African Non-State Actors Platform: Accelerating Progress on the Global Compact for Migration

Key Highlights from the Regional Review

• Assessing progress: The review evaluated the implementation of the 23 GCM objectives across 40 African countries, highlighting key trends in migration governance.
• Data-driven Insights: The Migration Governance Indicators (MGIs) provided valuable data, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the GCM objectives.
• Policy discussions: The Intergovernmental Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 9-10, served as a benchmark for policy discussions. Including heated discussions on the Multi-partnership Trust Fund (MPTF), with a deep dive on monetary pledges made by countries such the United Kingdom and Kenya.

African Non-State Actors Platform: Driving Change

The African Non-State Actors Platform brings together African-led diaspora actors, civil society and trade unions working across the continent. The Platform also provides a space for actors at the local level to leverage on partnerships and opportunities to network for collective advocacy on migration and development. Day Zero at the GCM conference (8 Oct) saw many members of the Non-State Actors feature as speakers and panelists in the multi-stakeholder dialogue. It was only here where also voices of migrants were heard and included in the deliberations. The Non-state actors platform promoted spaces where state representatives and civil society could engage, foster discussions around collaborative governance and encourage cooperation among governments, international organizations, and civil society experts.,

Moving Forward

Moving beyond the regional review, the African Non-State Actors Platform takes advocacy efforts to contribute to multilateral migration processes, especially voicing African perspectives in global fora:

• Scaling Up Engagement: Expanding stakeholder engagement and partnerships.
• Enhancing Policy Impact: Supporting evidence-based policy-making.
• Fostering Regional Cooperation: Promoting collaborative migration governance in Africa.
• Through the joint declaration (Abuja declaration of Feb 2023 - African Civil Societies Workshop: The Abuja Statement), the platform outlined critical recommendations to member states and stakeholders on climate migration, labour migration and role of diasporas reflecting our perspectives on what would be transformative approach to migration governance and based on adopting a human rights approach, taking into account the importance regular pathways.

• On climate migration, the platform emphasised the critical role of local actors, including civil society and grassroots organisation as well as the much needed financing to be directed to the community where resources are most required, activation of the loss and damage fund, supporting community knowledge exchange.
• Financing - the MPTF is currently closed to non-state actors, unless through special access door by working with UN agencies. The platform considers this not fit for purpose and encouraged the UN system and stakeholders to consider alternative dedicated funding for civil society to do its work on supporting the GCM implementation. 
• Monitoring of the GCM - the current draft proposal for the limited set of indicators is commendable. The platform encouraged member states to set up as champions in advocating for the proposal adoption and also encourage UN system to explore options to support civil society in their complementary monitoring processes. 
• Lastly, the African NSA platform provides a space for actors at the local level to leverage on partnerships, network and opportunities for collective advocacy on migration and development. This is also an important avenue to build capacity on GCM and other global migration governance frameworks of all actors as well as where we engage with governments in Africa ( RECs, AUC, UN system...) on global and regional processes to seek ways for progressive implementation of GCM. 

FES AMPC continues to support the work of the African Non-state Actors Platform in accelerating progress on the GCM and shaping a more inclusive, safe, and orderly migration landscape in Africa.

Stay Engaged

- Follow the United Nations Network on Migration for updates on the GCM implementation – link: GCM implementation guidance | United Nations Network on Migration

- Explore the Migration Governance Indicators (MGIs) for data-driven insights on migration governance – link: Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) | United Nations Network on Migration

- More about the African Non-State Actors Platform’s work in amplifying migrant voices and driving policy change – link: https://gfmdcivilsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The-Abuja-Statement-EN-.pdf