The upcoming Rabat Process Label Webinar on International Migration and Development, to take place on 19th April 2021, will specifically focus on the integration of the migration dimension in development policies and cooperation. As the first “Rabat Process” label event, the webinar will be organised by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. While the “Migration and Development” topic has been widely addressed by Rabat Process meetings in recent years, the webinar’s focus on integrating the migration dimension into development and development cooperation policies has never been the subject of a dedicated meeting.

The Rabat Process label webinar had been initially conceptualised as a face-to-face workshop, to take place during the French Chairmanship of the Dialogue. However, due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs decided to adapt the programme and organise a webinar instead.

What is a label event? The “Rabat Process” label: An activity branded as “Rabat Process” takes place in the framework of the Dialogue but has been organised and funded by one of the Dialogue partner countries. The label system is one of the pillars of the engagement mechanism of the Dialogue which allows partner countries to contribute to the implementation of concrete actions in the framework of the current multi-annual cooperation framework.

The meeting framework and objective: identifying good practices

The objective of the meeting is to identify good practices in European and African countries regarding the elaboration of "Migration and Development" policies and strategies, their implementation and monitoring as well as the multi-level governance of these policies at local, national or regional level.

The topic of the meeting is linked to Action 5 of the Marrakesh Action Plan which aims to “promote a more systematic inclusion of issues related to the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement into socio-economic development strategies and programmes at national level, and into development cooperation programmes, whilst also promoting ownership of existing regional normative frameworks.”

Focused panel discussions and a common knowledge base

This Dialogue event follows an open format, which allows for a diverse and inclusive participants profile, including not only partner countries and organisations, but also researchers and representatives of international organisations and civil society.

Two distinct panel discussions will form the core of the webinar and invite participants to share their expertise:
• Panel 1: Development and implementation of Migration and Development policies and strategies
• Panel 2: Strengthening Euro-African and South-South cooperation and partnerships

In addition, two working documents on Migration and Development policies and strategies in Africa and Europe will be shared with participants prior to the event to ensure a common knowledge base and inform the discussions. The webinar will also premiere a video, produced by the Rabat Process Secretariat, featuring first-hand insights into the elaboration of Migration and Development strategies in Côte d’Ivoire and Switzerland.

What to expect from the webinar

The webinar aims to achieve the following results:
- Increased knowledge: how to build policies/strategies integrating the migration and development nexus, how to make them operational and how to ensure good coordination between the different levels of governance?
- New tools: ways to monitor and evaluate migration and development policies and strategies;
- Virtual exchanges with experts on successful examples of migration and development policies and strategies;
- New ideas to replicate in participating countries and organisations.

Preparatory working documents and presentations