Migration in Africa: issues, challenges and response strategies

9 January 2018

As a part of its reflection on global issues, the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (IRES), organized, in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Foundation, on Tuesday, January 9th, 2018, an international conference on the theme "Migration in Africa: issues, challenges and response strategies".

The main objective of IRES is to contribute to the strategic thinking on migration, at a time when Morocco is mandated to coordinate the action of the African Union on this issue, co-chairs the World Forum for Migration and Development and will host, in December 2018, the Intergovernmental Conference on Migration, to adopt a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

This scientific meeting brought together representatives of the United Nations in Morocco, decision-makers and institutional actors as well as Moroccan and foreign experts on the migration issue. In addition to understanding migration phenomena at the international and African levels, several experiences have been presented, including those from European countries (Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands) and African countries (Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Morocco and Senegal).

The debates resulted in proposals for innovative ideas that would make it possible to move forward in resolving this complex issue.

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8.30
RECEPTION OF PARTICIPANTS

9.00
OPENING SESSION

Mohammed Tawfik MOULINE,
Director General of the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (IRES)
(Kingdom of Morocco)

Götz Schmidt-BREMME,
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Morocco,
Ambassador for the 2017-2018 Global Forum on Migration
and Development Co-Chairmanship (Germany)

(Theme “German experience in managing migration issue”)

Helmut REIFELD,
Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in Morocco

Anna JANDREY,
Coordinator of the offices of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in MENA

Philippe POINSOT,
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Morocco

(Theme : “Migration and development : the United Nations point of view”)

Nadir EL HABIB,
Secretary General, Ministry in charge of Moroccans Living Abroad and Migration Affairs
(Kingdom of Morocco)

(Theme : ” Morocco’s migration policy and Morocco’s role in managing migration at the international and regional levels “)

09.45
SESSION 1: MIGRATION: A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

Moderator : Abdellatif KHATTABI,
Professor-Researcher at the National Forestry School of Engineers
Associate Researcher at IRES

– What are the new trends of migration in Africa and at the international level?
– How to rethink migration policies in the light of the world geopolitics ‘evolution?
– What are the successful international experiences in managing the migration issue?

Ana FONSECA,
Head of Mission of the International Organization
for Migration in Morocco

Bettina Gambert,
Deputy Representative of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees in Morocco

Jacques OULD AOUDIA,
Researcher in political economy of development
(France)

(Theme ” Understand the profound changes affecting diasporas and territories of origin; The case of Morocco “)

Peter NIJKAMP,
Emeritus Professor in regional and urban economics, and in economic
geography at Vrije University of Amsterdam
(Netherlands)

(Theme “International Migration and Circular Migration : Experiences and Challenges”)

Benedict GÖBEL,
Expert and Senior Integration Coordinator
at Konrad Adnenauer Stiftung for the special program ” Arriving in Germany ”
(Germany)

(Theme ” Migration policy in Germany: interests, strategies and perspectives “)

Catherine WIHTOL DE WENDEN,
International Migration Specialist, Director of Research
at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) (France)
(Theme ” Citizenship and migration”)

10.45
DEBATE

11.15
COFFEE BREAK

11.30
SESSION 2: INTRA-AFRICAN MIGRATION: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES

Moderator : Hassan SAOUDI,
Expert on security issues
Associate Researcher at IRES

– What is the current situation of intra-african migration? What are the main challenges?
– What are the strategies to implement by African countries and at the continental level?

Gordon Kihalangwa,
Major General, Director of the Department of Immigration Services,
Ministry of the Interior and Coordination of National Government
(Kenya)

(Theme ” Intra-african migration: issues, challenges and response strategies”)

Khadija ELMADMAD,
Lawyer, Professor of Law, International Consultant
and Director of the UNESCO Center “Rights and Migration”,
Vice President of the Legal Clinic of Migration Law at the Faculty of Law of Casablanca
(Kingdom of Morocco)

(Theme ” Current situation and principal challenges of intra-african migration “)

Mehdi ALIOUA,
Professor-researcher at Sciences Po Rabat,
International University of Rabat (Kingdom of Morocco)

(Theme ” Socio-anthropological approach of migration flows between West Africa and Mediterranean Africa “)

Sophie BAVA,
Socio-anthropologist, Researcher at the Population
Environment Development Laboratory – UMR IRD (Research Institute for Development) (France/Senegal)

(Theme ” African migrations and religious constructions in Mediterranean Africa “)

Keita BOULAYE,
Technical Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Malians (Mali)

(Theme ” Transit migration in Mali “)

12.20
DEBATE

13.00
LUNCH

14.30
SESSION 3 : AFRICAN MIGRATION TOWARDS EUROPE

Moderator : Mohammed CHATER,
Professor-Researcher at the National Institute of Statistics
and Applied Economics Associate Researcher at IRES

– What are the new characteristics and the issues of african migration to Europe?
– What concerted policy between Africa and Europe for tackling the migration issue?

Etienne PIGUET,
Full Professor, Institute of Geography, University of Neuchâtel
Vice President CFM / EKM (Switzerland)

(Theme ” The migratory crisis of 2015/2016 in the Mediterranean: geo-historical interpretation “)

Karima KOURTIT,
Researcher at Eindhoven JADS (Jheronimus Academy of Data Science),
s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands)

(Theme ” Social Integration of Migrants in the Netherlands, the case of Moroccan Entrepreneurs”)

Nadia KHROUZ,
Expert in Migration Issues, Consultant at the National
Human Rights Council (Kingdom of Morocco)

(Theme ” Between transit migration to Europe and immigration to Morocco: multiple realities, dreams and opportunities “)

Papa BIRAMA THIAM,
Director of Technical Cooperation, General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic
Coordinator of the Support Program of Solidarity Initiatives for Development
(Senegal)

(Theme ” Concerted Policy between Africa and Europe for tackling Migration: Major Issues “)

Ferrucio PASTORE,
Director of Forum of International and European
Research on Immigration (FIERI) (Italy)

(Theme ” African migration to Italy : recent trends and policy responses”)

Papa Demba FALL,
Researcher, IFAN, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar
Director of the study network of African international migration (Senegal)

(Theme ” How to better understand West African migration taking into account the cooperation with the European Union?”)

15.30
DEBATE

16.00
SESSION 4: MIGRATION ISSUE IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF MOROCCO’S ACCESSION TO ECOWAS

Moderator : Said DKHISSI
Former Dean of the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of Rabat-Souissi
Associate Researcher at IRES

– What are the mechanisms set up within the ECOWAS countries in a context of free movement of people?
What are their strengths and weaknesses?
– What is the impact of Morocco’s accession to ECOWAS in terms of migration and how to readjust the current moroccan migration policy?
– How to define a common strategy and to set up a road map for managing migration within ECOWAS?

Driss EL YAZAMI,
President of The National Human Rights Council (Kingdom of Morocco)

Ndioro NDIAYE,
President of the Alliance for Migration, Leadership and Development “AMLD”
Minister Counselor of the President (Senegal)

(Theme ” What is the impact of Morocco’s accession to ECOWAS in terms of migration and how to readjust the current moroccan migration policy?”)

Konan Yao SYLVERE,
Assistant Professor at the UFR-SEG
of the Felix Houphouet Boigny University of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

(Theme ” What are the mechanisms set up within the ECOWAS countries in a context of free movement of people? What are their strengths and weaknesses?”)

16.40
DEBATE

17.10
CLOSING REMARKS

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