Saturday 29 June 2013

Bucking the Trend of Irregular Migration in Africa and Europe: Rethinking Policy Coherence and Effectiveness

By: Stephen Yeboah (profstephenyeboah@gmail.com)

Photo: Simplified map of international migration routes in and from West and North Africa. Most African migrants move and settle within the Maghreb countries, and continue to Europe. Source: DIIS 2011 (www.imap-migration.org) [emphasis added]

Introduction
With the pace of globalization picking up in recent decades, the reality is that flows of trade, capital, knowledge and people across national borders and economies are increasing. Migration has emerged as a vital aspect of global policy discourse. The total number of international migrants has increased over the last 10 years from 150 million in 2000 to 214 million persons in 2008 (UNFPA 2007). Young people are likely to migrate. Out of an estimated 191 million international migrants globally in 2006, young people between 15 and 30 years of age comprised a large share – between 31 and 39 million migrants (IOM 2008). Today, more young people are moving across borders for demographic, economic, political and social reasons premised largely on aspirations to escape poverty and seek greater life opportunities.
The Sahara-Mediterranean-Europe Migration Nexus
In light of different migration trends, young African migrants have adopted even more sophisticated and risky means to enter developed countries especially to Western Europe. This has brought about the growing challenge and complexity of irregular migration1. Migrants can become irregular in a number of ways: by entering the country of destination in a clandestine or unlawful fashion, by having their documents arbitrarily confiscated by their employers, or by staying on in the country after their asylum application is rejected (ICHRP 2010). Young African migrants travel through the Saharan desert to countries like Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and Tunisia as transit points for onward journey to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. In recent years, irregular migration has received spotlight. There are approximately 30 to 40 million irregular or undocumented migrants, a number that amounts to between 15 and 20 percent of all international migrants (ICHRP 2010). It is also estimated that 65,000 and 120,000 sub-Saharan Africans enter the Maghreb2 yearly overland, of which 20 to 38 per cent are estimated to enter Europe (IOM 2008).
Irregular migration though has also received some policy attention in the Maghreb, the European Union (EU) and sub-Sahara Africa, the trend still occurs at disturbing rate because of lack of coherence and effectiveness of existing policies. In 2002, EU Council of Ministers adopted a plethora of policies including the return action programme3 and management of irregular migration and bilateral co-operation. The fact that this trend persists and increasing is an indication these policies have not lived up to expectation.
This short paper explores the political, social and economic challenges posed by irregular migration that affect both African and European countries. The paper tends to propose coherent and effective policy strategies needed to address the challenge.
Demystifying the challenges
Irregular migration occurring from Western Africa to North Africa and Europe has increasingly been defined as a security problem (Lutterbeck 2006). Irregular migrants often risk being arbitrarily arrested, detained, and deported or stripped of their assets. They have had their rights violated. In Libya, for instance, xenophobia is expressed in blanket accusations of criminality, verbal and physical attacks, harassment, extortion, arbitrary detention, forced return and possibly torture (Hamood 2006). In 2003, more than 100 Ghanaians reportedly died as they were attempting to cross the desert in search of greener pastures in Europe (BBC 2003).

