- The region hosts 8.5 million international migrants, which includes 4.7 million labour migrant workers.
- East and Horn of Africa is said to be the home to approximately 464 million people.
Image: WILLIAM RUTO/ TWITTER
President William Ruto will on Tuesday preside over the launch of the first 'State of Migration in East and Horn of Africa' Report.
The report covers 12 countries in the region and focuses on the mobility dimensions of regional integration.
Trade and labour mobility is seen as the key benefits of regional integration on human mobility.
"It captures migration and mobility trends, trade and mobility, labour mobility, cross-border health, climate change and human mobility, sustainable reintegration, gender, integrated border management digitalization," reads a dispatch UN migration office.
It has been produced by International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), East African Community (EAC), and two major Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in East and Horn of Africa.
The countries in the East and Horn of Africa include Burundi, Kenya, Djibouti, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
East and Horn of Africa is said to be the home to approximately 464 million people.
It hosts 8.5 million international migrants, which includes 4.7 million labour migrant workers.
There are also 22.3 million displaced persons, which includes nearly 17 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 5.4 million refugees and asylum seekers.
According to a report more integrated border management in the region, especially through One-Stop border posts (OSBPs), and the digitalization of operations are ways to ease the cross-border movement of people, and goods, and services in the region.
It highlights that access to health remains an essential part of ensuring cross-border movement is safe and that climate change plays a major role in reshaping the mobility of persons.
The report also underlines gender equity as a cross-cutting and critically important facet of human mobility and regional integration.
Migration and human mobility in the region are largely driven by conflict and political instability, poverty and high unemployment, and more frequently, climate change and natural disasters.
"But, increasingly countries in the region are recognising the importance of the mobility dimensions of regional integration to enhance socio-economic benefits," it further reads.
"This is confirmed by recently observed trends such as the DR Congo joining the EAC, and Somalia currently being considered to join, and finally the recent agreement between Kenya and Eritrea to mutually waive visa requirements."
Among those who will grace the event are IOM regional director Mohamed Abdiker, EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki and IGAD executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu.