The main goal of this Plan of Action is to encourage regular and safe migration process for men and women in order to enable them to contribute more effectively to the socio-economic development of the ECOWAS Region. The Objectives of the Gender and Migration Plan of Action are: 1. To make available relevant data on Gender and Migration in ECOWAS Region. 2. To enlighten, sensitize and communicate with the citizens of West Africa on issues concerning Gender and Migration. 3. To train and enhance the capacity of state and non-state actors and the ECOWAS Commission on the challenges of gender, migration and development. 4. To put in place mechanism to discourage the irregular migration of young women and men from ECOWAS Region to other parts of the world. 5. To ensure that women and children in the sub-region are safe from human trafficking. 6. To put in place mechanisms that will eliminate absolute poverty in the region, thereby creating an enabling environment for youth to develop their full potentials. 7. To put in place mechanisms to address the corruption issues, eliminate harassment and constraints of women in cross-border trading. 8. To put in place mechanisms to address the needs of women migrants in conflict situations (refugees and internally displaced persons). 9. To put in place a Monitoring and Evaluation System that ensures an effective and efficient management and implementation of the plan of action. The document is divided as follows: 1. Introduction; 2. Gender and Migration; 3. African Regional Situation on Gender and Migration; 4. Pattern and Categories of Migration in West Africa; 5. Concerns and Needs of Female Migrants; 6. Ongoing Efforts by different Governments, NGOS/Women’s Organisations and United Nations Agencies on Gender and Migration; 7. Gaps in existing efforts on the response to Gender and Migration; 8. Priority Issues on Gender and Migration; 9. Main Goal and Objectives of the Gender and Migration Plan of Action; 10. Monitoring and Evaluation; 11. Matrix.
2015-01-01