Aug. 5
HISTORY IN SENEGAL
HISTORY MADE: 15 SEATS FOR SENEGALESE DIASPORA
CANDIDATES IN SENEGALESE PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS ON JULY 30, 2017
15 out of 165 seats in parliament would be occupied by Senegalese Diaspora representatives in the Senegalese parliament. The
country's Diaspora will have direct representation in parliament.
Former President Abdoulaye Wade, 91, led the opposition. He has accused President Macky Sall of "destroying" Senegal. The President's side replied that Mr. Wade did not do enough to develop the nation while in power, boasting of their achievements in building a new airport and other infrastructure projects.
The opposition has complained that the election was marred due to voters lacking the right identity card. Meanwhile, the incumbent party has claimed sweeping victory. Without the ECOWAS biometric card, voters were allowed to use their ECOWAS passport and other forms of ID With late start, some polling stations were opened to midnight.
Uhuru Kenyatta is leading (54.4%); Raila Odinga (44.74) is crying foul.
Eight candidates ran for the presidency but none has received more than 0.3% of votes. Final results from Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are expected to be released in the coming days -- officially, the agency has a week to declare -- but it appears Kenyatta, who leads the Jubilee Alliance, is on track for an outright win, which requires one vote more than 50% to avoid a runoff.
Kenyan Diaspora
After Kenyan Diaspora groups filed a law suit won, on May 8, 2015, Kenya's Supreme Court directed the Independent Elections and Boundary Commission (IBEC) to progressively register Kenyans in the Diaspora to participate in elections. Kenyans will be casting their ballot to elect the President and his Deputy, members of Parliament (Senate and National Assembly) on August 8, 2017.
IBEC cited " logistics and constraints of time" and said it saw it prudent and tenable to start with these countries that make up the East African Community: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and extension to South Africa.
Former US Secretary of State John Kerry and former Senegalese Prime Minister Aminata Touré co-led the Carter Center's election observation mission in Kenya.
He had earlier called for a "fair" vote.
He wrote on Twitter: "An inspiring day in Kenya watching democracy in action. "Enthusiastic voters not fazed by long lines - all agree election must be fair/free."
ad earlier called for a "fair" vote.
SUMMARY OF THE EDITION
This Edition opens with a researched-based explanation of what constitutes the Diaspora and the Migration-Development Nexus. These are fundamental to designing policies, development frameworks and to have a common understanding on how the term "African Diaspora" is used in the context of the Global Compact on Migration.
The picturesque narrative is part of the presentation and the "take away" point that underscores the significance of the topics. Each segment illuminates a rationale and consistent with the intent of the sustainable goals to strengthen and facilitate emigrants' ties to their countries/regions of origin in order to enable their contributions. The transforming effects are real as the demands are not in doubt.
The contents seek to provide the reader with a keen sense of the engaged Diaspora, not dispersed but interwoven in the life of the nations from different locations. In doing so, it is necessary and incidental to clarify the difference between Migration and Development and Global PanAfricanism. Since 2002 AU Diaspora Initiative was held, mixing up both has been knot of confusion between ties down progress on either and impedes evidence-based decision making.
The segments on Africa's Third Sector at Work in the Diaspora and When Smart Diaspora Comes Home illustrate the Diaspora capacity and potential and the transforming power of Transnational Networks in African societies with the right sensitized and incentivized engagements by both the public and private sectors.
There are sight moments with breaks such as the Presidential dance and the 44th President of the United States generating touristic attractions during his Keynote of the Congress of Indonesia Diaspora Summit in Jakarta, which demonstrates the similar and unique motivator across Diaspora societies - ties to home.
If it is not home; it is not Diaspora.
There are two strands of the migration discourse.
Two Strands of the Migration Compacts
The
Refugee strand, and
the first time, theMigrant strand, which is a general reference to the Diaspora that consists of emigrant communities that include first generation immigrants and descendants.
The first strand is the traditional focus on the woe side of migration - the refugee crises and policies for management. The responses vary, including paying for refugees and asylum seekers to return to their countries, as the ideological wing of the government.
For example, in November 2015, Norway's Interior Minister, Sylvi Listhaug, raised brows when she declared that Jesus himself would agree with Norway's anti-immigrant Progress Party's call for draconian laws. She was serving as her country's Food and Agriculture Minister.
The European Union and the African Union met in Mediterranean Island State of Malta in a two-day conference to address growing numbers of African risking their lives in attempts to reach European shores.
While United Nations conventions require that European nations take in refugees fleeing persecution and war, the same does not apply for those simply seeking better economic opportunities.At the conclusion of the event, European leaders approved a $2.05 billion "trust fund" designed to redress the issue.
The European Union hopes that the prospects of funding, scholarships and some legal migration pathways will inspire African leaders to crack down on smugglers, take back their unsuccessful asylum seekers and deter aspiring persons to from leaving home with improved options.
The Pope and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and host of the 2017 G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.
When requested by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to extend a message, the Pope obliged, reminding the G20 that great minds once lived and demonstrated the values when the moment required the courage to lead. He named them. This mirrors the commitment to "end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all" as the overarching impact objectives of the SDGs aim to attain.
The Pontiff later spoke on the irony of economic unity among the powers with such crisis (some caused by them) around the world and plight of balancing the books on the backs of the poor with the decisions made.
The newer strand that gained international attention a little more than a decade ago, which led to the first UN Conference on Migration in 2006, is the
Migration-Development Nexus. It demonstrates the positive link between migration and development, especially to home countries.
The African immigrants are reputedly the most educated ethno-demographic population in most western countries, including the United States and Britain.
The Diaspora communities are established with discernible structures.
Ms. Sitinga Kachipande, leader of Malawi Association, Washington, DC presenting at a forum with the Malawian President Arthur Peter Mutharika.
December 19, 2014: Prof. Leonard
Professor Leonard Wantchékon received the Kwabo Award of Excellence and Merit for the Beninese Diaspora. The gala and award was presented by "Vies et Valeurs" (Lives and Values) under the patronage of the Benin Ministry for Foreign Affairs and African Integration.
Since April 2017, nations and regions have been on a hectic schedule, holding regional consultation meetings to develop the specific contents of the thematic areas for negotiations and adoption at the UN International Conference on Migration in September 2018.
The outcomes may revolutionize the substance and dynamics in the emigrant world, the benefits to countries to host and home countries, and the welfare of residents, which go beyond lowered fees for remittances (not more than 5%, some say 3%, others say zero); right of exit and return; curbing xenophobia; protecting human rights; recognition of foreign skills; to reversing brain drain, and more.
Get the facts at the end of the Countdown!
Where is Africa?
The African Union (AU) has two central policy documents and the more comprehensive is the Migration Policy Framework. It covers nine key thematic migration issues: labour migration, border management, irregular migration, forced displacement, human rights of migrants, internal migration, migration data, migration and development, and inter-state cooperation and partnerships.
AU Constituent States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are expected to ensure that their outcomes/results are comparable through harmonization and adherence to common guidelines with respect to the goals, targets, performance indicators, measurements, the methodologies for data collection and analysis.
However, the current AU's Migration Framework does not provide for monitoring or enforcement. The missing elements have to be included for the Framework to be a viable guide.
Populist demands and incentives from Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries
(funders who pay the piper)
may help increase the appeal of policy responses framed predominantly in security terms, but these will have negative long-term consequences.
Citation:
Policy & Practice Brief Knowledge for durable peace The African Union migration and regional integration framework Authors: E. Tendayi Achiume and Loren B. Landau.
The Migration Policy Framework acknowledges the need for the collection and analysis of national and regional migration data, because the absence of this data presents a serious obstacle for effective migration management.
Citation:African Union. Executive Council. 2006. The Migration Policy Framework for Africa. Op. cit. Article 29-30.
Caribbean Community Head of States of Governments
Above: the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) held a High Level Parliamentary Dialogue on Migration and Developmenr in Latin America and the Caribbean on June 9, 2017. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Spanish: Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños, CELAC
On the Migration and Development Nexus, Africa faces another serious obstacle on the data matter.
The African Union (AU) does not use its own definition of "African Diaspora," neither does any other country or institution for the purposes of these consequential development goals.
CARICOM and Latin American nations have independent Strategic Developments Plans and address the SDGs that include their respective CARICOM and Latin American Diasporas.
The above facts indicate that AU Diaspora Initiatives that set aside the legal and structural implications are costly rigmaroles that contribute to policy incoherence vis-à-vis AU Member States objectives and distract from realistic opportunities for mutual Cooperation with non-AU sister nations. The incomprehension runs afoul of evidenced-based decision.
In the final analysis, the freewheeling approach, AU decision makers, CARICOM and Latin American government could not have approved, built a compound of unimplementable AU Diaspora ideas and programs since 2002.
Given the paradox, designing Migration and Development programs based on a Global African population or sixth region idea that does not exist in a structured way, shape or form, produces the proverbial Elephant in the Room. It is an idiom that fits in this case: a problem is obvious, the risk of waste of time and resource is present, the possibility of implementation is absent, but no one wants acknowledge the problem.
In March 2013,
Ambassador Mbulelo Rakwena (Retired), the coordinator of the
May 18, 2012. Former South African Ambassadors Ebrahim standing and Mbulelo Rakwena sitting
Global African Diaspora Summit in 2012 admitted in a published post-Summit interview that the issue of the sixth region was always going to be a "
vexing matter."
He pointed to the facts of the diversity and dissimilarities of the projected population and the unrealistic concept of a sixth region that is outside Africa.
African and African American Summit
Evidently, Migration and Development and Global Pan African Cooperation are two distinctive frameworks serving different primary purposes. Confusing both or using them interchangeably generates nothing more than a state of inertia - where there are no results and nothingness is normalized.
Standing:The then South African President Thabo Mbeki. Sitting: The then Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chair of the AU
In July 2006, at the Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Banjul, Gambia, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria submitted an incisive and detailed Report entitled:
A Study on an African Union Government: Towards the United States of Africa.
He decried the dependence on foreign expatriates and correctly noted that viable networks were already in existence. For example, there are Medical, Engineer and other networks that can be engaged to address some of the shortage of skills.
Members of Young Generation Africans:
Based in India, Congo, Nigeria met in Congo with the then Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo on transfer of skills to develop ICT in urban and rural areas.
Citizenship or a status that confers the rights and responsibilities of citizenship is a judicial-political concept backed by formal instruments and enforcements. Certainly, the AU did not intend to create an ideological definition to terminate the legal membership of citizens of AU constitutive Member States just because of where they live and with an intent and invite for them in future to develop their home towns.
In practice, nationals from Member States living in the Diaspora are being appointed at all levels of public service, including to AU ambassadorial positions.
In 2006, the AU adopted the Common African Position on Migration and Development and designated a program called "Citizens of Africa"to prominently sensitize and galvanize the African citizenry in the Diaspora as a constitutive and participating population of the Union and directed their immediate and full representation in the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council.
It stands on legal grounds and precedents that the AU does not need to amend its Constitutive Act or to ratify a protocol to issue invitation to Member States' nationals living outside their countries to participate in African development or the building of the AU. They are already doing so.
