A diverse audience of over a hundred participants from 33 European and African countries gathered in Lisbon on 15-16 May 2024 at the Rabat Process Thematic Meeting on the Positive Effects of Regular Migration for Sustainable Development. The role of entrepreneurship and diaspora engagement was the main focus of the meeting, which provided a venue for experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to exchange on recent trends and good practices. A civil society side event was also hosted alongside the meeting – the first of its kind in the framework of the Rabat Process, in the spirit of promoting an inclusive, innovative and multi-stakeholder dialogue.
Portugal and Senegal co-chaired the thematic meeting, closely involving Nigeria in its capacity as reference country for Area 1 of the Cadiz Action Plan 2022-2027, the multi-annual cooperation framework of the Rabat Process. It was the first thematic meeting organised under the current Portuguese Chairmanship of the Rabat Process.
Practice-oriented panels and breakout sessions
A mix of panel discussions and parallel working groups created space for practice-oriented exchanges and resulted in concrete recommendations.
In the first panel, international experts gave an overview of current trends in terms of diaspora engagement, highlighting research as well as initiatives and projects led by both Rabat Process’ partner countries and diaspora associations.
In the second panel, partner countries presented their good practices and initiatives to engage with the diaspora, looking at cross-cutting issues such as entrepreneurship, local engagement, as well as strategies involving women and young people.
During the breakout sessions, participants exchanged on 1) how to better support the socio-economic impact of diasporas and their investment capacities, and 2) how to maximise the impact of skills transfers and knowledge-sharing programmes on national development.
Outcome: 22 concrete recommendations
Participants formulated a total of 22 recommendations, featured in the meeting document. The recommendations address questions such as how partner countries may foster diaspora engagement, support the socio-economic impact of diasporas, and maximise the impact of skills transfer.
Some recurring themes highlighted in the recommendations include:
- The need for a better understanding and knowledge of diasporas, through data collection for instance;
- The implementation of strategies to foster a sense of belonging and trust between diasporas and countries of origins and destination;
- The need to involve diasporas in decision-making and at every step of project implementation;
- The need to improve access to information for members of the diaspora.
Involving civil society, promoting an inclusive dialogue
The civil society side event was very much welcomed by the partner countries and present civil society organisations (CSO). A diverse range of over 10 CSOs were invited, including umbrella organisations and platforms. The organisations seized this opportunity to present their work and exchange with government officials in an informal setting. This enabled partner countries to better understand the needs and challenges faced by CSOs and gain valuable insights from their field experience and expertise.
Topics of discussion included specific diaspora needs, including adequate support in the field of entrepreneurship, or the central role of networking for diaspora engagement. The organisations also raised awareness on how to better work with diasporas to maximise the positive effects of migration for sustainable development.
Migration and development in the Rabat Process: a central issue
The migration-development nexus, and most specifically the implication and mobilisation of diasporas, has emerged as a central issue since the creation of the Rabat Process, in 2006. The meeting was therefore also the opportunity to take stock of the Dialogue’s past achievements in this area: A total of 10 Thematic Meetings, 10 knowledge products, 18 strategic documents, and other relevant publications have been produced since 2006.
Strengthening the link between migration and development is also a priority area of the current Cadiz Action Plan. The meeting in Lisbon echoed specifically Objective 1, Action 3, to “promote actions to raise awareness of and support for entrepreneurship and productive investment by young people from the African diaspora and women, and encourage them to use their skills for the benefit of their countries of origin”.
Documents
- Outcome document - Thematic Meeting on Migration and Development
- Presentations : Thematic Meeting on Migration and Development
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