Episode 18: What do inter-state migration dialogues do and how do you run one (insights from the Rabat Process)?

Hello and a big welcome, or bienvenue, to another episode of the Migration & Diaspora Podcast, with me your host Loksan Harley. Today I'm absolutely thrilled to be joined by Audrey Jolivel from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) to talk about the role of inter-state migration dialogues in migration governance. Audrey is the Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development, otherwise known as the Rabat Process Secretariat. She is also the West Africa Liaison at ICMPD. Audrey brings some 15 years of professional, policy and managerial experience in the migration field. She has since 2015 facilitated the Rabat Process dialogue, which is an intergovernmental dialogue on migration between West, North and Central Africa and Europe, involving more than 58 country partners, two regional organisations (European Union and the Economic Community of West African States), and some international organisations as observers. Our interview really digs into the critical role that inter-state dialogues play in fostering exchange between countries and creating both formal and informal spaces for at times very divergent migration interests to converge and for consensus to be built. We also talk about Audrey's personal insights from seven years of experience coordinating the Rabat Process Secretariat. I think we can all imagine some of the complexities, challenges and opportunities inherent to managing a grouping of 58 country partners ranging from the Congo to Norway. And I really appreciated how Audrey speaks candidly about how she and her team at the Secretariat approach their work. Finally, we touch on some of the other inter-state dialogues out there and ICMPD's experiences and lessons learned managing several of them. I know this is a bit of a new topic for some, so I've taken the liberty to share some useful links in the show notes, including a link to the Rabat Process website itself, some of the work its done (including some of my own work with the Secretariat (hashtag shameless self promotion!), and a link to a page on the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) webpage which lists all the inter-state dialogues currently in existence. As always, thank you for listening. Get in touch at loksanharley.com/podcast to let me know what you think about this interview and to subscribe to never miss an episode. Without further ado, here's our interview. Useful links: Rabat Process website Joint Valletta Action Plan My recent publication for the Rabat Process on diaspora engagement practices EU/Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative (Khartoum Process) IOM's explainer on Inter-State Consultation Mechanisms on Migration (and list of current mechanisms in force) Expert Voice: Migration Dialogues in times of COVID-19 Connect with Audrey on LinkedIn