Transnational Networks are vehicles linking nationals to their Hometowns, Member States, and Regions in Africa.
Training for Youth Leaders in African Diaspora community in Europe co-organized by the African Diaspora Youth Network in - Europe and Africa-Europe Youth Cooperation.
Antony Otieno Ong'ayo (Linking Local actors in Migration and Development Strengthening Strategic Cooperation between Diaspora and Civil Society Institutions in Africa) citing other authors, addressed the linkages between civil society organizations in Africa and Diaspora-based organization using contextual and experiential knowledge in home and host countries to improve outcomes.
In the publication, Translocal Activities of Local Governments and Migrant Organizations (Chapter 8) Edith van Ewijk and Gery Nijenhuis were precise:
"Linkages between migrant source and destination countries can take many forms, ranging from informal remittances sent by individual migrants to relatives "back home" to diaspora engagement policies of sending countries. These relationships are often locally specific (Nell 2007). After all, migrants send remittances not to some random village, but to their villages of origin. Some authors refer to linkages at the local level as "translocal."
While people are indeed more and more connected to others in different localities, including distant ones, the essence of this integration lies in linking 'the local' to 'the local' elsewhere and only partly in integration at the level of nation states (Zoomers and Van Westen 2011, 377).
HRH. Senator Doh Ganyonga 111, Bali, Cameroon in Washington, DC for the Convention of the Bali people from his sub-national municipality.
Subnational Hometown Associations are also linked to their local regions through formal channels. Trans-locality enables Hometown, National, Alumni and Professional Associations and their counterparts all over the world and in Africa to work on common outcomes, thereby moving the abstract processes of globalization to the specifics of localized developments.
The interconnection between the African citizenry in Africa and in the Diaspora
Connections or relationships between global and local businesses and related issues are also enabled by
Transnational or Trans-local Networks. Their visible structures and linkages provide governments with internal mechanisms to identify and engage the Diaspora through Embassies, Ministries, Commissions, Offices of Diaspora Affairs, and the Presidency.
The nation-state formations that may converge to regional entities are aligned with the AU system of reporting from the National (it includes sub-national) Regional, to the Continental levels as stated in the first Five-Ten Year Strategic Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.
Given the observable evidence in human societies, Migration and Development, and Member States Diaspora cannot be divorced from mainstream African development or misconstrued as a separate group; they are a constitutive of population of the African Union.
The eighth Secretary-General UN, Ban Ki-moon, sent the progressive gravel rolling in 2013 with 8 bold steps
The Countdown begins from 2013 and chronicles some of the cornerstone decisions on the rise of the Diaspora to the top of international agendas and its landmark inclusion in the SDGs on September 19, 2016. It is, in deed, an unfolding of the phenomenon.
Far from the headlines, untold and underreported, emigrants are transforming their communities back home.
Continental Africans, who make up the AU Member State Diaspora Population living abroad, are increasingly using hard cash and soft power (diplomacy) to translate the talk to change on the ground and engaging of governments at the highest levels.
You do not want to miss the segments in Part 11: When Smart Diaspora Comes Home.
Africa held a preparatory meeting to develop the Common African Position on Migration and Development on May 17-19 in Uganda. Check the details after the Countdown!
The AU will adopt the Common African Position on Migration and Development at the AU Summit in January 2018. It would then serve as Africa's terms for negotiation during subsequent stages of decisions.
The consultation phase is the time for the critical voices of the civil society, especially Diaspora group and those serving vulnerable populations including trafficked women and refugees, to be heard in the room; not at corridors or just online.
For example, the current UN Under Secretary, H.E. Amina J. Mohammed, advised a group in 2013 when consultations were afoot on the post-2015 Millennium Goals and the drive for the inclusion of the Diaspora: Be in the room.
The Society Days of the Global Forum on Migration and Development are powerful in their insightful and holistic presentations and mirroring of society. They are "Must Watch" videos for civil society actors, Diaspora organizations, political leaders on the podium, pastors on pulpits, and the decision makers whose thoughts and pens affect lives.
Launch of Diaspora Parliamentary Group in UK
Can African Diaspora Stand up and be Counted in the post-2015 Development Goals?
From missed and squared opportunities, a historic moment presents itself. The stakes are high: AU and Member States have to officially implement and report on the progress made in meeting the Diaspora-related goals and with coherence. Africa stands to benefit from sensitized, prioritized, incentivized drive to capitalize and utilize opportunities that place the AU Member State Diaspora population as a driver of sustainable developments in the localities, nations, regions and Africa-wide.
From dropping the ball in 2006, down the road we go a decade later.
Without a comprehensive Framework for Migration and Development with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, the new opportunity will fall prey to old unaccountability in the demoralizing adage: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (French) the more things change, the more they remain the same (English)- a déjà vu of the implementation crises noted in the AU Institutional Reform Report (January 29, 2017) led by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
May 31, 2017: The ECOSOCC Standing Committee the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Based on Agenda 2063, the organ mandated to interface with the civil society for the implementation of Agenda 2063 (which includes the SDGs) and prepare Progress Reports the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC). The organ is expected to provide Advisory Reports that necessarily express the views and aspiration of the African citizenry represented by social (civil society) groups.
The organ's role is, therefore, pivotal in enabling Africa's citizens to own the process of development an Africa driven by its people. In fact, it is the only formal structure for African leaders to get a more accurate trend in society.
In an era of AU Institutional Reform directed at self-reliance, the topics are not only of essence; the timing is compelling.
Who is the Diaspora?
This question has never carried so much weight as it did on September 19, 2016 when Migration and Development commanded center stage with the United Nations inclusion of the Diaspora as drivers of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In order to reliably address issues related to migration and development, it is essential to understand the universally acknowledged and observable characteristics of Diaspora populations.
The information is consequential in light of confusion may arise due to the fact that the AU definition of the term "African Diaspora" does not apply in the case of the Common African Position on Migration and SDGs.
Diasporization and transnationalization of populations across geopolitical continents have emerged as a vibrant focus and area of research. The inquiry probes the role of migration in context of the broader social, economic and political transformation and implications in the countries of origin.
Khachig Tölölyan, the editor of "
Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies,"a key vehicle for disseminating academic discourse on the Diaspora, noted in the Journal's sixth year that the use of the word "Diaspora" is in danger of becoming a capacious (extended than usual) category and argued for at least some 'stringency of definition.' (Tölölyan's 1996). He describedthe Diaspora "
as the exemplary communities of the transnational moment."(Tölölyan's 1991: 5).
Diaspora communities include descendants of immigrants. For example, it is
estimated that half a million children born in the United States each year, who are American citizens, automatically have at least one additional nationality.
Citation: The Political Importance of Diasporas by Professor Steven Vertovec. June 2005 Feature Published by the Migration Resource Institute.
With modern forms of instant communication, Diaspora populations maintain significant interactions with members of their populations in various parts of the world, including in countries and regions of origin or ancestry through their Transnational Networks.
The most defining feature of Diaspora populations is the multiplicity of activities they simultaneously sustain both in the host and home country/region: socially, economically, and politically.
Members maintain significant real-time contacts with each other through daily mediums such as online groups, Facebook, and other methods. These account for recorded abilities to influence dynamics in homeland - locally, nationally, regionally or continent-wide.
With the observable characteristics, Diasporas are distinct trans-state social and political entities that result from
migration to one or more host countries where members reside permanently or temporally.
The Diaspora members constitute minorities in their respective host countries; create and maintain relatively well-developed communal organizations; demonstrate solidarity with other members of the community, and consequently, cultural and social coherence.
They launch cultural, social, political and economic activities through their communal organizations; and they maintain discernible cultural, social, political and economic exchanges with their country of origin or ancestry - homeland.
Gabriel Sheffer and the Diaspora Experience
Sheffer offers a more concrete definition of Diasporas as a "socio-political formation," created as a result of either voluntary or forced migration, whose members regard themselves as of the same ethno-national or regional origin. Members of such entities maintain regular or occasional contacts with what they regard as their homeland and with individuals and groups of the same background residing in other host countries" (Sheffer, 2003).
The analytical definition of a Diaspora population highlights structures, patterns of contacts and networks more accurately with systematic analysis of diaspora geopolitics(Sheffer 2006).
Diaspora communities, therefore, result from organic determinations that happen in a process without anyone creating a population or forcing it to happen. The communities are formed based on overriding orientations, characteristics and motivational variables. These striking features make it virtually impossible to bring into existent a Diaspora population with disregard for the authenticity or dissimilarity of the populations and their frame of references or their concept of homeland.
Former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.
Former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller articulated the experiences of many nations and transnationals when she said: "
We have to redefine the concept of the nation. The nation today is not territorial; it is not bounded by physical space. The nation is a social and political construct. In a borderless world, the nation is no longer confined by geography. There are 2.6 million people in Jamaica but there are approximately another 2.6 million living overseas."
"We also have to redefine patriotism. Patriotism can no longer be seen as necessarily synonymous with residence in the country of one's birth. The fact that you are not physically located here does not make you any less committed to this country and its development nor does it make you, in this globalized era, disconnected from Jamaica."
Irish Diaspora
India Diaspora is one of the largest Diaspora populations.
In engaging the Indian government in 2004, an Indian Diaspora website proclaimed: "The Diaspora is very special to India. Residing in distant lands, its members have succeeded spectacularly in their chosen professions by dint of their single-minded dedication and hard work. What is more, they have retained their emotional, cultural and spiritual links with the country of their origin. This strikes a reciprocal chord in the hearts of people of India."
Critical Analysis
The definition of the Diaspora assumes that any population, by virtue of their common origin constitutes a Diaspora. This categorization may include a significant number of groups who do not identify with what is regarded as the "homeland."
Second, the practice of Diasporas retaining meaningful link with the homeland is very important. However, the link is imprecise and the assumption is based on abstract notions of a link or connection, and it is difficult to pin down or make a reliable assessment.
In transnational migrant communities, diasporic involvement can range from the exclusive maintenance of family ties in the homeland to establishing political connections. In this regard at least four kinds of Diaspora involvement can be observed and determined at the family, community, social and political level.
The point is that at all levels, the establishment of ties as an indicator of diasporic connection requires further specification. Accordingly, meaningful contact needs to be tied to another triggering or motivational variable - on the type of involvement.
There are distinct realms where Diasporas are politically active: their influence on their homeland's domestic politic; the exercise of their domestic political rights within their host countries; and their independent engagements at the international level.
Global Diaspora Forum convened by the United States State Department
The then U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton convened the inaugural Global Diaspora Forum on May 17, 2011. Before a packed audience, Secretary Clinton announced the launch of International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA), a multiracial platform for emigrants and descendants. In the course of three days, the 2011 Global Diaspora Forum marked the first time that the US State Department had convened Diaspora groups at such a large scale.
The Government of the District of Columbia's Office on African Affairs addresses the welfare of Contemporary African Diaspora residents (both Non-Resident Africans and Persons of Member State Origin). The initiative was lobbied for by Continental Africans. The Bill went through the Legislative Branch and became law in 2006. There are also Office on Asian Affairs and Office of Latino Affairs, which represent people of African descent. Mayor Muriel Browser is third from left in the picture above.
The Global Diaspora Forum is an annual appreciation of America's diaspora communities. IdEA organizes an annual Global Diaspora Week, which recognizes and celebrates diaspora communities and their contributions to global development, creating awareness, enabling collaboration, and enhancing learning amongst those working with diaspora communities in different locations around the world.
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco handing over a copy of the Vision for an African Agenda for Migration to the Chairperson of the Commission, President Alpha Condé
of Guinea.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco submitted to the African Union (AU) a paper laying out a common African vision on migration. The paper, dubbed "Vision for an African Agenda for Migration'' was given to the Chairperson of the AU Monday, July 3, 2017 at the opening of the 29th AU summit. The Monarch is entrusted with the role of the AU leader on migration.
THE POWER OF THE DIASPORA
DYNAMISM, DEVELOPMENT, DIPLOMACY
Global Diaspora Forum
The Strength and Entrenchment of the Diaspora in the Mainstream
Diaspora communities, in their great diversity, are transnational societies that comprise of individuals living outside their countries of origin and ancestry. Diaspora residents normally regard themselves, and are regarded by others, including international governments, as members of their national or regional community of origin or ancestry, an identity retained regardless of the actual status of their citizenship inside or outside their countries of origin.
The nation-state societies are increasingly recognized for their contributions in sustainable developments by host and home governments, international institutions, and recently by the United Nations on September 19, 2016 as drivers of sustainable development. The transnationalsbuild bridges between countries of origin and destination through the simultaneous activities they carry out in their host and home countries and, consequently, their regions.
Diaspora communities progressively integrate into the sociopolitical fabric of host nations with cultivated abilities to influence narratives and translate their potentials to contributions in their homelands and regions.
The excerpts of remarks, below, by the immediate past US Secretary of State, John Kerry, provide a multi-dimensional scope of the entrenching power of the Diaspora.
"And in today's interconnected world, let me tell you: It is also a strategic imperative. This era requires much more nimble institutions, more agile foreign policy. And part of that agility comes from engaging diaspora communities. And the reasons why are pretty simple.
First, we live in a world where the number of people living outside their country of origin has nearly tripled to more than 230 million. The United States has the largest number of diaspora members of any country; more than 60 million Americans are first or second-generation immigrants. And at the same time, we've gone from an era where power lived almost exclusively in old establishment hierarchies to an era where power lives in networks, and that is evidence in these objects that are pointing at me, recording all that we are doing. (Laughter.) That's where power is in today's world - in smartphones, and iPads, and in people's ability to communicate 24/7 and be in touch.
Second, diaspora communities are often the prime movers in responding to important events, whether we're talking about a natural disaster or a terror attack, a financial crisis, or even emerging business opportunities. If something big happens in Ukraine or Japan or Mexico or Israel or Nigeria, the diaspora is going to be talking and thinking about it almost before anybody else.
And the 21st century demands a more inclusive foreign policy, and diaspora communities are often the first people to know about an issue and bring it to the attention of people in positions of power. They are often the first to debate an issue or to put out options; they are the first to have an impact on the ground - the most direct and the fastest.
Third, quite simply, in today's world, partnerships matter. No country - not even the United States - can go it alone. So we depend on our international allies and our partners for a lot, and our diaspora communities can help make those partnerships work. The big reason for that is the leaders of these communities are some of the best cultural ambassadors that we could ask for.
But you don't need to take my word for it. Just look at the headlines this week: New York Times: "Approval of the TPP is Vital for Continued U.S. Power in Asia." From The Telegraph: "Hurricane Joaquin brings flooding to south east USA." From The Washington Post: "The refugee crisis is here to stay."
After Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, leaders from the Asia Pacific diaspora worked together to support the relief efforts. The U.S.-Philippines Society helped organize a concert to raise funds for relief, and the Vietnamese American community gave generously to the cause.
After the devastating earthquake in Nepal just this spring, Nepali American leaders in business and philanthropy launched campaigns on social media and raised tens of thousands of dollars for clothing, medical equipment, food, tents, and other emergency supplies.
After the outbreak of Ebola, the Sierra Leone, Liberian, and Guinean diaspora community immediately rallied to turn the tide against the disease by sending urgently needed medical supplies, food, and money, and often by communicating to people directly to institute best practices and avoid spreading the disease.
Secretary of State John Kerry Addresses the Diaspora
Agenda 2063 Aspiration 7: Goal 20 and corresponding UN SDG 17 are on Partnership. Diasporas live in societies where they simultaneously engage in social, political and economic activities in both the host and home countries or regions. They pay taxes. Some are dual citizens.
Accordingly, transnational communities are known to leverage partnerships. The outcomes are most useful when the primary purpose is to improve knowledge and capacity to deliver specific results on identified and shared (with country of origin) impact in their home countries/regions.
For example, in recognition of the increasing role Diasporas are playing in addressing global challenges, the International diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA) sponsored by the United State's State Department launched the Sustainable diaspora Goals (SdG) Challenge, an initiative dedicated to scaling up Diaspora-focused or Diaspora-driven partnerships and activities that are positioned to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals.You may learn how the Goals are aligned. READ
As the Migration-Development narrative and the Diaspora steadily climbed up to the top of international agenda in the post-UN Millennium Goals, unprecedented interests from powers and principalities and what is gaining traction as Smart Diaspora are prime partners in the field.
CIVIL SOCIETY DAY
A New Diaspora Enlightenment is Needed
Mr. Gibril Faahl, Chair of the African Foundation for Development
Countdown to the Diaspora Moment!
Major chronological milestones along the way to the top of International Agenda on September 19, 2016 when the Diasporas were formally included as Drivers in Sustainable Development Goals.
The intensified pace on negotiating the contents of Global Compacts and the Common African Position is in motion.
The International Dialogue on Migration and Diaspora Ministerial Conference held on June 18-19, 2013 was a legacy making discourse on migration and development.
55 ministers and minister-level government officials from 115 countries with about 500 participants from all parts of the world convened for two days to discuss an issue that was not a natural disaster, refugee woe, an immediate political or economic global crisis.
They came in recognition of the growing strength of global Diaspora, its influence and contributions to development. The conference served as a pioneering international platform for Diaspora Ministries and representatives to discuss the role and contribution of the diaspora in development and policy.
The Conference set a new pace, among other compelling forces, that placed the Diasporas in their current course as drivers in sustainable development with a session that
"explored the intimate relationship that exists between diasporas, host societies and countries of origin, as well as the important role played by transnational communities in linking these societies. Understanding how these interlinkages function is essential for smart diaspora policies."
The positions stated:"Diaspora's contributions to both host society and country of origin are increasingly recognized by stakeholders, together with the need to provide an environment in which this potential can be engaged in a sustainable way."
"These potentials are represented by a wide range of resources that can be mobilized for the greater benefit of all; the human, social, economic, cultural as well as political capital represented by diasporas are therefore increasingly acknowledged and policy tools are being developed to maximize diasporas' engagement opportunities."
The event signaled governments' interest to increase collaboration with Diaspora communities to capitalize on their potential for development. The conference was the first of its kind to serve as an international platform for Diaspora ministries and representatives to discuss the role and growing contribution of diaspora in development and policy.
UN High-level Dialogue
on International Migration and Development
October 3-5, 2013
Declaration of the General Assembly's High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.
Theme: "Crucial Importance of Strengthening Link between Migrants, Post-2015 Development Agenda Stressed - United Nations General Assembly Adopted Declaration."
The Second UN High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (HLD) since 2006 took place 3-4 October 2013 in New York at the UN General Assembly, where the international community sought to identify concrete measures to strengthen coherence and cooperation in order to enhance the development benefits of international migration for migrants and countries alike.
On October 3, 2013, delegates at the 68th United Nations General Assembly were sensitized on strengthening the connection between migrants and their descendants living abroad and the post-2015 development agenda as crucial to both the country of origin and destination.
More than 100 Ministers, other representatives of Member States, and the civil society participated in the two-day dialogue. 60 Ministers addressed the Round Table Discussions.
Based on the reports, there is mounting evidence that whenleveraged with the right policies, Diaspora communities can significantly contribute to development in both origin and destination countries, through remittances, trade, investment, creation of enterprises, and transfer of technology, skills and knowledge. At the same time, there is concern that the emigration of skilled professionals may hinder the attainment of development goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals, especially in small developing countries.
The then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon outlined an ambitious eight-point agenda that he had proposed to the General Assembly to "make migration work" for all, including protecting human rights and eliminating the exploitation of migrants, among other areas.
In deed, this eight-point agenda shapes the elements of the Migration Compact that nations are at a race to hone with tone and contents for adoption in 2018.
While the heightened interests were unfolding, there is no indication AU Diaspora activities were in harmony with transnational focus, neither were there coordinated efforts among Member States Diaspora organizations to effectively respond to the trends.
Some excerpts:
Then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
Let me briefly outline my vision. First, we must do more to protect the human rights of all migrants. Too often, migrants live in fear of being victimized as the so-called "other"; of having little recourse to justice; or of having their wages or passports withheld by an unscrupulous employer.
We cannot remain silent. We need to eliminate all forms of discrimination against migrants, including those related to working conditions and wages. We need to create more channels for safe and orderly migration, and to seek alternatives to the administrative detention of migrants.
Fifth, we need to improve public perceptions of migrants. Migrants contribute greatly to host societies. As entrepreneurs, they create jobs. As scientists, they are engines of innovation. They are doctors, nurses and domestic workers and often the unheralded heart of many service industries.
Yet far too often they are viewed negatively. Too many politicians seek electoral advantage by demonizing migrants. While we should not ignore the challenges that arise from migration, especially in the context of high unemployment, we should dispel dangerous myths. But information is not enough. It takes leadership to reinforce positive messages about the benefits of migration.
Sixth, we need to integrate migration into the development agenda. With discussions under way on the post-2015 development agenda and a new set of goals for sustainable development, the time is ripe to present a compelling case about why migration matters for development.
Indeed, my report, "A Life of Dignity for All" includes the positive contribution of migrants as one of the transformative actions of the post-2015 development agenda. One litmus test of the new agenda's inclusivity will be the degree to which migrants and diasporas are seen as development partners, and not left behind.
Seventh, we need to strengthen the migration evidence base. We are fortunate to live in an era of information. Yet reliable data on migration and its impact on development are often very hard to come by. Migration policies should be guided by facts, rather than hunches and hearsay.
"It is our collective responsibility to make migration work for the benefit of migrants and countries alike," he said. "We owe this to the millions of migrants who, through their courage, vitality and dreams, help make our societies more prosperous, resilient and diverse."
A MUST READ FOR ALL HOMETOWN, NATIONAL, REGIONAL AU CIDO AND ECOSOCC LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND THE SPIRIT AND LETTER OF THE CURRENT COMPACT THAT NATIONS ARE WORKING ON: CLICK
Mr. John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda), a keynote speaker agreed, emphasized that since the first High-level Dialogue in 2006, the face of migration had changed, with more South-South movement and changing trends in Europe and other regions. "This Dialogue comes at a critical time for the United Nations, as we are embarking on what may be the Organization's most far-reaching and ambitious task, he said. "Well-managed migration reduces poverty and contributes development. Migration must receive its place in the post-2015 development agenda.