The UNHCR (2005) estimates that in 2004, 120,000 irregular migrants attempted to cross the entire Mediterranean, including 35,000 persons of sub-Saharan origin, although this number would be higher if Atlantic crossings to the Canary Islands were included. UNHCR spokesperson Sybella Wilkes at a press briefing on January 31, 2012 revealed that an estimated 1,500 people have drowned or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The highest number of deaths in the Mediterranean region was recorded in 2011 and with massive number of arrivals in Europe via the Mediterranean, with more than 58,000 people arriving (UNHCR 2012). It is significant to indicate that the Sahara-Mediterranean-Europe migration trend has the propensity to make human trafficking, terrorism, and armed conflicts thrive. This poses huge security and economic challenge to EU member states.
It is difficult to gather accurate statistics on the number and situation of irregular migrants (ICHRP 2010). This constitutes a major potential challenge to developing countries that benefit from remittances since it is difficult to track the flow of remittances from irregular migrants. Remittances are the second-largest type of capital flows to Africa (UNECA 2012). Irregular migration therefore has far-reaching economic implications for developing economies as well.
Recommendations for Coherent and Effective Policies
Migration as an important aspect of global cooperation and development demands coherent and effective policies aimed at reducing or ending the increasing threats of irregular migration. It is apparently unrealistic and difficult for governments to formulate policy objectives to stop the movements of irregular migrants. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to institute measures aimed at reducing its levels. This essentially implies putting in place a win-win-win policy strategy for migrants, countries of origin and destination.
To begin with, African governments have to understand the push factors. There are certainly factors that compel young migrants to move out of their home countries with unemployment being paramount. Increasing investments in agriculture and rural development can potentially deal with these challenges. Though youth unemployment is a global phenomenon it is more perverse in developing countries especially in Africa. This accounts for the exodus of ‘frustrated’ young people seeking for better livelihood elsewhere. African governments must invest resources in skills development and access to credits to address the key factors causing youth unemployment. Small and medium scale enterprises should also to be expanded to support forward and backward linkages in agriculture sector and to increase youth employment. Investing in key economic infrastructure and reducing poverty can make developing countries attractive to both skilled and unskilled labour.
Moreover, there is the need to integrate policies on protecting the rights of irregular migrants in Europe, and also providing investments that build and strengthen the capacity of African countries to clamp down on irregular migration. African countries should also institute firm border controls to prevent irregular migrants though this comes at a cost. Martin (2003) indicates that costs of border control measures are not only human but also financial and that the twenty-five richest countries spend US$25–$30 billion per year on the enforcement of immigration laws. With lacking financial capacities of several African countries, facilitating collaboration between the EU and those of the Maghreb will ensure that this challenge is addressed. Though the EU has initiated joint operational project with Tunisia, it has not been effective because countries in sub-Sahara Africa are sidelined. EU-Africa joint operational security unit should be formed to reinforce maritime surveillance in the Maghreb and the Mediterranean to curb border crossing by sea.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) as regional organizations have essential roles to play. ECOWAS and AU should push for holistic integration of country-by-country policies and consultative processes on migration and security to improve porous border controls and movement of people. A regional security agency made up of representatives from countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb should be set up to control and enhance legitimacy in border movements in Africa.
Conclusion
Irregular migration cannot be tackled as an isolated policy challenge. It needs coherent policies that integrate strategies of Europe as ‘receiving’ countries and Africa governments as ‘sending’ countries. While acknowledging the increase in risk awareness campaigns by the EU, IOM and the UNHCR, these strategies have not proved effective countermeasures. Rather, increased levels of poverty, unemployment and political instability in Africa have emboldened the youth to seek for greater opportunities elsewhere. The focus should be developing the capacities of young people for gainful employment. Africa, though boasts of having the youngest population, has done little to harness this vital resource for the continent’s economic and social transformation. Considerations of the above measures can have far-reaching impacts on bucking the gloomy trend of irregular migration.
NOTES
1 This paper makes use of the term “irregular” rather than “illegal” migration because regional bodies have expressed a preference for terminology that does not refer to “illegality” (ICHRP 2010). The Council of Europe has stated that it “prefers to use the term ‘irregular migrants’” (Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly, Resolution 1509 (2006), Human Rights of Irregular Migrants, point 7).
2 The Maghreb is a region in Northwest Africa traditionally made up of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania.

