Regional Governance of Migration and Social Policy in Africa

A conference on Migration and Social Policy: Comparing European and African Regional Integration Policies and Practices--held on 19-20 April 2012 in Pretoria, South Africa--brought together participants from the South African government, UN organizations, national research centers and NGOs to underscore  the potential to develop more effective regional social policy, improve policies for social protection and meet the social protection needs of  cross-border migrants. UNRISD research coordinator Katja Hujo made a presentation on “Linking Migration, Social  Development and Policy in the South—Implications for Africa”, based on past and current UNRISD research on external pageSouth-South Migration and Social Policycall_made. The conference was organized by a new program associated with the new external pageUNESCO-UNU Chair in Regional Integration, Migration and Free Movement of Peoplecall_made, jointly located at the United Nations Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) center, Bruges (Belgium) and the Department of Political Science, University of Pretoria (South Africa).

Participants at the two-day conference on the regional governance of migration and social policy in Africa highlighted a number of areas of focus. In  particular, panelists discussed the role of regional governmental coalitions in facilitating free movement of migrants, both within and between regions,  to allow equitable entitlements to residence, work, social protection, health, education and other social services.

Several ideas that would help progress toward coherent migration and social protection policies at a regional level were presented:

Lessons can be drawn from cross-regional research experiences, in particular new directions of regionalism and its implications for migration and  socioeconomic and political rights. The EU is the most prominent example in this regard. The focus should be on advancing knowledge on region building and  the need to bring in stronger participation from citizens – in what has often been an elite-driven process – while at the same time avoiding Eurocentrism  and overly-simplistic transfers of "best practices";

Going beyond "migration management", toward more coherent governance systems that advance the social dimensions of migration. This approach could lead to more positive development outcomes of migratory processes. Governance of migration differs according to policy level – global, regional, bilateral,  national – and with regard to type of migration – refugees and asylum seekers versus different types of labor migrants (low-skilled/irregular, high-skilled). The governance regimes are thus shaped by governments interests, policy externalities and power relations (with countries who receive  migrants often acting as the "makers" of governance policies, while migrant sending countries acting as the "takers" of policies);

Looking at regional integration through the lens of the free movement concept was considered a useful approach to map out the advantages of advancing free movement in a regional context, for example with regard to already existing institutions and common regulations. Challenges exist with regard to barriers against non-bloc members, overlapping memberships of countries, further ratification of treaties and full implementation of agreed agendas.

Other issues raised during the conference included challenges presented by informal labor markets, irregular migration and insufficient formal social protection mechanisms; the lack of political will to promote free movement; and the need to construct a regional identity and "ties that bind", in particular among civil society. Migration was still seen primarily as a "family" issue rather than as an issue for the government.

The conference provided insight into a highly relevant and under-researched theme that will require both more analysis and monitoring of existing legal frameworks, policy practices and social outcomes. Future actions also must include more dialogue and strategic thinking on how to advance these processes based on sustainable (regional) funding mechanisms, greater citizen participation and improved state capacity.

For additional reading on this topic please see:

Social Policy and Migration
"Leveraging Migration for Africa: Remittances, Skills and Investments
"Globalization" and Social Policy in a Development Context