Migration Profile on Nigeria - IOM Publications - International ...

e.3 regional and international cooperation
Economic Community of West African States
Nigeria is a leading member of ECOWAS, not only with regard to population
and financial means, but also in terms of political power.
The 1979 ECOWAS Protocol relating to Free Movement of Persons,
Residence and Establishment and additional protocols and decisions are
the regional legal framework on migration in West Africa. The 1979 ECOWAS
Protocol has had an important impact on the region despite major flaws in its
implementation.
Moreover, in January 2008, the ECOWAS Common Approach on <strong>Migration</strong>
was adopted in Ouagadougou at the Thirty-third Ordinary Session of the Authority
of Heads of State and Government. The Common Approach is a strategic document
to better manage migration in West Africa. It contains guidelines on irregular
migration, counter-trafficking, the free movement of persons, the link between
migration and development, labour migration, migrants’ rights and gender.
In late 2007, ECOWAS, UNHCR, the Government of Nigeria and the
Governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia signed a multipartite agreement for
the local integration of Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees in Nigeria.
International organizations
UNHCR operates locally in Nigeria, regionally within ECOWAS and
internationally. It was involved in the establishment and subsequent closure of
the Oru Refugee Camp (Ogun State), in collaboration with the NCFR. It is also a
signatory to the tripartite agreement concerning the local integration of refugees
in Nigeria.
IOM is also based in Nigeria, both in Lagos and Abuja, and is implementing
activities in the fields of labour migration, assisted voluntary returns, border
management, capacity-building and migration health. In conjunction with
UNHCR and NCFR, IOM was involved in the repatriation of Liberian Refugees
from 2004 to 2007.
The ILO, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNODC, UNDP and other
United Nations agencies are also involved in many activities to support Nigeria in
its efforts to achieve socio-economic development and assist vulnerable groups.
<strong>Migration</strong> in Nigeria: A Country <strong>Profile</strong> 2009
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