"Change is never simple. It requires patience, perseverance and a commitment to live peacefully," he added. "
We will work together to break new ground."
Mr. Gibril Faahl, Chair of the African Foundation for Development agreed, glancing around the room before saying, "this place is full of them." They included itinerant diplomats, fourth-generation immigrants and many others. "But given the strong axis between migration and development, it was odd that more progress had not been made to date," he added. "A new diaspora enlightenment" was needed when contemplating sustainable development goals," Mr. Faahl concluded.
The UN unanimously adopted the Declaration of the General Assembly's High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.
Civil Society Shaping the Transnational World
At the Global Forum on Migration and Development in May 2014, several hundred civil society organizations and networks come together and created a civil society framework and set of rights-based goals and targets that connect migrants, diaspora and migration with human and economic development in post-2015 global and national development agendas. In addition, the working group put forward indicators to measure the achievement of the Goals for migrants and communities.
An excerpt of recommendation to the UN, posted on its website, reads: " recognition of Diasporas as catalysts for global development in all of the post-2015 development objectives. All developmental achievements should be measured by the qualitative and quantitative engagement of diasporas in development. Greater visibility needs to be given to diasporas' contributions through dedicated media outlets that feed into mainstream national and transnational media, building on good practices. This should not be limited to the country of destination, but also address governance issues in the countries of origin."
In July 2015, world leaders met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 3rd Conference on Financing for Development. The Outcome Document of the Summit, the "Addis Ababa Action Agenda" (AAAA) formed "an integrated part of the post-2015 development agenda," which specifically includes the role of migration and development.
2015: "We are almost there!"
Addis Ababa Action Agenda (4A): On harnessing migration for financing development, we are almost there!
This headline by
Dilip Ratha, renown economist on leveraging remittances, summarized 4A's recognition of the positive contribution of migrants, half of whom are women, to inclusive growth and sustainable development and notes that it must be addressed in a coherent, comprehensive and balanced manner.
To this effect, the 4A expressed a commitment to cooperate internationally to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration with full respect for human rights.
September 25, 2015: UN Adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals replaced the UN Millennium Goal, now called post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) dubbed Vision 2030 is a 15-year universal action on the 17 Goals and 169 targets that address from inequalities, climate change, to the benefit of inclusive growth in a peaceful world.
All Party Parliamentary Group on Diaspora, Development and Migration
(APPGDDM) launching by Baroness Lola Young Hornsey on February 3, 2015 at the British House of Commons.
Laura Thompson, Ambassador and Deputy Director General of International Organization for Migration in her keynote address at the launch of
(APPGDDM) presented compelling arguments for a stronger parliamentarian engagement in order to achieve better migration governance and to integrate migration agenda into development policies at all levels.
We are still on Countdown!
But here are some helpful information on how the SDGs and Agenda 2063 are linked.
Africa submitted her post-2015 Development Goals under a Common African Position (CAP) that integrated the SDGs and Agenda 2063 Goals in a common framework.
In October 2015, the UN praised AU's Agenda 2063 first Five-Ten Year implementation plan and the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a holistic and coherent framework for advancing and following up on Africa's development.
"Africa is the only continent that has consistently provided a common position on issues addressed in key global summits and conferences. These common positions represented a shared African position in presenting the continent's ambitions and expectations and informed related debates at all levels, and, laid out the relevant issues for the Africa Africans want. In the same vein, Africa has been a key player in the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda."
Citation: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa.
Africa addressed the post-2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Common African Position under six categories: 1) Structural Economic Transformation and Inclusive Growth; 2) Science, Technology and Innovation; 3) People centered Development; 4) Environmental Sustainability, Natural Resource Management and Disaster Risk Management; 5) Peace and Security; 6) Finance and Partnership.
In December 2015, Mr. Maged Abdelaziz , from Egypt, the UN Secretary Special Adviser on Africa gave an interview to explain the harmony between the SDGs and Agenda 2063 Goals:
http://conta.cc/2usrXYy
What is the landing point?
Agenda 2063 Goals already have the all the SDGs. This means each of the 17 SDGs corresponds with the specific Goal in Agenda 2063. Consequently, they are implemented concurrently in an integrated manner. Therefore, by meeting the Goal in Agenda 2063, Member States and the Regional Economic Communities would simultaneously address the corresponding SDG in their national framework. These are not separate or parallel.
The approach promotes policy coherence, minimizes duplication and reporting, and conforms with Africa's economic, social and political integration based on the AU vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by her people and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.
Note
There are 20 Agenda 2063 Goals under 7 Aspirations. However, not all Agenda 2063 Goals are in the SDGs.
Examples are:
Aspiration 2: Goals 8-9 that address: An Integrated Continent, Politically United and based on the Ideals of Pan-Africanism and Vision of the African Renaissance.
Aspiration 5: Goal 16 - Priority Area 1 that is specific on establishing and strengthening relations with Caribbean and Latin American nations. Priority Area 11 is designed to develop and promote frameworks on the moral and material pursuit of reparations from slavery, and colonial / apartheid misrule and access to the Berlin conference archives on the partition of Africa.
The Priority Areas are different from SDG 17 and the corresponding Agenda 2063 Goal 19 that are focused on Partnership and the guidelines.
Here is a user-friendly SDG and Agenda 2063 Kit. It is highly recommended for Associations, which may help groups to align their objectives with a Goal. At the end of the PDF the corresponding Goals are listed: http://conta.cc/2icwnbZ
Better yet, find selected examples that provide a Priority Area within a Goal that groups are focused on or aim to attain:
April 19, 2017: AU Commission Chairperson: H.E. Faki Moussa Mahatma (left) and the Secretary General of the United Nations
On April 19, 2017, the
UN Secretary General H.E. Antonio Guterres and the AU Commission Chairperson
H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat signed a Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhancing Partnership in Peace and Security.
The UN Deputy Secretary General, Under Secretaries General, as well as the AU Commissioners for Peace and Security and Political Affairs participated in the discussions.
Let us continue with the Count Down! to the Diaspora Moment
The momentum is building and significantly. Keep reading, we are not at the Compact yet.
On July 20, 2016 at an event titled "
Ensuring No One is Left Behind: A High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Refugees," the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration and Development,
Mr. Peter Sutherland, told the audience that the UN had to be in the lead in finding solutions to the worldwide crisis on refugees and migrants and noted that the SDGs 2030 was "
itself a fine document-recognizing the benefits of migration."
Mr. Sutherland, however, acknowledged that declarations might not translate to action without implementation. "Words are cheap," he said. He meant countries must implement what they agreed to.
Accordingly, Mr. Sutherland emphasized that the UN must be willing to speak out about the obligations of member states in order to ensure that the September 2016 Summit to address the compact is not another "exercise in merely restating platitudes." He stressed that the compacts to be adopted on refugees and emigrant communities (Diasporas) in September 2016 must be geared towards making real headway.
H.E. Omar Hilale, Morocco's Permanent Representative at the UN
Ambassador H.E. Omar Hilale,Morocco's Permanent Representative at the UN and Co-Chair of the Global Migration Group urged the High-level meeting to address the needs of both refugees and migrants. Refugees are defined as people who are forced to leave their country because they are at risk of persecution. In contrast, a migrant makes a conscious choice to leave in pursuit of a better life or for any other voluntary reason.
Ambassador Hilale said because of the distinction some consider addressing the needs of refugees to be a higher priority than those of migrants. But he cautioned against putting one group's needs before the other.
"Migrants and refugees are distinct, and have distinct laws related to them, but they must be targeted together, as they face similar challenges," he said. The UN must not adopt a compact on refugees without addressing migration, he warned.
"Both issues are important and deserve urgent attention." The General Assembly's high-level meeting "should have a balanced approach towards migration and refugees," he asserted.
IOM Director General William Lacy Swing briefs UN Member States on the Global Compact on Migration.
"We have a very tall order, but it can be made more manageable if we work "together" - as the [UN] Secretary General's counter-xenophobia campaign is called. Together, I am confident that our joint efforts will enable us to fulfill our mandate to protect the safety, dignity and human rights of all migrants, and help realize the development potential of migration for home and host societies alike," he said before the adoption.
Ambassador Swing continued: "We focus too much on problems; too little on solutions. In recent times, we have, arguably, become better at addressing immediate needs, but we struggle to develop a comprehensive, long term vision for human mobility." He added that migration was inevitable, necessary and desirable.
Shortly after, on September 19, 2016, for the first time in history, the United Nations, made up of 193 Member States, officially included the
emigrant Diaspora community as a driver of sustainable developments. This novelty has implications on how governments design policies and translate them to concrete actions to integrate their Diasporas in meaningful development framework, measure and report results.
September 19: Ushering in History
On September 19, 2016, the UN adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. Member States agreed to develop a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
In this historic first, the United Nations included the Diasporas as Drivers in Development in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We are There!
New York Declaration
At the UN Summit on September 19, 2016, the world came together around one plan. Member States reached an agreement by consensus on a powerful outcome document.
The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants expresses the political will of world leaders to save lives, protect rights, address the benefits of the migration, facilitate the integration of Diaspora residents in their national development and share responsibility on a global scale. There is expectation to hear from world leaders about how each country or region will implement these commitments to the emigrant communities, to those who assist them in their host and home communities in ways that will benefit both if these commitments are met.
United Nations " For the very first time in 71 years, the UN now has a 'UN Migration Agency"
The New York Declaration makes an unequivocal case for the benefits and opportunities for safe, orderly and regular migration in furtherance of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In effect, unprecedented emphasis is placed on the importance of migration and development as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. These call for clearly identified population without vagueness, targets to be met, data-driven practices, and evidence-based decision making by national and regional governments.
The process began in April 2017. UN Member States are intensifying efforts to define the Global Compact by identifying core thematic elements and the normative framework (standard of evaluation) in a series of regional
meeting andnegotiations in the run-up to the UN International Conference in 2018 where the Compacts will be adopted.
.
Diana Minyi Lee (Singapore), Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee, introduces the Committee's texts.
On April 6, 2017, UN General adopted modalities for intergovernmental negotiations. It reiterated the importance of the participation of civil society, among others. The Assembly called on those with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to register with the Secretariat in order to participate in the conference and its preparatory process.
In addition, the Assembly requested its President to submit to Member States, for their consideration on a non-objection basis, the lists of representatives of other non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, diaspora communities and migrant organizations who may attend and participate in shaping the compact.
One list for the preparatory process, would be submitted no later than April 2017, and the other, for the intergovernmental conference, would be submitted by April 2018.
APRIL 12, 2017
Above: Integrating a gender perspective in the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration'
at the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61), UN Women.
The forum presented a set of expert recommendationsthat specifically address women's human rights in the global compact for migration. The recommendations incorporate the experiences and voices of a full range of stakeholders involved in migration and its governance, including migrant women.
