Angola Explores Labour Migration and Development

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM Angola will next week organize a three-day workshop on labour migration and development in Luanda for Angolan government officials, private sector representatives and civil society organizations.

The training is the first of a series of six organized by IOM in partnership with the Angolan Ministry of Interior to build the capacity of key government branches.

It will familiarize participants with various aspects of labour migration, including migration and development, international cooperation, regulation and administration of labour migration programmes, protection and integration of migrant workers, recruitment and diaspora engagement.

Since the signing of a peace agreement in 2002, Angola has experienced sustained economic growth which has stimulated migration within, to and from the country.

After waves of mass emigration and forced internal displacement during the intermittent 27-year civil war, the country is now experiencing complex migration flows including growing numbers of documented and undocumented economic migrants, migrants in search of international protection, former Angolan refugees returning home, victims of trafficking, and unaccompanied minors.

A “Commission for Migration Policy” has been put in place by the Ministry of Interior to develop Angola's first migration policy to address the challenges and opportunities of these new developments.

At the request of the Ministry of Interior, IOM is providing guidance and technical support to the Commission. It will contribute expertise in areas including mapping stakeholders' capacities and needs, capacity building through migration management workshops, surveys of best policy practices through study tours, and guidance in intra-governmental consultation between ministries.

The six workshops will take place through September and October in the Angolan capital. Subsequent topics will include mixed migration and migrant assistance, international migration law, immigration and border management, and migration and health. The project is funded by the IOM Development Fund (IDF).