3 Proposal  for  a  Return  Action  Programme,  (Council  doc.  14673/02,  25 November  2002),  adopted  at  the  JHA  Council  meeting  on  28-29 November 2002 (Council doc. 14817/02).
REFERENCES
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 2003. African deaths in Libyan’s deserts’. June 19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3004344.stm (Accessed December 10, 2012)
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). 2011. Europe Fighting Irregular Migration – Consequences for West Africa Mobility. DIIS Policy Brief: October 2011. Copenhagen
Hamood, Sara. 2006. African transit migration through Libya to Europe: the human cost. FMRS, AUC, Cairo.
International Organization for Migration (IOM). 2008. Irregular Migration from West Africa to the Maghreb and the European Union: An Overview of Recent Trends. Geneva: IOM
International Council on Human Rights Policy (IHCRP). 2010. Irregular Migration, Migrant Smuggling and Human Rights: Towards Coherence. Geneva: Impremerie Gasser SA, Le Locle
Lutterbeck, Derek. 2006. Policing Migration in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Politics 11: 59-82 
Martin, Philip. 2003. Bordering on Control: Combatting Irregular Migration in North America and Europe. Migration Research Series No. 13. Geneva: IOM
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). 2012. Economic Report on Africa: Unleashing Africa’s Potential as a Pole of Global Growth. Addis Ababa: UNECA
United Nations Human Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). 2005. UNHCR Global Report 2004. Geneva: UNHCR
United Nations Human Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). 2012.  Mediterranean takes record as most deadly stretch of water for refugees and migrants. http://www.unhcr.org/4f27e01f9.html (Accessed January 31, 2012)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 2007. State of the World Population Report 2007— Growing up urban. New York: UNFPA

Thursday 13 June 2013

Statement: Major victories for transparency


GENEVA, June 12, 2013 – The Africa Progress Panel welcomes Canada’s announcement today that it will establish new mandatory reporting standards for Canadian extractive companies.

The APP also applauds today’s plenary vote in the European Parliament approving EU Transparency and Accounting Directives. 

Canada, which is home to some of the world’s largest mining companies, has long been seen as reluctant to embrace the trend to improve transparency in extractive industries. Canada’s announcement that it will now establish new mandatory reporting standards brings the country in-line with the direction taken by the US and the EU. 

The vote in the European Parliament creates a binding legal requirement for EU-listed and large privately owned oil, gas, mining and logging companies to publish all payments over €100,000 to governments in every country where they operate. This brings the EU in line with similar extractive industry transparency rules in the United States, under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, that will take effect this year.

“This is a good day for transparency and is a major step towards a world where developing countries are paid fair prices for their mineral resources,” says Caroline Kende-Robb, Executive Director of the Africa Progress Panel.  “These developments, coming only days before the G8 Summit in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland next week, increase the chances that the G8 Summit will provide agreements for strong action to improve rules to fight tax avoidance an evasion, and ensure transparency in extraction deals. It has become increasingly clear that governments and business understand very well the benefits of transparency for political and social stability”.

 
Note to editors:

European Parliament vote result: http://bit.ly/11zb1qp 

EU process and documents
Accounting Directive:http://bit.ly/11fnDTG
Transparency Directive: http://bit.ly/11fnG1N

Press conference 12 June 2013 at 14:00 CET, following the European Parliament vote:
http://bit.ly/18xcmGz (live link)
http://bit.ly/13CArF9 (after event)

*     *     *     *     *

Chaired by Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Africa Progress Panel (the Panel) includes distinguished individuals from the private and public sectors, who advocate on global issues of importance to Africa and the world. 

These complex, high-impact issues include global governance, food security, sustainable economic development, and the Millennium Development Goals, which all require engagement from a wide range of stakeholders within and outside the continent.

For further information, please contact 

Edward Harris, Head of Communications
Office: + 41 22 919 75 36
Mobile: +41 79 873 8322

Or 

Alinka Brutsch
Bureau: +41 22 919 75 38
Mobile: +41 78 944 71 15

www.africaprogresspanel.org and www.facebook.com/africaprogresspanel
@africaprogress and #APR2013


Source: Africa Progress Panel

Canada and EU Join Ranks of Transparency Supporters on Eve of G8 Summit

Today, on the eve of the G8 Summit, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada will establish new mandatory reporting standards for Canadian oil, gas and mining companies. The announcement comes on the heels of the European Parliament’s vote for strong new disclosure requirements for extractive companies.

“We commend Canada, along with the EU, for recognizing the importance transparency plays in the governance of natural resources in both developing and developed nations,” said Daniel Kaufmann, President of Revenue Watch. “RWI has collaborated closely with the Canadian mining industry to build support for these measures. We look forward to collaborating with the federal and provincial governments to implement these rules soon.”

