Lubango - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday said it will support the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in actions to increase more comprehensive migration programs and policies.
According to the IOM acting regional director for Southern Africa, Mati Hashemee, who was addressing the Meeting of SADC Ministers of Employment and Labor and Social Partners, IOM will help create integrated systems for confinement, migration documentation and labor migration inspection mechanisms.
The IOM official stated that the containment of labor migration requires a commitment to identify the root cause, such as poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunities in the countries of origin, hence the need to promote economic development in the region, ensuring that the labor market is inclusive and decent for all.
Mati Hashemee said the IOM will also assist in the regulatory framework for labor migration and its optional capacities in SADC, the development of fair recruitment practices, and the promotion of social inclusion between immigrants and their host communities.
Mati Hashemee said that member states and partners must redouble their efforts to improve legislation guaranteeing decent working conditions and access to minimum social services in the southern African region.
He recognized that member states and partners are at different levels in the implementation of migration policies, since they have to solve problems of lack of resources in ministries, strengthen inter-institutional collaboration and market systems, as well as information in the labor environment.
Mati Hashemee said the idea is to guarantee the rights and well-being of immigrants, that they are respected and promoted, receive equal attention and that the labor market in the region is intact, which is why the IOM supports the ministers of labor in facilitating migration, through bilateral migration agreements supported by evidence.
He stressed that the employment and labor sector plays a fundamental role in national development and regional integration in SADC, and is crucial to solving the problem of poverty, inequalities and unemployment in the region, contributing to improving the quality of life.
Founded in 1951, the International Organization for Migration is a leading intergovernmental institution in the field of migration. It is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all parties involved, by providing services and counseling to migrants, and technical support and advice to governments. MS/MS/AMP
