November 14, 2022 (JUBA, South Sudan): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in collaboration with the government of South Sudan commenced deliberation on National Coordination Mechanism on Migration Workshop, today in Juba.
The main objectives of the three-day workshop on National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) is to review, discuss and acknowledge the ongoing discussions of the NCM on the state of Migration governance and to address specific migration issues, challenges and share some of the key opportunities to better manage migration in South Sudan. It is also meant to bring together migration stakeholders for continuous dialogue and co-operation on migration related issues so as to enable stakeholders to discuss and contribute to South Sudan’s approach to the regional and national migration discourse.
The workshop brought together Participants from various stakeholders making up the NCM Secretariat at the policy level from relevant South Sudan Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies with Migration related mandates such as the Ministry of Interior, Labour, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation Commission , Commission for Refugees Affairs , National Security Services, National Bureau of Statistics , City council, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Ministry of Justice, National Assembly members, IGAD, IOM, and other humanitarian and development actors in the country.
Thomas Jap Deputy Inspector General of Police South Sudan – National Police Service in his opening remarks disclosed that the initiative taken by the IGAD to partner and technically support the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration is the best regional approach to strengthen coordination efforts to better govern migration in the IGAD region.
Furthermore the Deputy Inspector General emphasized that in some parts of South Sudan many people have been tipped in to food insecurity, large number of livestock and wild animals are dying since their habitat is flooded and disrupted crop cycles keep affecting farmers.
“I am happy, this IGAD NCM meeting will discuss all the thematic areas as mentioned in the program to better govern migration in South Sudan,” he stated.
Mr. Mujib Jemal IGAD, Migration Governance Project Coordinator explained that IGAD’s Migration Programme has been promoting a whole of government approach on migration by supporting the establishment and strengthening of the National Coordination Mechanisms (NCMs) led by Member States themselves.
Mr Mujib also recalled that IGAD supported different consultation meetings which took place in South Sudan. The consultations aimed to establish and strengthened coordination of NCM activities on forced displacement.
Ambassador James Kur Muorwel, the National Focal Point, the Chair of the Khartoum Process Director/ Department of Consular Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Republic of South Sudan and representative of the IOM also gave their welcoming remarks.
This National Coordination Mechanism workshop of South Sudan is funded under the IGAD-Swiss project. It is part of the IGAD efforts to implement its Regional Migration Policy Framework. As of now NCMs have been developed and strengthened in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan and Djibouti. The NCM in South Sudan established in 2013. Pursuant to the provision of Article 29 of the Passports and Immigration Act 2011 and the provisions of the NCM Procedural Regulations 2013 as amended in 2016.
Migration Coordination is the key to implement the UN Global Compact on Migration and the Migration Management stakeholders have shown the need to strength their coordination efforts and have resulted to the formation and operationalization of the National Coordination Mechanism.
