N’Djamena – Earlier this month (3-4 July), Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of IOM, hosted the country’s first national consultation on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, marking a significant step in the implementation of this compact for the country.  

Over the course of two days, nearly 50 representatives of the Government, civil society and UN agencies worked together to better understand the compact and develop a roadmap to implement it in Chad.  

IOM’s Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Sophie Nonnenmacher and Laurent Guittey, Project Manager of IOM Côte d'Ivoire, facilitated a series of interactive sessions focused on the key elements of the Global Compact for Migration and its goals, as well as the compact’s link to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Also, on the agenda: Migration Dynamics in Chad, the current institutional framework on migration management in Chad and priorities of the African Union for the implementation of the compact. 

Through a series of group discussions, participants identified eight priority areas, among which were establishing an inter-ministerial coordination framework for migration management; improving migrants’ access to basic social services; and strengthening actions to protect vulnerable migrants, namely victims of trafficking. Continuing efforts to engage the Chadian diaspora to support the development of Chad were also discussed.   

During the final ceremony, IOM Chad’s Chief of Mission, Anne Kathrin Schaefer, emphasized: “The work we have done these last two days is just the beginning; the path laid in front of us is where the real work begins.” 

Proposals and recommendations – such as the creation of a UN network for migration in Chad and a network of journalists specializing in migration in collaboration with Chad’s Ministry of Communication –were submitted by the participants to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for consideration. Naloum Bouroumdou, the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed his hope that “these recommendations will be transmitted to the council of ministers for adaptation. I hope this workshop will not be the last.”  

IOM in Chad looks forward to continuing its efforts to support the Government of Chad on their path to implementing the Global Compact for Migration.  

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For more information, please contact Anne Kathrin Schaefer at IOM Chad, Email: aschaefer@iom.int