"This comprehensive list of recommendations serves as a "one-stop shop" for gender-specific considerations in the formulation of human rights-based migration governance, highlighting specific areas that need to be strengthened in order to protect women migrants and recognize their agency throughout the migration journey and process,"
said Lakshmi Puri, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women speaking during a side event during CSW 61
There will also be five or six regional CIVIL SOCIETY consultations, one connected to each of the four regional intergovernmental consultations plus one for Europe and one for the Central/North American corridor. These may take place either several weeks before or immediately before the respective intergovernmental regional consultation (held by ECA, ESCAP, ECWAS, ECLAC). Be on the lookout for information for your region!
The preparatory process began with a consultation phase with several thematic sessions between April and November 2017. The thematic areas indicate how important international migration issues and the Diaspora have evolved to an encompassing priority on the world stage.
International Dialogue on Migration, April 17, 2017 at the UN
There will be six global thematic consultations. The 24 elements listed in the New York Declaration have been consolidated into six thematic areas, with a global multi-stakeholder consultation devoted to each. These elements and perhaps others will also be discussed at
regional consultations.
Human rights of all migrants, social inclusion, cohesion and all forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia and intolerance (May 8-9, Geneva)
Addressing drivers of migration, including adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters and human- made crises, through protection and assistance, sustainable development, poverty eradication, conflict prevention and resolution, (May 22-23, New York)
International cooperation and governance of migration in all its dimensions, including at borders, on transit, entry, return, readmission, integration and reintegration (June 19-20, Geneva)
Contributions of migrants and diasporas to all dimensions of sustainable development, including remittances and portability of earned benefits (July 24-25, New York)
Smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and contemporary forms of slavery, including appropriate identification, protection and assistance to migrants and trafficking victims (September, Vienna)
Irregular migration and regular pathways, including decent work, labour mobility, recognition of skills and qualifications and other relevant measures (October, Geneva) These include thematic areas such as c
onsideration of policies to regularize the status of migrants, Protection of labour rights and a safe environment for migrant workers, Promotion of labour mobility, including circular migration.
Phase 2, Stock-taking: After the consultations, there will be an intergovernmental stock-taking conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, in early December where inputs from the consultations will be presented and discussed, then consolidated as the basis for a draft. The co-facilitators, the Swiss and Mexican governments, will produce a first draft of the Global Compact on Migration Compact by February 2018.
Phase 3: Negotiations should be concluded by the end of July ahead of the September Conference.
The outcome documents and/or summary reports of all the regional consultations held in preparation for the GCM will be transmitted as inputs to the intergovernmental negotiations on the Compact. Regional analysis and perspectives will also be made available and will feed into the global preparatory meetings as they evolve. The Common African Position on the GCM will be Africa's term of negotiation.
The Conference will take place at UN Headquarters in New York, NY, immediately prior to the general debate of its 73rd session, in September 2018.
Parallel to the three phases, there would be informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearings.
As part of the preparatory process for the intergovernmental conference four days of informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearings with representatives of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, parliaments, diasporas, migrants, migrant organizations and the private sector. The President of the General Assembly to prepare a summary of the hearings to be made available as inputs for the intergovernmental negotiations.
J
une 6, 2017: The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration and Secretary-General of the 2018 intergovernmental conference on global migration, Louise Arbour, circulated an inter-agency issue brief on international cooperation and governance of migration, which is the topic of the third informal thematic session.
The co-facilitators of the preparatory process issued a procedural note outlining the format and the tentative agenda of the third informal thematic session on the topic of 'International cooperation and governance of migration in all its dimensions, including at borders, on transit, entry, return, readmission, integration and reintegration'.
It is important to read this briefing schedule and what will be discussed. http://conta.cc/2skbiF8
It is also critical to recognize the roles that migrants play as enablers, subjects and drivers of development, which in turn can inform policies and program of governments, other stakeholders, and regional and global processes (IOM).
This position was initially adopted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Member states in the late 1990s. It was later elaborated in the context of a broader discourse on policy coherence for development, the concept of institutional and policy coherence for development, which is now commonly understood as the pursuit of synergies to advance shared objectives, to minimize or eliminate negative side effects and to prevent policies from detracting from one another or from the achievement of agreed-upon development goals.
International organizations, nations and regions are convening multi-sector, multi-stakeholder dialogue with representatives from government, civil society advocates, business and academia to develop the thematic areas.
Effective translation of sustainable development policies into concrete actions will require convergence of policy and legislation among Members of various regions to ensure accountability and effective implementation of the global commitments.
Examples
Example of Thematic Consultations: Mariam Chazalnoel (far right), IOM Thematic Specialist on Climate Change, addresses a panel discussion at the Mission of Belgium to the United Nations. Photo: UN Migration Agency/Lanna Walsh
The second informal thematic session entitled:
"Addressing Drivers of Migration, including Adverse Effects of Climate Change, Natural Disasters and Human-made Crisis, through Protection and Assistance, Sustainable Development, Poverty Eradication, Conflict Prevention and Resolution" took place on 22-23 May 2017 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
An example of what civil societies are doing to realize outcomes.
Must Listen Videos on Civil Society Day 2016 to understand the depth and breadth of the Migration discourse. Recommended for Diaspora Stakeholders, activists, all Home Town, National, Regional, Continent-wide Leadership, including AU ECOSOCC and National Chapter Leaders.
MUST READ FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS: Opening Ceremony GFMD Civil Society Days 2016: Theme: Time for Action: December 2016
Closing Ceremony and report backs: GFMD Civil Society Days, 9th December 2016
The motivation for a Diaspora-focused conferences came as the result of the interest generated during the discussions at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the 2006 UN High-Level Dialogue, as well as a growing recognition by the governments and international community at large of the important, and often underutilized, contribution of diasporas to economic growth, poverty reduction.
Since then, annual GFMD meetings and other migration forums are held to foster the role of the Diaspora in developments.
Some of the summarized findings from the meetings have been consistent:
Diasporas are viewed as important agents of economic and social development in countries of origin, but governments often lack knowledge or capacity of engaging them effectively at scale;
The enabling environment in both countries of origin and destination is essential to maximize the benefits of migration;
Strategic partnerships between states, civil society and Diaspora groups are important to create a framework for diaspora engagement to facilitate transfer of resources and know-how sharing;
Acknowledgement of the critical role of remittances in economic development and broad support for reducing the cost of remittance transfers;
Proper incentives and guarantees must be created by governments to attract financial (capital) non-financial (i.e. skills and expertise) diaspora resources;
Communication and strategic outreach are central to effective implementation of programs and policies for diaspora engagement;
Recurrent request from policymakers for an effective mechanism to share best practices, such as a database with up-to-date information on diaspora policies and programs and relevant evaluation guidelines;
Recognition of diaspora's role in crisis situations, specifically their role in supporting post-crisis recovery processes;
Wide recognition of a need to apply human rights approach to migration.
BOTH SIDES OF THE COMPACT
IN THE CORRIDORS OF POWER:
FROM THE HOLY SEE THROUGH THE UN, PRESIDENCIES, TO ICONIC CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTIONS
June 22, 2017: UN Secretary General António Guterres (third from left) arrives in Kampala, Uganda co-chair the Uganda Refugee Solidarity Summit 2017 with President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda. Mr. Guterres was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for a decade prior to his election as UN Secretary General.
While this segment is focused on understanding the Migration-Development Nexus and the compelling multidimensional contributions of emigrant communities that cannot be discounted, amidst a wave of populist scapegoating of immigrant communities, rising crass racism, and rabid xenophobia around the world, the GCM can be influenced by nations pressured to backtrack on commitments.
That is why the high profile voices and civil society,especially the voices of transnational organizations and communities, must be heard speak clearly and effectively on the policy issues that states will be addressing as they work towards the GCM in September 2018.
The segment depicts the sides of the discourse: The Woo; the Woo and the Win.
In essence, there is a woe (addresses drivers of migration such as conflicts, climate change, human trafficking that result in refugee crises) and woo (addresses emigrant communities as drivers of sustainable developments such remittance, investments, skills transfer and the win (addresses shows success model of woe management for self reliance).
Currently Africa is hosting the third highest number of migrants after Europe and Northern America.
The then United States President Barack Obama addresses the High-level Leaders' Summit on Refugees which he hosted on the margins of the UN General Assembly general debate. September 20, 2016 New York (UN photo by Rik Barons)
Calling the refugee crisis "one the urgent tests of our time" and "a test of our common humanity," US President Barack Obama kicked off his Leaders' Summit on Refugees on September 20, 2017.
The Woe
The hysteria-mania debates.
The Woo
Some nations attract high skilled
migrants
The study, by researchers and scientists led by Edward Mills, chair of global health at the University of Ottawa, showed that the countries impacted by the worst economic losses resulted from doctors emigrating to western nations with Australia, Canada, Britain and the United States benefitting the most by recruiting foreign-trained doctors. Canada has saved nearly $400-million by poaching doctors from Africa.
Cited Source: Brain Drain Of African Doctors Has Saved Canada $400-Million: Started by CanadaQBank, Nov 28 2011.
Migrants are also legal citizens in host countries and the Diaspora includes descendants of immigrants.
Empathy:Barack and Michelle Obama
Catholic Conference of Bishop and the Pope are advocates of migrant rights.
President Museveni and Obama in 2015.
June 22, 2017: Left: UN Secretary-General António Guterres co-chaired the Uganda Refugee Solidarity Summit 2017 with President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda (right).
Uganda has been hailed for its effective management of refugee crises. It is the second largest refugee hosting country in the world after Turkey. On June 22-23, 2017 Uganda hosted the first Refugee Solidarity Summit backed by the United Nations to find support for the over 1.3 million refugees in the country for the next four years.
The event showcased Uganda's celebrated refugee model where refugees are sooner integrated into society with self-reliant skills.
Under the theme Young people are an asset for inclusive sustainable development of refugee and host communities, the side event was co-hosted by UNFPA (UN Population Fund) and the Royal Danish Embassy in partnership with IOM, Plan International, Reach A Hand Uganda,
United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF);
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), UNHCR and UNICEF.
The event brought together over 100 participants, including young people from refugee and host communities in Uganda. The side event was preceded by a pre-summit workshop that brought together 35 young refugee and host community representatives at UNFPA Uganda's Innovation Café.
Mr. Stephan Schonemann (above) the Humanitarian Director in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered a keynote address . The aim of the two events was to provide a platform for dialogue on how Uganda's youthful refugee and host population can be turned into an asset for resilience and sustainable development.
The event was attended by the Danish Ambassador H.E. Mogens Pedersen, UNFPA Representative Mr. Alain Sibenaler, UNDP Country Director Ms. Almaz Gebru and the Acting Commissioner for Youth in the Ministry of Gender, Mr. Mondo Kyateeka.
Among the heads of state and about 500 dignitaries who graced the discourse were Guinean President and Chairman of the African Union, Alpha Condé; Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed; Gabonese President Ali Bongo; Zambian President Edgar Lungu; and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. The two-day Summit on June 22-23, 2017 was geared to raise $2 billion to address the welfare of refugees over a four year period.
In a keynote address in 2016 at weeklong retreat of government ministers, permanent secretaries and NRM leaders at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi, President Museveni said accepting African refugees is "part of the solidarity with our African brothers and sisters.
