Labour migration governance development in Southern Africa put under spotlight

Source: Labour migration governance development in Southern Africa put under spotlight –Newsday Zimbabwe

THE governance of labour migration as an instrument for development in Southern Africa will be put under spotlight at a high-level tripartite two-day conference scheduled for Victoria Falls starting tomorrow.

The conference will run under the theme “Labour Migration Governance in the SADC region.”

This was revealed in a statement jointly released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) last Friday.

“The governance of labour migration as an instrument for development in Southern Africa will be put under the spotlight at a high-level tripartite two-day dialogue,” read the statement.

“President Emmerson will officially open the high-level conference which seeks to find ways to foster fair and effective labour migration governance and the protection of migrant workers in Southern Africa.”

Led by the ILO and IOM, the high-level Tripartite Dialogue is a culmination of activities and research organised by the Southern African Migration Management (SAMM) project to identify priorities at the national level and advance the implementation of country-level labour migration policies and action plans in the region.

“It is designed to improve migration management in the Southern African and Indian Ocean region guided by, and contributing to the realisation of, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda goal 8 on decent work and economic growth and goal 10 on reducing inequality and Objective 6 of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) to Facilitate fair and ethical recruitment and safeguard conditions that ensure decent work,” reads the statement.

“Since almost half of the migrant workers in the SADC region are women, the conference will spotlight the importance of labour migration policies to be gender-responsive and evidence-based.”

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA, year), 47% of migrants are female.

The Southern African region has a long history of intra-regional migration, and all SADC member states are involved in labour migration flows.