By Kebba AF Touray
Members of the Gambian delegation to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) have returned from the International Conference on Migration (ICM) held recently in Libya from the 25th to the 27th of May 2024.
Members of the delegation affirmed their determination to mobilise efforts in unifying Africa to defend international migration. One of the delegation members from the Gambia, who spoke to Foroyaa Newspaper during an interview, was the Member for Wuli East, Hon. SuwaibouTouray. Hon. Touray. Touray disclosed that participation at the conference was through an invitation that was extended to the Pan African Parliament for them to send delegates.
In responding to a question on how the ICM hopes to tackle and end migration, Hon. Touray said participants came up with a declaration to affirm among other things, their determination to coordinate their positions and unify African efforts in order to defend the international migration policy.
According to Hon. Touray, the policy seeks to provide innovative solutions that will transform irregular and regular migration of peoples into development opportunities based on the development benefits of the countries they are coming from.He said participants asserted the need for the policy to be respected for their own national sovereignty, and for the enhancement of stability for their citizens, by pushing towards the development of mutual partnership between any two concerned countries.
“The declaration also values the efforts of the Libyan government, the General command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces and all security services in the North African country, to protect and provide care for migrants by establishing shelter centres in accordance with humanitarian standards and international conventions, etc,” Hon. Touray said.
He reiterated that the policy also calls for the coordination of a common position in dialogue with receiving countries, especially the European countries, which he said contributes effectively to addressing the issues of migration between African countries themselves. He further said that the policy calls for the need to emphasize the security approach has proven to be a failure and the refusal of African countries to be Europe’s policeman and therefore, calls for development at receiving countries as fair compensation for the period of colonization.
“The Conference expressed regret in the high level of political exploitation of the immigration issue within receiving countries through the rise of hate which constitutes an additional obstacle in finding rational solutions to the challenges posed by the international labour force movement and increase the level of the security approach to an essentially economic and humanitarian issue,” Hon. Touray told Foroyaa Newspaper.
He said the gathering further called on African leaders to expedite the holding of an African summit on migration to ensure a unified strategy to address migration issues, as well as an African-European meeting on the issue of migration to develop a comprehensive and joint sustainable approach.
The declaration, he went on, emphasizes the economic empowerment of women and youth in all development plans to address the migration phenomena.
On the importance and urgency of the conference, Hon. Touray explained that migration in the world particularly in the Africa region continues to be a difficult issue since originating countries like the Gambia, maintain migration as a culture where many young people have no hope but to seek greener pasture to make ends meet.
On the other hand, Hon. Touray said receiving countries like Libya and final destination countries like Europe, are struggling to curb the practice because of problems being experienced in their countries and the fact that politicians continue to make migration an issue during elections.
“So to have a conference at this material time to search for ways and means to harmonise regular and irregular migration on a sustainable and innovative way as a win-win situation for all players, is a laudable initiative in my opinion,” Hon. Touray told Foroyaa Newspaper. He further explained that the fact that Libya has two parallel governments right now deemed it necessary to hold the conference in Benghazi, because the Benghazi government controls about 90% percent of the territory of Libya, and therefore the majority of migrants pass through the area controlled by the Government in Benghazi.
‘‘I believe this is what motivates Benghazi to organize the conference with Europe to urgently look into the crisis. The Conference brought to mind various international conventions concerned with human rights in general and migration in particular, most notably the Universal Charter on Human Rights and the relevant special protocols,” he said.
The Conference, Hon. Touray reported, also took into account the Founding Charter of the African Union, the African Declaration on the Rights of Peoples, and the Global Charter on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration issued, in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in 2018. He said it also took into account the African Migration Agenda and the Declaration by the Europe-Africa Summit held in Valletta, in Malta, in the year 2015, as well as the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.
The Conference was attended by several high profile dignitaries such as Libyan and African figures, led by His Excellency, Counsellor Aguila Saleh, head of the Libyan House of Representatives; His Excellency the President of the African Parliament, Fortune Charumbira; His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Libyan Government, Dr. Osama Hammad; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior of the Republic of Niger, among other personalities.
At the end of the conference, the Libyan authorities in a surprise turn of events, awarded members of the Pan African Parliament the country’s ‘Shield of Pride and Honour’, for their effective participation during the Conference.
The selected delegates of PAP from the Gambia were Hon. Alhagie Mbow; Hon. Sulayman Saho and Hon. SuwaibouTouray, based on the effective contributions they make during PAP plenary meetings.