"Harness 'immense' potential offered by migration, UN officials urge at global forum.
Speaking at this major international meeting on migration and development, senior United Nations officials have stressed the need for actionable commitments.
In her keynote speech, Ms. Louise Arbour, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, emphasized that effective international cooperation and political leadership were vital for the success of a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration and called on all participants for strong leadership as well as the "willingness to compromise."
"
Failure, on the other hand, would leave us unequipped to harvest the immense potential of migration."
She also noted that the UN Charter, the International Human Rights framework and the UN SDGs already offered a framework for the GCM and called on nations and regions to "resist the temptation to reinvent the wheel."
The legal framework for Common African Position is compatible with the UN.
The process is expected to be harmonized in a systematic approach to ensure that policies are used as instruments to implement adopted GCM in a logical structure with documentation that will support implementation of policy actions, goals, and measurement of results.
"
We need to address the relationship of migration to critical adjoining policy domains, including development, humanitarian, climate change, and peace and security, in a truly comprehensive way," he said, urging the international community to move away from "reactive, unidimensional approaches" to migration governance." William Lacey.
"I believe we all agree that we dare not miss this 'rendezvous with history,' as this opportunity may not present itself again," he added.
In the same vein, Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), stressed the importance of taking action that made "a real difference.""If we are to foster the benefits of these movements for all concerned, our policy choices matter greatly," he said, while citing the need to remove what he called "the toxicity" from the public debate. He also emphasized the contributions made by migrants and called for better recognition of their skills and experience to allow them to attain their full potential.
Civil Society Organizations include faith-based entities and some go beyond preaching and promising miracles to put faith to work by addressing societal ills and injustice.
THE POPE REMINDS THE G20
ON GREAT LEADERSHIP
There are 20 members of G20: 19 countries (one African nation - South Africa) and the European Union. Spain is considered a permanent guest at G20 Summits. Each year other guests are invited This year, Germany invited three: Norway, the Netherlands and Singapore.
The African Union was represented by the Chairperson, President Alpha Condé of Guinea; the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation was represented by Vietnam; and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) was represented by President Macky Sall of Senegal.The World Health Organization, headed by the former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also participated. Note: NEPAD was dissolved and integrated into the AU Commission at the AU Summit in July 2017.
Vatican meeting on June 17, 2017.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Responding to the request of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the recent host of the G20 Summit, which took place on July 7-8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany, Pope Francis wrote to Heads of State and Government assembled for the Summit of the world's major economies.
He sent "heartfelt appeal" to address the tragic situations in South Sudan, Lake Chad, Horn of Africa and Yemen, where there are 30 million people who have no food and water to survive and noted " the contradiction between apparent unity in the "common economic forums" and the persistence of "armed conflicts," which is driver of migration.
He asked the leaders to take examples from the great leaders of the recent past: Schuman (twice Prince Minister of France); De Gasperi (Italian Prime Minister 1945-53); Adenauer (West Germany Chancellor 1949-63); Monnet
(President of the High Authority of the Europe Coal and Steel Industry, the predeceor to the European Union, considered the "Father of European Union" and
Deputy Secretary-General of the League of Nations 1919-1923).
For "inclusive and sustainable global economic growth" attention must be paid to "ongoing conflicts and the global migration problem", giving " absolute priority to the poor, refugees, the suffering, evacuees and the excluded, without distinction of nation, race, religion or culture, and to reject armed conflicts.
The pontiff shared his thoughts: "I would like to offer some considerations together with all the Pastors of the Catholic Church," by referring them to " four principles of action for the building of fraternal, just and peaceful societies, which he listed and explained in the
Evangelii gaudium: English translation:
Joy of the Gospel. "Time is greater than space; Unity prevails over conflict; Reality is more important than ideas; and whole is greater than the part."
G20 in July 2017: South African President Zuma summarizes. No Imposition - Any program must be supportive o
G20 Summit's 3 Session : Partnership with Africa on Migration and Health
The G20 Summit unfolded with a much anticipated focus on Africa championed by the host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel. However,
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
made the most compelling case for a global investment in African development. During brief remarks to the 'Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health' working session, Modi insisted that the G20 leaders needed to "walk the talk" on Africa, particularly in the areas of health, technology, and the financial commitments necessary to truly deliver on a "Compact with Africa."
President Jacob Zuma and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, co-chair of the G20 Development Working Group, agreed and indicated in meetings, including with BRICS members that the spirit of "any partnership with Africa must benefit the whole continent and encompass a holistic approach." He stated that any Compact must be in support of Agenda 2063; not an imposition as it often happens.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also urged G20 leaders to advance African development to help ensure global economic growth, and promised his nation's unconditional support. He called on members to build a digital economy that will reduce the North-South digital divide. Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa are members of BRICS.
Of particular relevance in relations to the migration, the
G20 Leaders' Declaration, the content placed more emphasis on the cause of displacements but also acknowledged that "the social and economic benefits and opportunities of safe, orderly and regular migration can be substantial" and they "look forward to the outcome of the UN process in September 2018.
In November 11, 12, 2015, European Union and African leaders signed an agreement for the creation of an Emergency Trust Fund, initially of €1.8 billion, to assist African countries in their development and encourage them to take back nationals who migrated to Europe. The signing was the highlight of the Valletta Summit on Migration. Learn More
Where is Africa on the Compact?
Africa has a Common African Position on the Global Compact on Migration.
Prior to the event, Ugandan Minister for Internal Affairs, Obiga Kania,indicated that all was set for the May 15-17, 2017 program that took place in Kampala, Uganda to draft Common African Position on Migration.
Cross-section of Attendees
Theme: "Towards an African Common Position on the Global Compact on Migration" 15 - 17 May 2017; Kampala - Uganda.
The Third Pan-African Forum on Migration kicked off the drive to define Africa's Common Position on the Global Migration Compact. The program was held in Kampala, Uganda from May 15-17, 2017 at Conference Center at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
Left: Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Hon. Nanette Thomas and the
Head of Mission, International Organization for Migration, Mr. Sanusi Savage. The Common African Position would be based on existing continental and regional normative and legal frameworks.
The Pan African Forum is a joint initiative of the African Union Commission and the Regional Economic Communities in Africa. The three-day conference was held under the theme "Towards an African Common Position on the Global Compact on Migration."
The Forum was designed for senior government officials, and other relevant stakeholders from all the AU Member States, Civil Society Organizations that include migrant and Diaspora associations, the academia, trade unions, business and other non-state actors to share national and regional perspectives on migration and to make recommendations as inputs to the Africa's position on Global Compact on Migration.
Two Strands of the Migration Compact
Left: The Refugee Crisis: Right: Established Migrants Giving Back
National Executive Committee of Lourdes Ex-Student Associations (LESA-USA) from Bamenda, Cameroon. An all female alumnae raised over $250,000 to build a clear water project in their alma mater.
UN SDG 6 is AGENDA 2063 Goal 1: Priority Area 4
Traditionally, the sound of migration has been the woe of refugee crisis. This strand of migration distress addresses the downside of migration, need for safety, management of crises, and governance and environmental issues to mitigate the challenges associated with today's migration.
The newer strand emphasizes the Migration-Development Nexus that is focused on the positive contributions of Diaspora (emigrant /expatriate populations) to sustainable development and need to strengthen ties between the populations and their countries/regions of origin or ancestry.
Ugandan Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda,
Ugandan President Museveni, in his address read by Prime Minister Ruhkana Ruganda, addressed both strands and called for "
a holistic approach to migration including development, employment, human rights, peace and security, climate change and humanitarian dimensions."
"
Migration, however, has been known to be the oldest remedy to poverty and development with positive effects, if well managed. It is therefore incumbent upon Governments to design evidence based migration policies that seek to maximize positive impacts especially in the areas of investment, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, education and trade"
President Museveni said.
Speke Resort Munyonyo
"Africa has abundance of resources and our people should not be dying on dangerous journeys on the Mediterranean in hope of better opportunities. This means that we need to create conducive environments for our people to prosper and live a good and peaceful life," President Museveni said.
He added, "We also need reliable data on migration at the National, Regional and Continental level in order to find sustainable and workable solutions to the challenges of Migration in Africa. We not only need to focus on migration in Africa but also from Africa to other Continents notably Europe, America, and the Middle-East where our people have increasingly migrated through very dangerous and inhumane routes."
A policy recommendation will be used to develop the draft outcome document for consideration and adoption. It will be presented at the 28th Ordinary Session of the African Union in January 2018. The adopted document will be the Common African Position on Global Compact on Migration and basis for Africa's negotiation.
"The destiny of the African youth is not at the bottom of the Mediterranean sea," says Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank during its 52
nd Annual Meetings in India on May 25, 2017.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina addressing the Africa Youth Entrepreneurship Forum at TICAD VI.
Dr. Adesina made the same plea in 2016 when he addressed the challenge of creating jobs for youths in Africa as he outlined a number of initiatives the Bank is undertaking to reduce the unemployment crisis from complicating Africa's current security challenges.
"The future of the African youth lies in a prosperous Africa, not at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, Africa hosts the world's youngest population," Dr. Adesina told the audience during the Africa Youth Entrepreneurship Forum at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, August 28, 2016.
Another Panel.
The Outgoing Chair of the Bureau of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Ministers of Finance , Planning and Economic Development Dr. Ashatu Kijaji. She is also Tanzania's Deputy Minister for finance. She officiated at the opening session.
In April 2016, the Ninth Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development convened under the theme:
"Towards an integrated and coherent approach to the implementation, monitoring and Evaluation of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals."
The Ministers recognized the vital role of migration in Africa's transformation and adopted a resolution on International Migration in Africa, which mandated the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission to establish a High-Level Panel on International Migration in Africa.
June 6, 2017: Left:
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf with some members of the HLPM and ECA Team
The 14 Member Panel was launched on June 6, 2017 in Monrovia, Liberia, on the margins of ECOWAS Summit. Liberia's
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the head of the High-Level Panel on International Migration in Africa.
"Just last week, some forty young men and women died of thirst in the Sahara Desert, while trying to reach Europe. More than a thousand have perished in the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of this year." President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf lamented in her remarks during the launch.
Bo
rder control measures and stringent policies also prevent Africa from reaping the benefits of migration, according to Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, Acting Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The 14 Member Panel was launched on June 6, 2017 in Monrovia, Liberia, on the margins of ECOWAS Summit. Read . Liberia' President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the head of the High Level Panel on Migration (HLPM).
Mr. Knut Vollebaek an HLPM member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway - said the government of Norway "is very pleased" with the HLPM initiative. Mr. Vollebaek expressed hopes about the HLPM's ability to achieve its goals. Norway was one the countries who pay asylum seekers to return home.
Norway's current Integration Minister,
Sylvi Listhaug, raised alarms in December 2015 when she said Jesus will back her
party's anti-immigrant stance. She was then Minister of Food and Agriculture
. It would be interesting to know what part of the AU authorized HLPML "pleases" Norway.
The multinational team is expected to submit its report on implementation to the African Union in July 2018.
