On 16-17 October 2024, Lisbon, Portugal, will host a Joint High-Level Meeting of the Khartoum Process and Rabat Process, focusing on innovative pathways for skills mobility. Aligned with the respective priorities of the Egyptian and Portuguese chairmanships, this meeting will provide a platform for EU-African dialogue on labour migration, skills development, and mobility.

This discussion falls under Area 2 of the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP) on "Legal Migration and Mobility", highlighting the potential development benefits for countries of origin and destination. The Rabat Process, through the Cadiz Action Plan 2023-2027, particularly emphasises the importance of developing regular migration channels for youth and women.

Building on their history of successful collaborations, the Khartoum Process and the Rabat Process continue to strengthen synergies between the two Dialogues. The first Joint Thematic Meeting held in Luxor, Egypt, in 2017, focused on the protection of unaccompanied minors. Since then, the two Dialogues have regularly exchanged and built bridges. Partner countries from both Processes have been invited to participate in meetings organised under each framework, such as the Rabat Process Thematic Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2023, where Khartoum Process’ partner countries joined discussions on youth, migration, and development.

Empowering EU-Africa cooperation

Labour mobility offers significant development opportunities for both countries of origin and destination. Promoting the movement of labour and skills within Africa and beyond is essential for driving innovation, bridging skills and education gaps, addressing labour shortages and demographic shifts, and creating job opportunities, particularly for young people.

This joint high-level meeting will serve as a platform for exploring African and European perspectives on labour migration and skills mobility, sharing best practices, and discussing lessons learned. It will also focus on identifying key needs, challenges, and opportunities to enhance policymaking and strengthen cooperation between African and European countries.

Expected results:

In particular, this high-level meeting will aim to:

  • Develop policy takeaways and joint recommendations for both the Khartoum Process and the Rabat Process. 
  • Propose follow-up actions and plans for future joint meetings. 

Building on regional Dialogues: Strengthening labour mobility and migration pathways

Both the Khartoum and Rabat Processes have actively addressed labour migration and mobility in recent thematic meetings.

The Rabat Process tackled the topic through several exchanges, including the following meetings:

Key recommendations emphasised a multistakeholder and inclusive approach (involving the private sector and diaspora), enhancing migrant awareness of regular pathways, and improving recognition of skills, qualifications and work experience. These discussions underline the growing importance of managing regular labour migration pathways across the EU and partner countries.

Under the Khartoum Process, two key meetings took place: one in Cairo, Egypt, in 2019  focusing on optimising the benefits of organised labour migration, and another in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2022 on talent and skills mobility partnerships. Both meetings highlighted the need for stronger cooperation between origin and destination countries, with a focus on developing tailored mobility schemes and solid monitoring frameworks to assess their impact.