Supplementary Act A/SA.7/01/08 Adopting the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration

Jurisdiction
African Regional Bodies · Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Citation
Act 1-7 of 2008
Date
18 January 2008
Language
English
Type
Legislation
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Economic Community of West African States

Supplementary Act A/SA.7/01/08 Adopting the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration

Act 1-7 of 2008

The High Contracting PartiesMINDFUL of Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the ECOWAS Treaty as amended, establishing the Authority of Heads of State and Government and defining its composition and functions;MINDFUL of Protocol A/P.1/5/79 relating to free movement of persons and goods;RECALLING Resolution 60/227 of 7 April 2006 of the United Nations General Assembly on International Migration and development;RECALLING also the International Convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their family, which took effect in July 2003;RECALLING also the OAU 1969 Convention on the Status of refugees in Africa;RECALLING also the New York High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development;TAKING account of the Rabat Declaration and Plan of Action of July 2006;EQUALLY TAKING account of the Tripoli Declaration of November 2006;MINDFUL of the Final Communiqué of the 30th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government mandating the ECOWAS Commission to map out a common approach on migration;MINDFUL of the recommendation of the Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council of 20 December requesting the ECOWAS Commission President to continue discussions with a view to defining a common approach to the management of intra-regional and Europe-bound migration in all its ramification;CONSIDERING the positive impacts of international migration on host and countries of origin when well managed;OBSERVING, however, that for some years, the migratory phenomenon has been a veritable problem with disastrous consequences on the African youth in general and West African youth in particular;NOTING equally that this phenomenon goes hand-in-hand with trafficking in human beings in all its ramifications, which ECOWAS Member States have already reaffirmed their desire to control;AWARE that this phenomenon seriously affects the production of the working masses of Member States and subsequently the economy of the sub-region;CONVINCED that migration-related issues require the individual and collective efforts of Member States with a view to finding a global and appropriate solution thereto;RESOLVED in curbing this phenomenon or at least minimising its expansion and subsequently adopt a common approach for ECOWAS;AGREE AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The ECOWAS common Approach on Migration attached hereto is hereby adopted.

Article 2

Member States shall undertake all relevant measures for the effective implementation of the strategies set out in the ECOWAS common Approach on Migration.

Article 3

This Supplementary Act shall be published by the Commission in the Official Journal of the Community within thirty (30) days of its signature by the Chairman of the Authority. It shall equally be published by each Member State in its National Gazette within the same time.

Article 4

1.This Supplementary Act shall enter into force upon publication. Consequently, the signatory Member States and ECOWAS Institutions undertake to begin the implementation of its provisions upon its entry into force.
2.This Supplementary Act shall be annexed to the ECOWAS Treaty of which it shall constitute an integral part.

Article 5

This Supplementary Act shall be deposited with the Commission which shall transmit certified true copies of the act to all Member States and have it registered with the African Union, the United Nations Organization and any other organization that Council may determine.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF WE, Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, have signed this Supplementary Act.Done at Ouagadougou this 18th day of January 2008.In a single original in the English, French and Portuguese Language, the three (3) texts being equally authentic
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