Migration:
The African Union and European Union
THE GAME CHANGER
The Data - Evidence-Based Process
Cohesion and Coherence - Precising Definition
In the Great Diversity Need: Disaggregating Data:
Caribbean, Latin America Examples
Ghanaian President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo: One the most active and visible African Heads of State
Learn Something on the Data!
ABOUT THE DATA
The African Union (AU) defines the African Diaspora as [consisting] of people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union."
However, the AU does not use its definition for the purpose of addressing the development goals. Just as well, UN does not and no country, including Caribbean Community or Latin American nations, has used the definition to address development goals.
AU Member States do not use AU's definition of the Diaspora. They include people of origin from their countries living in other African countries. Taking together, the AU Member States Diaspora may be 20% of the hypothetical population based on AU's definition. The caveat of "willingness to contribute" is imprecise, which explains why the hypothetical projection.
The UN and all the 193 nations understand the "Diaspora" to consist of
"transnational communities" of immigrants and descendants of immigrants living outside their countries. In the case, the migration wave is from the post slavery era - modern migration.
In Migration and Development, the first crux of the matter is the data that establishes the target population. Accordingly, the aggregated numbers presented to the AU information should
be disaggregated based on the regions of origin, not only where people of African descent live since the purpose is development in Africa.
Based on AU's definition of African Diaspora, it has no formal way to include at least 80% of those it seeks to define in its sustainable development goals. This arises when a population is outside the constituency of its Member State and the consequences have legal or political implications.
The UN estimates indicate that 150 million people in Latin America and 50 million people in North America are people of African descent. Some migrate but are still part of their population. For example, they constitute Caribbean or Latin America Diasporas and included in their regions' Global Compact on Migration.
The figure of migrants from Africa living outside their countries was estimated at 50 million when the last African Common Position on Migration and Development was adopted in 2006.
What is the significance?
For decisions with legal or political implications, from Day One on February 3, 2003, the AU Executive Council and the
African Heads of State needed dis-aggregated data of the "African Diaspora" in order to make informed decisions. It is highly unlikely that a non-Banana authority will ratify any protocol that will materially alter its structures and result in binding commitments without knowing full impacts.
A disaggregated data is a data that has been extrapolated (taken) from aggregated (total number of people of African descent) data and broken down into specific units or populations (from Africa, the Caribbean, North America, etc/).
Why the Aggregated number in "AFRICAN DIASPORA" is Unreliable for Development Goals
First: As noted in the International Office for Migration (IOM) Global Compact Thematic Paper | Contributions to Development, the key to understanding linkages and enhancing the positive outcomes of migration on social and human development includes the collection and analysis of credible data and information.
Second: Stakeholder engagement and internal governmental coordination are required.
Third: Different sectors across government have different roles and priorities that require the adoption of coordinated planning and management tools that can facilitate the development potential of migration.
Note: The Common African Position is limited to governments or the public organs of AU. Accordingly data of non-Member State Diaspora population serves no useful purpose.
You may get the reason by considering the realities.
UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
The Caribbean Community
(CARICOM)
and Union of Latin American Nations, better known by its Spanish acronym Unión de Naciones Suramericanas
(UNASUR) respectively have identical or similar Strategic Development Plans, including their own active Diaspora projects.
Just as the AU, CARICOM and UNASUR are addressing the Sustainable Development Goals and Global Compact on Migration - and independent of the AU.
In 2006, at the height of awareness of the positive link between migration and developments, and in the year of the first UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, the Economic Commission for Latin American and Caribbean Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development adopted Resolution 615 (XXXI) in Uruguay.
A follow-up report was produced in 2008 titled:International migration, human rights and development in Latin America the distinctive features of Caribbean and Latin American Migration.
In 2006, in also adopted Common African Position (CAP) on Migration and Development, the estimated total number of AU Member State Diaspora population living outside their countries was placed at 50 million.
Now using freewheeling processes to misconstrue the program as a Global Africa Diaspora initiative to "rebuild the Global African family" and to assign 20 seats in ECOSOCC is to tumble rationality on its head and in violation of the legal standards. If Africa did not conceivably address Migration and Development of non-AU Member State populations and those living in their own countries, introducing the extraneous dimensions as part of the implementation would be corruptive.
More over, the breach of international understanding will implicitly present a data conflict between AU and other regions.
Here are some examples of implications:
In preparatory and expert meetings for the Global African Diaspora Summit in 2012, there was no information on the crucial data that could have enabled the AU Executive Council, especially at the Ministerial Meetings, to know that the "Bankable Projects" they were talking about had nothing to do with Global African Diaspora. This is explained further in Part 11.
If the process was data-driven and there was a monitoring and evaluation standard, lessons from 2006 would have instructed the Ministers on reality.
In the aftermath of the Declaration of the Global African Diaspora Summit, which included the Bankable AU Diaspora Legacy Projects, a World Bank survey was published with the title: Unlocking the economic potential of the Caribbean Diaspora on December 11, 2013. Read
It indicated that among Caribbean Diaspora members, concentrated more in North America and Europe, 90 percent of Caribbean Diaspora members wants to engage deeper with their region, representing a significant untapped potential for economic development. The large majority is interested in investing in countries of origin. About 70 percent is formally or informally affiliated to organizations in their home countries. Half of those surveyed send remittances and 85 percent give back.
In the current CARICON Strategic Plan UNY 2 states: Refine and Promote the CARICOM Identity and Civilization has its "focus on building the strong sense of Community unity and pride that is essential for regional integration and the CARICOM Agenda. This will involve facilitating dialogue across the Community; refine and then promote the "CARICOM Civilization"; promoting the Ideal Caribbean Person; identifying appropriate 'symbols' of CARICOM around which to reignite pride, the spirit of integration e.g. the CARICOM Song, CARICOM Day, marquee events, sports (e.g. West Indies Cricket); redefining and reorienting the CARICOM related curriculum in schools; and
integration of the Diaspora."
Senator Jepter Ince
United Nations Caribbean Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework
In September 2015, when post-millennium Development Goals and the current SDGs were adopted, BarbadosParliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Senator Jepter Ince, addressed the opening ceremony on the United Nations Caribbean Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework.
Senator Ince told the audience that the creation of a new regional programmatic framework for sustainable development must have at its core the means of implementation. CARICOM will needs its Diaspora data.
CARICOM) is working towards a Results Based Management (RBM) system that will measure the tangible results of regional integration mechanisms. CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque highlighted this development in his address at the 28th Intersession at the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
Mr. Rodinald Soomer, CEO CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), and Hon. Kamina Johnson-Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica.
A CARICOM Education sub-program seeks to articulate and harmonize policies and program throughout the Community so that the people of the Community can be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to enjoy a better quality of life, contribute to the development of the Region and to compete in the global environment.
UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
In coordination with partners in the region, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will hold a two-day regional consultation, including experts from each sub-region on August 30-31, 2017 in Chile.
Read more on Comparatively Speaking: CARICOM and UNASUR in Part Two.
The UN SDGs process requires established mechanisms and methodologies to monitor and track, in an empirical manner, the various ways migration and the Diaspora communities impact development to inform evidence-based policymaking that is responsive to migration trends.
Consistent with the above, Agenda Goals are expected to be:
Results Orientation: Targets should be set for each of the goals / priority areas in the Agenda. All the three levels -
national, regional and
continental should have targets, where appropriate or applicable. A monitoring and evaluation framework should be in place at each of the three levels to ensure that progress is being attained with implementation.
Evidence Driven: Decisions / conclusions reached or made regarding the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation should be based on the facts on the ground. Since facts will in general be common to all stakeholders, decisions to be made by stakeholders would be predictable.
The framework must have compliance assessment, which includes the description of the functional approach or process to achieve indictors of progress. The intent is to provide guidance for common understanding on the terms of reference and what would be evaluated.
Given the fact that the AU definition of "African Diaspora" is not relevant in the context of Migration and Development, it begs the question of which African Diaspora when the term is used. A precising definition is instances like this to dispel disputes and to establish common understanding among decision makers and coherence among policy makers, departments, organs, stakeholders.
A precising definition is vital to determine which "African Diaspora" population when the generic reference is made. A term has to express the essential nature of the conceptual program. The reference should leave no doubt about the primary stakeholders; who owns the process; the value it will provide; the beneficiaries or measurement and reporting of results.
A precising definition extends the lexical (common use) of the term by including additional criteria or specifications that narrow the definition to meet the exact context and purpose for which it is meant to serve. For example, "African Citizenry in the Diaspora" is in Agenda 2063 and African citizens is denoted in the 2006 Framework.
The precising definition is intended to make a vague word more precise so that the term's meaning is not left to the interpretation of the reader a listener. Many legal definitions and terms in organizational policies are precising definitions to prevent disputes among persons using the same definition for various purposes.
Understanding on common term of reference enhances policy coherence by harmonizing and promoting mutually reinforcing actions by the AU Commission, ECOSOCC, Member States and the Regional Economic Communities working on the same Diaspora-related goals to achieve the same targeted results. Without the precising definition, there would be conflicting, confusing and contradictory agendas both within the AU and external parties. a
It is important to note that the AU definition of African Diaspora is never wrong. It is ideological and well adapted to be inclusive and distinguished by its attempt to establish the use of the definition in the broader intellectual field. It may also bestipulative in the sense that it may mean different things to different people, including an imprecise "willing to contribute."
Although it is never wrong, when used out of its proper context, it may be pointless.
For example, if someone says based on the AU definition, any person of African descent has the right of citizenship in Africa, the person would have made a (probably pointless) statement.
Here are some pertinent facts:
American Expatriate (Diaspora) community Haiti
Caribbean, Latin American, North American and other nationals living in their countries are not considered to be a "Diaspora" for the purpose of
the current SDGs and the Global Compact on migration when they are not immigrants or descendant of immigrants due to modern migration.
However, when Caribbean or Latin American nationals migrate, they are considered a Diaspora transnational population such as Caribbean Diaspora or Latin America Diaspora in
North America, Europe, MiddleEast, Asia, Australia, etc.
North Americans also form expatriate communities where they migrate. The regional authorities include their nationals in their own development goals.
American Expatriate (Diaspora) community Mexico
Some consequences of using aggregated data for Migration and Development:
Numerous reports stated that African Diaspora organizations participated in the development of the AU Legacy Diaspora Projects and consulted for inputs that are considered in Agenda 2063.
That could be true.
Second World Bank African Diaspora Open House on February 2010
Then Managing Director of the World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo- Iwaela) Speaking
Dr. Jinmi Adisa, then Director of AU CIDO seated at far right.
At the Second World Bank African Diaspora Open House on February 25, 2010,
Dr. Richard Cambridge (from the Caribbean), the then Advisor of World Bank's African Diaspora, program candidly acknowledged on record that First Open House in November 2007 had little follow-through and was marked by divergent expectations.
"The attempt to create a skills bank, he said, amounted to little more than collecting business cards and giving them to the Bank's project managers in Africa, with few results" he said.
Ms. Soheyla Mahmoudi (from Iran) the then Senior Operations Officer and coordinator for the African Institute for Remittances interfaced directly with the AU on the remittance. Ms Mahmoudi took over from Mr. Cambridge as Operations Officer for the African Diaspora Program in the Office of the Africa Regional Vice President at the World Bank.
