Strengthening South-South cooperation on migration

Traditionally present in Morocco and West African countries, the Senegalese, Ivorian, Malian and Moroccan diasporas are currently experiencing growth dynamics. Based on this fact, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal have decided to work together to provide concrete and relevant responses to the challenges posed by transnational mobility and the governance of migration in the region.

Exchanging good practices at regional level

The South-South Migration Cooperation project has been set up in this context. This project is cofinanced by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). For three years, it will help strengthen cooperation between the partner countries in order to promote regular migration between North and West Africa that respects human values.

Based on memorandums of understanding signed between Morocco and each of the three partner countries, it will contribute to the implementation of joint actions in the fields of migration and development. The project will specifically focus on the mobilisation of diasporas, access to rights for migrants (in particular returning citizens and vulnerable migrants) and South-South mobility based on a “triple win” approach (country of origin, host country and the migrants themselves).

Three action plans adopted

The official launch took place following a 6-month start-up phase devoted to structuring the project. In addition to installing the GIZ-Expertise France teams at the partner ministries, this phase led to the development of three bilateral action plans, in cooperation with all the stakeholders involved in migration issues.

Some 120 bilateral and multilateral country activities have been defined. Their implementation will be supported by Expertise France and GIZ. They include:

• A mapping of Ivorian, Malian and Senegalese diasporas in OECD countries and Africa, as well as an updating of the mapping of Moroccan diaspora. This mapping work provides a strategic decision-making tool for the mobilisation of diasporas and will be complemented by training in data collection and processing for 12 public officials from the 4 countries;

 • The organisation of a forum of local authorities, combined with support for decentralised cooperation between Moroccan, Ivorian, Malian and Senegalese local authorities for “migrations and development”;

 • Training for diaspora associations from the three West African countries in Morocco in the structuring and management of productive projects;

 • Testing a South-South volunteering mechanism, with the aim of formulating practical recommendations to facilitate the institutionalisation of this mechanism in the project’s 4 countries of operation;

 • As well as study visits and regular multilateral thematic meetings to compare views and practices between the four countries in the project’s three areas of operation.

Towards enhanced regional governance of migrations

The activities will start in the autumn of 2019 by developing knowledge on the thematic areas of operation (via targeted studies and diagnostics) and training. The strengthened capacities will open up the possibility of testing new approaches, for which each country will have built on the experiences and best practices of their partners. Indeed, the project focuses on major issues in terms of national ownership, the mobilisation and promotion of national, regional and international expertise, and coordination between stakeholders.

Experience sharing, mutual learning and dialogue will be central to “South-South migration cooperation”, with the aim of contributing to a regional governance of migration as a vehicle for development that respects the rights of persons.

Find out more about the “South-South Migration Cooperation” project

Find out more about the activities of Expertise France on mobility and international migration