The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation External link, opens in new window. (IPATC) in South Africa, and the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) in Sweden, are hosting a two-webinar series. Both events aim to provide a platform to bridge the gap between African and EU policymakers and African migrants in light of the first global, holistic, inter-governmental document on migration: the 2018 United Nations (UN) Global Compact for Safe, Regular, and Orderly Migration External link, opens in new window..

The webinars aim to consolidate a 100-member Community of Practice (CoP) on implementing the UN Global Compact on Migration, which was formed in 2019 by IPATC. The webinars will provide a further opportunity for key African and European actors to explore their often divergent perspectives on migration issues and policies, and to gain a deeper understanding of Africa/EU migration. In addition, the meetings will provide a platform for policymakers and migration analysts to hear first-hand the voices of African migrants, which are often silenced in important policy debates or framed in victimhood.

Watch the recorded webinar here:

The webinars build on previous IPATC/NAI policy work on Africa/EU migration, including a two-part webinar series in June 2020 on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Africa/EU Migration”, from which a policy brief was published under the same title; and a 21-chapter edited book on Africa/EU migration is being prepared by IPATC and the NAI, with all the authors also invited to take part in the 2021 webinars.