Speech for Ms. Seraphine Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator MPTF Project Launch

Honourable Seedy Keita- Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs overseeing the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (to update once confirmed)

Honourable Seyaka Sonko- Minister for Interior (to update once confirmed)

Permanent Secretaries

Project Steering Committee Members

UN colleagues

Media

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the UN System in The Gambia, it is my honour and pleasure to welcome you to the official launch ceremony of the new Migration Multi-Partner Trust Funded- joint programme, which addresses the drivers and causes of migration-related vulnerabilities among border communities along the Trans-Gambia transport corridor.

Let me first express my gratitude to the Government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment and the Ministry of Interior, for the continued support, close coordination, and engagement during the design and inception phase of this new joint programme, which is indicative of the government’s commitment to trade, cross-border cooperation, migration, and development.

Since the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) in 2018, The Gambia, with support from UN Network for Migration, has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the implementation of the GCM objectives and migration-related aspects of the 2030 agenda.  At this time, I would like to congratulate the government, particularly H.E. the Vice President, and the Office of the Vice President for leading the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration (NCM) and for the strong delegation at the first International Migration Review forum, showcasing to stakeholders worldwide the progress the country has made in implementing the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) objectives.

To further support the implementation of GCM objectives, the Start-up Fund for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, or the Migration MPTF was set up in 2019 as the first pool funding instrument focusing on migration.  The Migration MPTF is the vehicle that brings the GCM to life and is built on the foundations of the Global Compact’s guiding principles of the need for collective and national ownership and UN system coherence – all aspects that are strongly embodied in the joint programme we are launching today. 

I am delighted to announce that in December 2021, the Gambia was one of three joint programmes selected with funding of 2.35 million US Dollars by the Migration MPTF.  I wish to congratulate the programme team led by ITC with this opportunity to showcase a multi-agency and multi-stakeholder implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Honourable Ministers

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen

This 36-month joint programme focuses on the Trans-Gambia transport corridor, which is an area that has seen significant increase in migration with the 2019 opening of the Senegambia Bridge, which crosses the Gambia River.  It aims to allow border communities to reap the benefits of the transport corridor without being at risk of harm by addressing the challenges along the corridor related to irregular migration, organized crime and the specific vulnerabilities faced by female migrants, especially female cross border traders.

Maximizing the UN’s “delivering as one” approach, the joint programme brings together unique strengths of the four different UN agencies, each of which is needed to fully deliver on the overall objective of this programme.  As the lead agency, ITC’s focus is to strengthen the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which includes women cross-border traders, women farmers, and youth entrepreneurs, by enhancing the transparency and efficiency of cross-border procedures and building the capacity of MSMEs to improve compliance with trade procedures. IOM will contribute to border management expertise by enhancing border posts and strengthening the capacity of border authorities to ensure that the borders are being managed in an integrated, secure, and coordinated manner.  By building on existing structures, UNICEF will provide materials and training to integrate social and child protection services along the borders. Finally, the project will leverage on UNDP’s expertise on community economic and social development. 

Honourable Ministers

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen

It is important to highlight that this joint programme was designed from a human rights perspective to ensure respect, protection, and fulfilment of the human rights of all migrants. In line with the GCM guiding principles, the joint programme human right’s approach is intentionally structured, with outcome 1 focusing on the capacities of duty-bearers to meet their obligations, outcome 2 on strengthening the capacities of rights-holders to claim their rights, and outcome 3 on the fulfilment of key rights. Recognizing the gender dimensions of migration, the Joint programme commits to a gender-responsive approach that ensures the human rights of men, women, girls, and boys are respected at all stages of migration, their specific needs are properly understood and addressed, and they are empowered as agents of change.

We are also encouraged that the joint programme was designed based on consultations with the target communities and in dialogue with other priority stakeholders. These stakeholders are represented on the Project Steering Committee and the communities will directly oversee project implementation through the Local Programme Committees (LPCs), which will be established in each of the two priority districts.

In closing, I would like to thank the main contributors to the Migration MPTF, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Ireland, Philippines, Thailand, Cyprus and Turkey.  I would also like to wish the programme team a successful implementation of this important joint programme.  I count on the team to dedicate all the necessary resources to ensure a smooth and effective implementation to achieve sustainable results and impact.  

Thank you for your attention