The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM),will host a three-day regional Ministerial migration dialogue.

Scheduled to take place from 7 – 9 July 2015 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, the Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) Conference will convene Ministers and senior government officials responsible for Home Affairs in the 15 SADC Member States as part of regional efforts to improve the capacity of SADC Member States in systematically addressing mixed and irregular migration.

Themed “Addressing Mixed and Irregular Migration in the SADC Region: Protection of the Unaccompanied Migrant Child”, the 2015 MIDSA Conference will apprise Member States on the current trends on mixed and irregular migration in the region, especially that of unaccompanied migrant children, as well update stakeholders on the contents and status of the Draft Regional Action Plan drawn up to address mixed and irregular migration in the region.

Research and policy debates have identified the migration of children and youth as new area of concern and focus. Unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) are appearing more frequently among migrants travelling in mixed and irregular migration flows observed in Southern Africa. Although limited both in terms of quality and quantity, available research highlights serious concerns not only about rising numbers, but also protection issues that face both state and non-state actors. The conference will explore and propose guidance for the region that would increase the effectiveness of measures taken on UMC protection at national and regional levels.

“Prevailing academic and policy debates tend to view children as passive actors in migration often portraying only their vulnerability, especially to exploitation. Through this dialogue we wish to draw the attention of SADC Member States to the fact that child migration has multidimensional root causes and proceed to unpack the issue broadly, and eventually come up with a comprehensive approach that will essentially influence policy, social development, and contribute towards a robust Regional Response” says Bernardo Mariano, IOM Regional Director for Southern Africa.

Regional Migration and Health Coordinator Dr. Erick Ventura says “to achieve a sustainable and comprehensive responses to address the health of migrants in mixed flows, local, national and regional partnerships are every essential. This does not only enhance service delivery and capacity building, but also helps mobilize resources and create an enabling policy  as well as legislative environment that support the realization of migrants’ right to health, whether their status is  irregular or not”

The 3-day conference is expected to adopt a roadmap for the formal endorsement and subsequent implementation of the Draft Regional Action Plan to address mixed and irregular migration as well as a set of recommendations on the protection of UMC in the region.

The IOM Regional Office for Southern Africa acknowledges the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe to host and ensure the success of the 2015 MIDSA Conference. This MIDSA conference is also supported by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), and Swedish International Development Cooperation agency (Sida).

For more information please contact Ntokozo Mahlangu at IOM Pretoria, Tel: +27 76 532 8295, Email: nmahlangu@iom.int