Welcome to a webinar co-hosted by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP External link, opens in new window. and the Nordic Africa Institute, NAI.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a halt in global human mobility, hitting people on the move hard as they are exceedingly vulnerable to the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19. Yet the pandemic has also shed light on migrants’ economic and labour contributions and the essential role migrants will play in recovery from the crisis where we see many migrants working on the frontlines of the health and emergency response.

As countries begin to reopen their borders, how can human mobility be reimagined in a way that assists societies in building forward better and strengthens human development? What are the main drivers of migration and what solutions are available to facilitate safe and inclusive migration with the goal that migration becomes a choice? How can the rights of migrants be guaranteed? Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Human Development Report, this seminar, co-hosted by UNDP and the Nordic Africa Institute, will examine people’s mobility through the lens of human development and with a focus on migration from Africa to Europe.

Watch the recorded webinar here:

Welcoming remarks:

Therése Sjömander Magnusson, Director, Nordic Africa Institute

Speakers:

• Ahunna Eziahkonwa, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, UNDP
• Jesper Bjarnesen, Senior Researcher, Nordic Africa Institute
• Torbjörn Pettersson, Senior Advisor, Sida, former Ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia, the AU and IGAD

Moderator:

Anders Bolling, journalist, writer and podcaster

This webinar will be facilitated using the platform Zoom. In order to ensure an effective and engaging question and answer segment, participants are encouraged to submit a question for consideration during registration.