The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will today facilitate a Zimbabwe-South Africa Cross Border Migration Management Stakeholders Forum. The activity is part of the Africa Regional Migration Program (ARMP) which is funded by the US State Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). This Zimbabwe-South Africa Cross-border migration management coordination meeting is the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and will provide a platform for discussion on migration management issues of mutual concern between Zimbabwe and South Africa and explore solutions for migration management challenges encountered by the two countries in protecting vulnerable migrants and harmonizing standard operating procedures.

The ARMP supports countries to promote safe, orderly, and dignified migration and reduce migrant vulnerability along key migration routes. The program advocates for enhanced migration management at the policy level while also increasing coordination with relevant stakeholders. IOM provides technical support and builds the capacity of stakeholders to protect vulnerable migrants, reinforce mechanisms to manage migration in a humane and orderly manner, with a specific focus on upholding the rights of migrants. The cross-border forum is one of several activities to achieve outcomes under the three programmatic pillars, namely migration management, partnerships, and crisis response. The expected results are that governments demonstrate a commitment to well-managed and humane migration management; and the relevant stakeholders in engaging in efforts to coordinate on migration policy and programming.

Participating will be officials from the ministries of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Foreign Affairs, and International Trade, Labour and Social Welfare, Health and Child Care, Industry and Commerce, and Women’s Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprises Development, alongside their implementing departments and their South African counterparts. Joining the meeting will be counterparts from UNHCR, UNICEF and Save the Children. Speaking ahead of the cross-border forum, Head of IOM Zimbabwe’s Governance and Development Unit, Esther Wiesmann, lauded both the government of Zimbabwe and PRM for their continued commitment to improving migration management. “COVID-19 has compounded the complicated socioeconomic factors that characterise Migration in Africa. Engagements such as these will assist countries to better anticipate, prepare for, and respond to migration flows related to emergencies and crises.”, Ms. Wiesmann said.