Transparency is a critical tool for ensuring the more than one billion people in resource-rich countries reap the full benefits of their natural resources. Mandatory reporting standards require oil, gas and mining companies to publish the amounts they pay to governments, disclosures that give citizens the information they need to hold their governments accountable for the use of resource revenues.

Revenue Watch and its partners have worked for nearly a decade to advocate the adoption of mandatory reporting standards. In the U.S., disclosure requirements were passed in 2010 under section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which compels publicly listed companies to report on a country-by-country and per project basis. The EU law passed this morning goes even further, applying to large, private companies and forestry.

The thorough and timely implementation of PM Harper’s commitment will ensure Canada’s major mining markets meet international reporting standards. The majority of global mining transactions take place on Canadian stock exchanges—which host approximately 60 percent of the world’s public companies, including majors like Barrick Gold and Kinross, as well as thousands of smaller operators. Canadian oil, gas and mining companies are active in over 100 countries, including developing nations such as Mongolia, where over 30 percent of government revenue comes from copper mining.

In 2012, recognizing the scale of Canada’s major role in the global extractive sector, Revenue Watch partnered with the Canadian mining industry and Publish What You Pay Canada to advance transparency.  Following extensive discussion and consultation with companies, investors, government and civil society across the country and internationally, this partnership will publicly release a set of reporting recommendations for Canadian companies this week.

Source: Revenue Watch promotes the transparent and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources for the public good. www.revenuewatch.org | @revenuewatch | www.facebook/revwatch

Contact: Carolyn Bielfeldt, Communications

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Federal Councilor announces transparency draft law for the entire Swiss commodities sector

Zurich/Berne, 11.06.2013: On the eve of the adoption of new EU transparency rules for commodities companies, Switzerland has now also taken the next political step. As today's decision by the National Council shows, there is now broad consensus that the Swiss commodity trading hub needs mandatory transparency standards

The lower house of the Swiss parliament today reported a vote of 93:77 on a proposal that its Foreign Affairs Committee approved with a clear 17:6 vote at the end of April. The approved proposal welcomes in the legal basis for transparent financial flows in the commodities sector and explicitly requires the Swiss government to consider whether the entire industry should be included in scope. The parliament has its finger absolutely on the button: until now there was a danger that the Federal Council would enact only superficial legislation, riddled with holes and containing no new benefits for the producing countries. But Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga explicitly confirmed in today’s debate: "The Federal Council accepts the proposal, as it is formulated, and will now consider transparency rules for the whole sector, meaning for listed and non-listed commodity companies as well as for commodity trading and extractive activities."

As an analysis (in French) by Berne Declaration on transparency within the commodity sector shows, the extractive activities of all major Swiss commodity companies are most likely covered by EU and/or U.S. regulations. However, a huge gap still exists when it comes to commodity trading, for which Switzerland is the world leader, with almost half of global sales in this US 1900-billion-dollar market being generated by companies having their principle place of business in Switzerland, and another 29 percent by companies with key Swiss offices. The importance of its commodity trading hub goes hand in hand with Switzerland’s political responsibility to provide quickly and sustainably for more transparency in this business.

The increasing pressure on Switzerland is also reflected in the recent success of international transparency efforts. For example, EITI, the leading transparency initiative for commodity-producing countries, has recently decided to adopt stricter rules. Now all EITI member countries are required to put all relevant facts and figures concerning licenses and commodity trading transactions on the table. Complementary to this, greater transparency is being achieved in more and more home countries of commodity companies. Tomorrow, the European Parliament will adopt the new EU transparency rules for commodity companies, which were agreed in April. The Canadian government has, for the first time, also expressed a positive attitude towards mandatory transparency rules. The USA led the way here in 2012. And the UK has declared the issue a top priority for the G8 summit next week.

For more information, please contact:
Oliver Classen, Berne Declaration, +41 44 277 70 06, oliver.classen[at]evb.ch
Lorenz Kummer, Swissaid, +41 79 307 25 92, l.kummer[at]swissaid.ch

Source: Berne Declaration: http://www.evb.ch/en/p25021487.html

Friday 7 June 2013

Caroline Kende-Robb: Citizen's around the world feel cheated by natural resources

Presented at the Zamyn Global Citizenship Forum on 6 June 2013

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Caroline Kende-Robb. I am the Executive Director of the Africa Progress Panel, a foundation Chaired by Kofi Annan.

It is my pleasure to welcome you all this evening to Zamyn’s Cultural Forum at the Tate Modern here in London.

This evening’s event is one in a series of debates focusing on political, social, economic and cultural issues related to globalization, citizenship and identity. 

I would like to give a very special and warm thanks to Michael Aminian and his team at Zamyn. Thank you, Michael. You have put together such an interesting series of events. Your incredible dedication and commitment are truly commendable. And thank you too to Marco Daniel from Tatre. You have done a fantastic job of pulling all of this together.

Thank you also to the other sponsors – Accenture, Barclays, Penguin Books, SOAS, and the Tate. I think we can all be proud to be associated with this event and I am delighted to be introducing this evening’s theme on Natural Resources – an extremely complex sector. But I see we have an incredible high level panel here this evening.

We all know the story of the butterfly that beats its wings and -- somehow through a chain of events unleashes a typhoon on the other side of the world. Something similar is happening when we use natural resources.

Most of us here in this room use such resources pretty much every single day of our lives – whether that’s fuel or even just the whitener in our toothpaste. 

Our actions and decisions (some of them without even noticing) have an impact all around the world.

When we started writing the 2013 Africa Progress Report on oil, gas and mining one year ago, we recognized that although Africa was riding the crest of the global commodities wave, resource-led growth had yet to transform the lives of Africa’s people.

In many countries, natural resource revenues were widening the gap between rich and poor. Billions of dollars were being squandered on building personal fortunes often supporting corrupt and unaccountable political elites.

What we did not anticipate was that over the year the momentum for change would accelerate. Indeed, it is rare in global policymaking that interests align to the extent that we are seeing today.

Let me briefly outline some the significant changes that have emerged over the last year.

Twelve months ago, who would have thought the US mortgage crisis and the eurozone’s predicament might improve global transparency and accountability?

As austerity bites in many G8 countries, citizens are demanding fairness and action. They feel cheated, and will no longer tolerate secret deals, illicit financial flows, and tax havens. For citizens everywhere, in Africa, in G8 countries and across the globe, current tax practices raise questions about fairness, social justice, and citizenship. Such practices affect the grandma in Manchester as well as the mother in Mali – but they affect Africa more.

Another significant development is the recent passing of the Dodd-Frank Act in the United States and similar EU measures that require extractive companies to meet higher standards of disclosure. Now the G8 is on the case, with the UK Presidency putting tax and transparency on the agenda for the G8 Summit this month.

In Africa, too, citizen opposition is growing to the squandering of oil, gas and mining resources as evidence emerges of undervaluation and mismanagement.  Indeed, trade mispricing costs African governments in the region of $34 billion annually.

Recognizing these costs, some African governments are taking action. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea now make mining contracts publicly available. And Ghana is strengthening accountability in the management of petroleum revenues. Such actions can strengthen the social contract between the state and its citizens.

At the same time, many companies are now looking beyond short-term profits towards long-term investment partnerships. These companies recognize the economic, as well as the ethical, case for strengthening linkages to local firms and engaging with local communities. They know that sustainable investment needs a stable country and a “social license to operate”. 

What is emerging as the silos of secrecy crumble is a shared agenda, in which different parties have overlapping interests and similar goals. As Mr Annan states in the report “Building trust is harder than changing policies – yet it is the ultimate condition for successful policy reform.”

He adds, “Mutually beneficial agreements are the only ones that will stand the test of time”.

None of this will be easy going forward. But the report sets out a number of steps and I will mention just a few:

·        The G8 Summit should serve as a launch pad for a rules-based global system on both transparency and taxation to be developed with the G20.

·        All foreign-owned companies should be required to publicly disclose the ultimate beneficiaries of their profits.

·        Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, all major conduits for offshore finance, should signal intent to clamp down on illicit financial flows.

·        African governments can work towards adding value to natural resources before export, securing adequate tax revenues, and spending these revenues more equitably.

·        Major investors in Africa’s extractive sectors like China and emerging investors such as Brazil must also engage.

Public scrutiny by citizens across the globe will continue to be a crucial force for change. As interests align, and the context shifts, everyone has a role to play in stewarding Africa’s nature resource wealth to transform the lives of many in Africa and across the globe.

The report concludes that huge opportunities exist in Africa and leaders across the globe – in government, industry and civil society – must take action now. The benefits of seizing these opportunities will not just transform the lives of Africans, but will also be felt in countries across the world.

It is my great pleasure to hand over to Robert Guest who will chair this evening’s debate. 


Caroline Kende-Robb is the Executive Director of the Africa Progress Panel

About Africa Progress Panel

The Africa Progress Panel connects the influence of our Panel members with cutting edge policy analysis to advocate for equitable and sustainable development in Africa, especially on those policy issues that are critical for Africa’s development and where the nature of our organisation means we bring significant comparative advantage. Our Panel members have unusual access to the highest level of policy makers in Africa and across the globe and can speak with an African voice.

Africa’s resource wealth could end illiteracy and build an educated middle class

A new report from the Africa Progress Panel shows that mineral wealth could transform education in Sub-Saharan Africa, building on the findings of the 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, which showed that 17 resource-rich countries could put another 11 million children into school.
The Africa Progress Panel is a group of distinguished individuals, chaired by Kofi Annan, whose objective is to track and encourage progress in Africa and assess opportunities and threats to Africa’s development. A month ago, the Panel published the 2013 Africa Progress Report, Equity in Extractives: Stewarding Africa’s natural resources for all, which outlines the opportunities and challenges linked to the exploitation of Africa’s mineral resources.
While much of the media coverage of the report naturally focused on the losses to African economies from asset undervaluation, tax avoidance and shady deals, I think the opportunities Africa’s mineral wealth provide for the future are the really exciting finding of the report.
Over the past decade, Africa’s economies have been riding the crest of a global commodity wave. Extractive industries have emerged as a powerful engine of economic growth. Surging demand for natural resources in China and other emerging markets has pushed export prices to new highs – and the boom shows no sign of abating. Africa’s petroleum, gas and mineral resources have become a powerful magnet for foreign investment. And this is only the beginning. With new exploration revealing much larger reserves than were previously known, Africa stands to reap a natural resource windfall.
If managed well, what this resource wealth means is that African governments finally can build a budget based on substantial, predictable long-term income. While development assistance will continue to play an important role in many countries, the new resource-based income streams will better enable governments to set strategies and plan for the future.
In those plans, education will have to be a central element. New revenue streams can immediately be channeled into securing basic education for all those who still go without, or who drop out early, as the 2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report showed.
Yet, that is just the start. A central part of turning revenue from mineral exploitation into lasting progress and national wealth is to ensure that oil, gas and mineral operations are staffed by as many national staff as possible.  Another central element is to build secondary industries to supply exploration and production facilities and add value to the raw materials that are brought up from the ground.
Both of these tasks will demand large numbers of educated people. African countries must therefore look beyond primary education, with ambitious plans for providing skills training, management and engineering educations.
The EFA Global Monitoring Report team’s recent policy paper “Turning the ‘resource curse’ into a blessing for education”, outlines very well the opportunities and risks that the new resource wealth provides for improving education.
But like health, education often gets at the back of the queue when government budget priorities are set. This must therefore be the time for an extraordinary effort by education advocates to get the message through.
About Africa Progress Panel

The Africa Progress Panel connects the influence of our Panel members with cutting edge policy analysis to advocate for equitable and sustainable development in Africa, especially on those policy issues that are critical for Africa’s development and where the nature of our organisation means we bring significant comparative advantage. Our Panel members have unusual access to the highest level of policy makers in Africa and across the globe and can speak with an African voice.

Article first published on Education For All Global Monitoring Report blog, June 7, 2013.