Declaración UE-África sobre migración y movilidad, aprobada el 3 de abril de 2014.

Reproduzco, por su interés, la Declaración UE-África sobre migración y movilidad, aprobada en la 4º cumbre UE-África celebrada los días 2 y 3 de abril en Bruselas (el texto también se encuentra disponible en versión francesa). Sólo añado ahora que sería bueno pasar de las grandes palabras a los pequeños y concretos hechos.

“We, Heads of State and Government of the European Union (EU) and Africa, President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, the President of the African Union and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

           

ACKNOWLEDGING the benefits that migration and mobility can bring to both our continents, and that a comprehensive approach to migration and mobility are powerful vehicles for boosting sustainable economic, social and environmental development for countries of origin, transit and destination, as well as to migrants themselves; 

RECOGNISING our common goal to maximise the development impact of migration and mobility, to improve migration governance and cooperation in countries of origin, transit and destination and to promote the role of migrants as agents of innovation and development;

ACKNOWLEDGING that migration and mobility between and within our continents present both opportunities and challenges;          

STRESSING the importance of addressing the root causes of irregular

migration between Africa and Europe and  bearing in mind the importance of finding alternatives to this phenomenon including by providing employment opportunities for the youth at regional level;

ACKNOWLEDGING that further efforts should be made to better organise legal migration and to foster well-managed mobility as well as to encourage policies that  facilitate labour migration, including at the regional level;

DEEPLY CONCERNED by the serious social and human impact of irregular migration and the loss of life caused by it, and more than ever committed to undertake action to avoid such tragedies in future by effectively tackling irregular migration and adopting a comprehensive approach to migration management, within the context of strict observance of human rights and human dignity; 

EXPRESSING GREAT CONCERN that trafficking of human beings as a modern day form of slavery constitutes a serious crime and an infringement of the fundamental human rights of the victims;

UNDERSCORING the importance of prosecuting smugglers and traffickers and dismantling their criminal networks as they present a serious threat to the lives of migrants;

RECOGNISING that Diasporas create strong human ties between our continents and that they contribute significantly to the development of countries of origin and destination;

REITERATING our common commitment to fight all forms of discrimination, racism and xenophobia, and all acts of intolerance on both continents, and to ensure that the human rights of migrants, including those of the diaspora and victims of trafficking, are fully respected in both continents;

STRESSING that fully enforcing the international legal instruments on international protection is an urgent need that should be promoted and placed at the centre of the Africa-EU cooperation;

RECALLING the importance of maintaining the link between migration and mobility policies and other policy areas, especially employment and higher education, within the broader framework of the Africa-EU Partnership;

COMMITTING to further dialogue and deepening of our cooperation in the field of migration and mobility within the framework of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, through a global and concerted approach to maximise their development impact on both Africa and the EU;

We express our strong and unambiguous political will to address all the challenges related to inter and intra-continental migration and mobility and to build on their opportunities.

We commit to ensuring that the importance of well-managed migration and mobility as drivers of inclusive growth and sustainable development will be adequately reflected in the post-2015 development agenda.

We commit to undertaking concrete actions to respond to challenges of migration and mobility at the appropriate level in a spirit of partnership, shared responsibility and cooperation.

To this end, we agree on an Action Plan for 2014-2017 focusing on the following key areas:

--  We undertake to upscale our efforts in combating trafficking in human beings, notably by strengthening partnership and cooperation on prevention, protection and prosecution as well as fighting against those taking advantage of all forms of exploitation, both in Europe and in Africa;

--  We commit to fight irregular migration, by promoting comprehensive and efficient cooperation to avoid the dramatic consequences of irregular migration and to safeguard the lives of migrants, addressing all its relevant aspects, including prevention, strengthened migration and border management, the fight against smuggling of migrants, return and readmission (including voluntary return) as well as addressing the root causes of irregular migration;

-- We commit to strengthen the nexus between migration and development, including by stepping up efforts to significantly reduce the costs of remittances, consolidate the African Institute for Remittances and strengthen policy frameworks for enhancing Diaspora engagement;

-- We agree to advance legal migration and mobility, by better organising legal migration and fostering well-managed mobility between and within the continents;

--   We agree to strengthen international protection, including through the implementation of international and regional instruments for the protection of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons.

--  We recall that the respect of the fundamental human rights of migrants, irrespective of their legal status, constitutes a cross-cutting issue of our cooperation”.