Regional forum stresses the need for harnessing labor migration policies

Addis Ababa, February 26, 2024 (FBC) – The 5th Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) kicked off in Addis Ababa today.

The forum stressed the need for harnessing labor migration policies, critical to create a safe human labour migration pathway for young people in the east and horn of African region.

Labor and Skills State Minister, Daniel Teressa and Abibatou Wane Fall, IOM Ethiopia Chief of Mission including representatives from the African Union presided in the regional forum.

A four-day ministerial forum is underway with the theme: “Harnessing the power of regular migration pathways for youth employment, skills development, and green economy.”

The forum is thoroughly discussing the greater strategies for safe, regular, and human labour migration pathways for young people in the region, as ENA reported.

Out of an estimated 170 million people in East and Horn of Africa, nearly 60 million are young people between the ages 15-24 years old, it was indicated.

The Sub-Saharan African region has the largest percentage of young people of any region, with an estimated 70 percent of the population under age 30, according to the United Nations’ World Youth Report 2023.

At the same time, the region has been witnessing tremendous labour migration in many instances.

To this effect, the forum will discuss how to maximize the benefits of greater regional integration on human mobility in the East and Horn of Africa region, which is home to 8.5 million international migrants, including 4.7 million labour migrant workers, according to a report.

Furthermore, the ministerial forum is expected to deliberate on Diaspora collaboration for the protection of migrant workers’ social, economic, labor, and human rights in countries of destination, Technical Working Group (TWG) on skills, jobs creation, and youth employment, and human mobility and green economy development in a changing climate.

The regional ministerial forum, which was organized by the Ministry of Labor and Skills in collaboration with UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), brought together some 11 members of the eastern and horn of Africa region, it was indicated.