EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the African Union (AU) Commission’s Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development Department (HHS), gathered selected African migration experts to finalize AU Draft Continental Guidelines on Return, Readmission and Reintegration (RRR). 

The meeting, held on 21 and 22 February, began the process of validating the guidelines. A follow-up review was due to be held in AU member states.

The guidelines are part of ongoing work by the AU to institute policy frameworks and corresponding implementation mechanisms that guide member states as they establish better migration governance systems. 

The guidelines build on IOM’s vast experience in return and reintegration in different contexts developed over the years, including in countries in transition that face different challenges due to large flows of refugees and other displaced persons.

Aspiration 2 of the AU’s development blueprint, Agenda 2063, envisions an integrated and politically united continent, based on the ideals of Africa’s renaissance. This integration agenda places the free movement and mobility of the continent’s citizens at the centre. 

To achieve its ambitions on migration and mobility, the AU is working with different stakeholders, including the European Union (EU) and IOM. It was within this trilateral cooperation framework that the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration programme funded the consultation.

Mr. Sabelo Mbokazi, Head of Labour, Employment and Migration at the AU said: “Reintegration is a complex process in which the country of origin, the returnees and the host communities face various challenges. Making reintegration successful requires ample preparation and taking various aspects into account, including the socio-cultural, environmental, and the economic context of the returnee.”

About the EU-IOM Joint Initiative

Launched in December 2016 with the support of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the programme brings together 26 African countries of the Sahel and Lake Chad region, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa, along with the EU and the IOM, around the goal of ensuring that migration is safer, more informed and better governed for both migrants and their communities.

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative has worked with target countries to develop national Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration adapted to needs and context. Based on IOM’s integrated approach to reintegration, these SOPs aim to ensure that stakeholders’ contributions are harnessed towards sustainable reintegration, and consistent services and support to migrants in all countries.

For More information, please contact Wilson Johwa, email: wjohwa@iom.int