From her presentations to the AU, it did not appear she had Global African Diaspora in mind since it would not make any sense.World Bank had the same studies on remittances for the Caribbean and Latin America Diasporas.
In these examples, even if the halls were full to capacity with overflow, the report would be factually correct, but practically useless - or it would be risky to use to report to make decisions and declarations when the actual capacity to actualize the goal population is not known - despite the full houses.
Consequently, while a report may sound impressive, the
oversimplification (homogenizing a vastly heterogenous projection of a population) results in the misrepresentation or material distortion - even if unintended.
In a Global Tele-conference co-organized by Dr. Onyeani in October 2014, a prominent African American in the field of various African issues who engages in disputes with Continental African advocates, such as Binta Terrier over who speaks for who in the Diaspora on African matters, asked a question on the definition of African Diaspora.
It was not really not a question; it was a Catch 22 in rhetoric - an epideictic form used to attain an ideologically driven objective with the primary purpose to promote a belief that may result in desired. Again, the definition is never wrong but the context used may be irrelevant.
Dr. Zuma pointed to the complexity and diversity of "African Diaspora," which would often need a precising definition. The current Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Faki Moussa Mahamat, in his inaugural address, acknowledged the "Diaspora in their great diversity."
In the great diversity:
Opening event at the African Union Mission on Nov. 19, 2017: Global African Diaspora Convention
A disaggregated data in the
great diversity will help to uncover actual participation and patterns for decision making, which are not observable in an aggregated/indistinguishable information that only indicates "African Diaspora organizations."
The reliable information can be used to improve outreach; design specific programs, respond to trends; or make administrative and funding decisions.
Without the practical information, just as the AU Executive Council demurred in February 2003, a unilateral ratification of the protocol to "invite the Diaspora" to fully participate in the Affairs of the AU or Africa would invariably revert to issues on legal implications, constitutional viability, and structural feasibility.
A disaggregated data will also assist in developing effective strategies to improve Cooperation between African and Historical African Diaspora institutions from civil society, business entities to governments.
The mutual opportunities can be explored in Goal 19 of Agenda 2063 and the corresponding SDG 17 on
Partnership.
Here is an example below:
In the framework, partners are not construed and confused to be target Diaspora population.
The collaborative relationship is based on building capacities to achieve the goals and effective partnerships have defined parameters.
The international cooperation in 17 will include generating resources to attain the strategy indictors and in the Health and Education priorities in Agenda 2063 and Goal 19 relating to Africa's approach to Partnership.
It is not to determine the curricular content, heath policies, or to recruit foreign experts; it is to strength Africa's capacity to meet her goals.
Two examples:
H.E. Kwesi Quartey Deputy Chairperson, AU Commission
On June 7, 2017, speaking at the EU-Africa Business Forum, in Brussels, Belgium, held under the theme '
investing in job creation' with special focus on agribusiness, sustainable energy and digitization, the AU Commission Deputy Chairperson, H.E. Kwesi Quartey, said it is critical to urgently address the lack of education and mismatched skills, as major causes of rising numbers of unemployment.
Ambassador Quartey stated that realizing growth in technical fields that support industrialization, manufacturing and development in the value chains will remain stunted, if the youth are not facilitated and adequately prepared for the job market.
"Our institutions are churning out thousands of graduates each year, but these graduates cannot find jobs because the education systems are traditionally focused on preparing graduates for white collar jobs, with little regard to the demands of the private sector, innovation or entrepreneurship," he stated.
Ambassador Quartey's position is confirmed by research conducted by the Africa Capacity Building Foundation. He further added the need for Africa to make deliberate efforts to have "Every child in school by 2020" to ensure each African child has great start and foundation in life."
On July 25, 2017, " at the opening of the 3rd African Engineering Deans Council Summit, Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo delivered a keynote address under the theme: "Engineering for Socio-Economic Development in Africa."
He said Africa needs engineering competences in problem solving, design and analytical thinking to overcome its socio-economic development challenges. In many parts of Africa, young engineers have not been trained for specific roles in the industry, he said.
"In the time past, Africa carved an enviable niche for itself in the field of textile, maritime technology, architecture, medicine, telecommunications, commerce, warfare and others, where are we today?
"Let me reiterate that my aim here is neither to romanticize the past nor bemoan it, but to use the past to help our present and inspire our future in socio-economic growth," he said.
He called for more interaction between industries and universities to promote innovation and facilitate absorption of graduates by industries. The former president said that such a relationship had become a subject of great interest to even policy makers.
"It will engender improvement and innovation in industry and help to ensure relevance in academic training and research further harnessed to improve the standard of living in Africa.
"According to Wikipedia, about 40 per cent of Africa-born scientists and engineers live and work in European countries.
"Some call it brain-drain and often dwell solely on the negative implications, but have we seriously thought of how this can be of benefit to the continent?"
The two occasions reflect the prevailing analysis across Africa. Africa has to build her own capacity.
April 24, 2017 in Conakry, Guinea.
From left to right: AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat; Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda; Alpha Conde of Guinea and Idriss Deby of Chad during their meeting on the implementation of the AU reforms. The leaders jointly called for urgency in the implementation of the African Union reforms adopted on January 29, 2017 in readiness for the rapid changes in the global context, which include self-funding.
In July 2016, the AU adopted a proposal to fund 100 per cent of its administrative budget; 75 per cent of program budget; and 25 per cent of the peace keeping related activities. The funds will be realized from a 0.2 per cent levy imposed on eligible imports entering the continent. The decision will take effect from January 2018.
Agenda 2063, Aspiration 7: Goal 20 addresses the imperative for Africa to take full responsibility for financing her development.
In Priority Area 2 on Fiscal system and Public Sector Revenues, tax and non-tax revenue of all levels of government should cover at least 75% of current and development expenditure.
In Priority Area 3 on Development Assistance, the proportion of aid in the national budget should not exceed 25%.
COMING UP PART 11
AFRICA'S THIRD SECTOR IN THE DIASPORA
AND
THE TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKS
CREATING POLICY SPACE BEYOND
THE AU DIASPORA LEGACY PROJECTS
The DIASPORA PHENOMENON
WHEN DIASPORA THAT MATTERS COME HOME TO MATTERS OF DEVELOPMENT
COME HOME: May-July 2017
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, East African Community Community.
With a Courtesy Report on Indonesia Diaspora
THE AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF REMITTANCES
AFRICAN INSTITUTE for REMITTANCES
FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION
NATIONAL AND CONTINENTAL DIASPORA PROGRAM
Agenda 2063: Goal 16 in Priority Area 1 calls for the "development and implementation of frameworks for the integration of National and Continental Diaspora programs."
EXISTING PRINCIPLES OF THE GLOBAL COMPACT ON MIGRATION
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes migration as a core development consideration and catalyst for sustainable development that cuts across various sectors of government policy and also recognizes the potential vulnerability of migrants.
The Agenda sets out specific targets to address these vulnerabilities, and in so doing, aims to empower migrants and the Diaspora to fulfill their own development potential and thereby contribute to the development of the communities in which they live and from which they originate.
While a number of these targets mention migration specifically, migration is in fact relevant to all 17 goals and most of the 169 targets in the Agenda (Target 17.14 specifically references the need for policy coherence).
Citation: International Office for Migration.
The implication is that migration and development is relevant in almost all 20 Agenda 2063 Goals and not just AU Diaspora Legacy Projects. Since the Sustainable Development Goals are integrated in corresponding Agenda 2063 Goals, coordination is required to integrate the Diaspora activities into the existing structures, including monitoring and evaluation.
BUT
Courtesy Corporate Institute of Directors
The Role of ECOSOCC:
May 31, 2017
The Presiding Officer of AU ECOSOCC: H.E. Richard Ssewakiryanga and the ECOSOCC Standing Committee; Ambassador Jalel Chelba and Mr. Ahmed El-Basheer of AU Citizens and Diaspora Organization (CIDO); meeting with the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Faki Moussa Mahamat at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The AU organ mandated to engage the African citizenry in Africa and in the Diaspora in the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and producing reports on Agenda 2063 (which has all the SDGs) is the AU ECOSOCC.
Where Rubber Meets the Road:
MISMATCH OF CONTENT AND CONSTITUENCY
The Elephant in the Room
NEED FOR TWO DIFFERENT FRAMEWORK
Agenda 2063: Goal 16 in Priority Area 1 calls for the "development and implementation of frameworks for the integration of National and Continental Diaspora programs."
Moving Forward on a Two Way Street on Cooperation
Researchers and practitioners agree that one of the major challenges in the field of Diaspora engagement is the heterogeneity of the Diasporas and the absence of strong evaluation practices.
"The success of any Diaspora engagement strategy depends heavily on targeting the right audience."
Citation: International Diaspora Engagement Alliance: EU-US Diaspora Conference: Where Research and Practice.
"Where the Rubber Meets the Road" is an idiom which means when an idea meets real-world test. "The plan looks good on paper. But we'll see what happens when the rubber meets the road - how you translate it to action.
The Elephant in the Room
Technical Committee Experts Meeting on the African Diaspora (TCEM), Pretoria, South Africa February 21-22, 2011
Proverbial Elephant in the Room
When people are aware of a problem in a method but nobody is willing to address it, the willful avoidance takes the form of the proverbial Elephant in the Room. Avoiding the issue leads to disastrous.
COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING
CARICOM AND UNASUR and their DIASPORAS
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Union of South American Nations (USAN) better known by its Spanish acronym: Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (UNASUR) have identical or similar Strategic Development Plans to African Union Agenda 2063, including Diaspora programming. Both regions' Sustainable Development Goals and Migration Compacts are independent of the African Common positions.
Caribbean or Latin American citizens living within and outside their countries have shared aspirations and priorities that put their regions first as the African Union expects its nationals living in Africa or in the Diaspora to Think Africa First.
Within the respective commitments, Agenda 2063 Goal 16: Priority Area 1 address the design and promotion of strategies that will enhance AU Member States relationships with Caribbean and Latin American Nations.
Goal 19 on International Partnership seeks to facilitate the contribution of theDiaspora in the Strengthening of the International Partnership of the African Union. This is gives a wider latitude for cooperation that should be encouraged.
This section provides informative on some of the Aspirations and Goals of CARICOM and UNASUR and their Diaspora focus, which may help improve a mutual approach to Cooperation.
Official Photograph of the Heads of Government and Delegations on the occasion of the Twenty Eight Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community: February 17, 2017.
November 29, 2015.
(From Left) Prime Minister Dr the Honorable Keith Rowley, Tedwin Herbert, Minister Counsellor, Acting High Commissioner for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, London; Senator the Honurable Dennis Moses, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago; and Councillor Julie Mills
There is no Place like Home (Meaning Trinidad and Tobago)
Prime Minister Keith Rowley
ROOTED IN ITS ESSENCE:
GLOBAL PAN-AFRICANISM
The Sizzle and Fizzle of the Sixth Region
Bring Back Pan African Congresses.
COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THIRTY-EIGHTH
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF
GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY
Fifth Pan-African Congress, Manchester, UK in 1945
The Sizzle and Fizzle of the Sixth Region
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