A webinar on voluntary return and reintegration will be held on 21 January 2021, organised under the co-chairmanship of France and Cameroon. The meeting is part of a series of Rabat Process Dialogue activities with the objective of identifying good practices regarding the conditions for successful voluntary return and reintegration programmes. It addresses objective 10 of the Marrakesh Action Plan, which calls for Rabat Process partners to work together to «encourage programmes aimed at ensuring the safe return and sustainable reintegration of migrants, with respect for their rights and dignity» and is also in line with the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP).

The upcoming webinar will focus on two virtual panel discussions and video screenings. In addition, a podcast will be released at a future date and, when/if conditions permit, there will be a workshop in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The face-to-face workshop in Yaoundé was supposed to take place already in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 health crisis.

The virtual panels will bring together practitioners and experts from international organisations and partner countries who will share their hands-on experiences with return and reintegration. The webinar will initiate a reflection on the following objectives:

  • Present and discuss the work and approaches to return and reintegration of international and national actors operating in the partner countries of the Rabat Process.
    Discuss the new European perspectives on return under the European Pact on Migration and Asylum.
  • Exchange on possible common objectives for successful return and reintegration procedures.
  • Understand the challenges posed by the health crisis to resume return and reintegration procedures.

The webinar intends to increase partners’ familiarity with some of the key operational actors, their practices, experiences and recommendations. The event is also hoped to raise awareness on the contexts and some of the main operational aspects of return and reintegration programmes (objectives, constraints and successes). It is the second event on return and reintegration in the framework of the Rabat Process, following a thematic meeting held in 2016 in Brussels.