25 November 2007
Addis Abeba — Adopting a comprehensive migration policy is the answer for an effective way of managing migration and tackling the problems associated with it, participants of a training program on migration recommended.
A four-day technical training on international migration law for Senior Government Officials was organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Concluding their training, the 27 participants drawn from the federal and regional branches of government prepared concrete recommendations they believed were instrumental in addressing the issue of migration in the country.
The participants, during their discussion secessions discovered that there was none in the country a channel for a regular exchange of information among relevant institutions.
There is no coordination and collaboration, either, they observed, That coupled with the lack of adequate resources has had a very negative impact on the way migration is managed in this country, they concluded.
To tackle these problems revolving around immigration problems in the country, there fore, a broad spectrum national policy on managing migration was imperative, the participants recommended.
Officially closing the training, Deputy Chief Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs admitted that that regardless of some of the positive developments on the issue, there are still challenges which need to be addressed at various levels.
He said policy coherence and cooperation between states, partnership among governments and other stakeholders; including interstate and intrastate cooperation on migration and coherence across migration and related policy domains are the areas that need to be worked out.
He also said the issue of migration needed to be mainstreamed in to the country's development strategy and as part of the UN-set Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Charles A Kwenin of the IOM Head Office in (Geneva?), one of the experts who conducted the training assured the participants of IOM's continued support to translate the participants' recommendations into concrete programmatic activities to address some of the identified gaps as pointed out in the course of the training.
The training was part of IOM's Technical Cooperation Migration Management program funded by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa to enhance the capacities and capabilities of relevant authorities with migration related function and responsibility to address policy and operational challenges associated with managing migration in Ethiopia.
In related news, the British government announced new fines against businesses in the UK who source migrant labor through illegal means.
The announcement was made on Friday by the Home Office as part of its comprehensive programme to reform Britain's immigration controls, according to the British embassy in Addis Ababa.
The statement said the Government was setting out new measures to prevent illegal working following a consultation with UK businesses.
"Illegal working exploits vulnerable people, undermines fair business competition and the minimum wage and deprives the economy of tax and National Insurance contributions," Chris Gillespie, HR Director of NCP Services was quoted as saying.
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