A cooperation agreement was signed between IOM and UNECA – which is one of the five UN regional commissions - in 1996. The two organizations worked together in the lead up to the UN General Assembly High Level Dialogue in 2006 and in 2013.

  • IOM actively participates in the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM) clusters and sub-clusters. The Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for Africa serves as a platform for the UN system operating in Africa to coordinate their strategies for more effective program delivery in support of the Africa Union and is currently guided by the United Nations-African Union Partnership on Africa’s Integration and Development Agenda (PAIDA) for 2017-2027. IOM, with the AUC Department of Social Affairs, co-chairs Cluster 4 - Labour, Employment, Social Protection, Migration and Mobility. 
  • IOM provides technical support to the UNECA in the High-Level Panel on Migration (HLPM) and serves as one of the designated members of the Panel. The HLPM was established in 2016 to profile migration issues and push them to the top of policy agenda by engaging major stake holders and partners.
  • IOM works closely with ECA and AUC in organizing regional consultations on the Global Compact on Migration and PAFoM.

Some of the key achievements include:

  • The African Continental Report and Outcome document (Common African Position) in preparation for the Intergovernmental Migration Conference in 2018. The Common African Position on GCM was adopted by the AU Summit in January 2018.
  • Launch of the HLPM in 2017, alongside several sensitization workshops for African Ambassadors in Addis Ababa, on the outcomes of the HLPM.