Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA)
Type: Regional Consultative Proces on Migration (region covered: Africa)
Association with regional or multi-stakeholder organization: Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Established: 2000
Objectives
The Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) creates a framework for regular migration dialogue among the Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to enhance inter-state cooperation in an effort to improve migration governance through::
- Discussion of migration issues among SADC Member States in an informal seeting, sharing experience and challenges, and finding solutions collectively, to improve migration management in the SADC region.
- Promotion of the positive aspects of migration among SADC Member States; and
- Development of regional institutional capacities to improve migration governance while strengthening the capacity of Governments to meet their migration challenges in a comprehensive, interactive, self-reliant and, ultimately, sustainable way.
Current Thematic Focus
Specific areas of discussion include:
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Border management
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Combatting human trafficking
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Combatting migrant smuggling
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Irregular migration
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Labour migration
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Migrant health
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Migrants' rights
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Migration and development
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Return and readmission
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Migration governance
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Unaccompanied migrant children/separated children
Members
Member States (16 States)
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Angola |
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Botswana |
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Comoros |
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Democratic Republic of Congo |
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Lesotho |
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Madagascar |
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Malawi |
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Mauritius |
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Mozambique |
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Namibia |
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Seychelles |
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South Africa |
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Swaziland |
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Tanzania |
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Zambia |
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Zimbabwe |
Chairing Country:
Current Chair: South Africa
Incoming Chair: Namibia
Past Chair: Swaziland
Observers
Observer States (9 States)
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Australia |
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Canada |
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Denmark |
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Netherlands |
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Norway |
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Sweden |
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Switzerland |
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United Kingdom |
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United States of America |
Observer Organizations (8 Organizations referred by MIDSA as "partner organizations")
- African Union Commission
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- Save the Children International
- Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Secretariat
IOM provides technical and administrative support to the MIDSA.
Contact Information
Ms Sikhulile Dhlamini
Head of Office
International Organization for Migration Mission in Botswana
E-mail: sngqase@iom.int
Website
Meetings
September 2-4, 2017, Ezulwini, Swaziland, Ministerial Meeting "Addressing Mixed Migration in Southern Africa: Linking Protection, Immigration, Border Management and Labour Migration".
August 16-18, 2016, Gaborone, Botswana, Technical Meeting :Addressing Mixed Migration in Southern Africa: Linking Protection, Immigration, Border Management and Labour Migration".
July 7-9, 2015, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Ministerial Meeting under the theme, “Addressing Mixed and Irregular Migration in the SADC region: Protection of the Unaccompanied Migrant Child". FInal Declaration ( EN | FR | PR ).
August 27-29, 2012 - Balaclava, Mauritius, Technical Meeting to bring together Southern African Development Community (SADC) Permanent Secretaries responsible for issues of migration and their counterparts responsible for labour mobility.
Principal Documents
MIDSA Workshop Reports:
MIDSA Workshop Report and Recommendations: