On 3 June 2019, France officially took the chairmanship of the Rabat Process, succeeding Burkina Faso. The handover took place in Brussels, during a Rabat Process Steering Committee meeting. In the video below, representatives of France and Burkina Faso express their views on the past and future priorities of the Dialogue, the role of the Secretariat, and the importance and impact of a regional dialogue such as the Rabat Process on migration.
On this occasion, His Excellency Paul Robert Tiendrebeogo, Minister of African Integration and Burkinabe Abroad, reflected on Burkina Faso's chairmanship year, recalling its main orientations and key moments. The continuous monitoring and the relevant contribution of the Rabat Process to the Valletta Joint Action Plan (VAP) were thus highlighted by the Minister. Mr. Tiendrobeogo also referred to events such as the thematic meeting on the root causes of irregular migration held in Paris in October 2018, or the Senior Officials meeting (SOM) held in Ouagadougou in February 2019, during which new working modalities, which should enable progress both in the production of useful knowledge and in the implementation of the Marrakech Action Plan, were adopted by the Dialogue partners.
Ambassador Jean-Marie Bruno, Head of the International and European Affairs Department of the General Directorate for Foreigners in France of the French Ministry of the Interior, presented to the members of the Steering Committee the main lines of action chosen by France for its chairmanship year. Mr Bruno stressed that France would ensure the implementation of the Marrakesh Action Plan and would work to develop the operational dimension of the Dialogue's activities in order to increase their political relevance. He also indicated that France would take action to ensure that the new working modalities endorsed at the Ouagadougou SOM, which reflect the new Chair's desire to make the Process more participatory, are implemented.
Watch the video:
