On 13-14 December 2022, the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development (Rabat Process) took place in Cadiz, hosted by the Kingdom of Spain, which resulted in the adoption of the Political Declaration and Cadiz Action Plan 2023-2027.
Ministers in charge of migration and development affairs as well as high-level officials of the Rabat Process partner countries located in Central, West and North Africa and Europe adopted a new multi-annual cooperation programme in Cadiz – the Political Declaration and Cadiz Action Plan 2023-2027. This unbinding programme will guide the Dialogue and its partner countries during the next five years. The International Centre for Migration Policy Development, which acts as Secretariat of the Rabat Process, was represented by its Director General Mr. Michael Spindelegger.
In two roundtables, the participants reviewed the main opportunities and challenges faced by the Rabat Process Dialogue and discussed perspectives for addressing new drivers of migration in the Rabat Process region. Among the most frequently cited challenges were the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ruso-ukrainian crisis, population growth and climate change. At the same time, the potential of bilateral and multilateral cooperation was highlighted as a major opportunity and participants emphasised the importance of solidarity and shared responsibility.
Climate change and population growth were among the challenges frequently mentioned, whereas the potential of bilateral and multilateral cooperation was highlighted as a major opportunity.
The Cadiz Action Plan builds on the previous multi-annual strategic framework of the Rabat Process, the Marrakech Action Plan, and on the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP), which was adopted by the Rabat Process and Khartoum Process partners in 2018. It takes into account how the international context has evolved since 2018, while maintaining the same five focus areas:
Area 1: Development benefits of migration and addressing the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement
Area 2: Regular migration and mobility
Area 3: Protection and asylum
Area 4: Prevention and effective reduction of irregular migration, fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings
Area 5: Return, readmission and reintegration
Each area contains specific objectives, with a total of 29 actions proposed by the Cadiz Action Plan for the period of 2023-2027.