UNESCO

Emergence in Africa: what
future for the continent?
The Organization
actively sent out
tweets to help
raise worldwide
awareness on the
current migration
situation during
International
Migrants Day 2015
(18 December),
like this one
from the UNESCO
International
Bureau of Education
(IBE-UNESCO).
72
Delegates produced recommendations
on the need for inclusive cities for
sustainable development, participatory
policy-making with the engagement
of all citizens, disaggregated and
comprehensive data, global solidarity
and action through networks.
Aide et Action, with the support
of UNESCO and the Bernard van Leer
Foundation, organized a consultation on
how the Indian government, civil society,
corporations and local stakeholders can
implement inclusive policies, programmes
and partnerships to safeguard the rights
and entitlements of internal migrant
children in India. Participants were
drawn from the government, academia,
UN Agencies, NGOs and IGOs. Their
recommendations were to work to
understand the dynamics of internal
migration and the impact on children;
outline solutions for the inclusion of
migrant children in education and
protection programmes; share best
practices; identify challenges, policy gaps
and opportunities to create inclusive
policies; identify areas of convergence
between the government and civil society;
and bring together organizations and
groups working with migrant children on a
national platform.
To commemorate Human Rights
Day (10 December) and International
Migrants Day (18 December), UNESCO
organized a round table on ‘Changing the
Discourse: The positive face of migration’
in December. Many countries are facing
rapid increases in levels of migration.
UNESCO emphasizes that creating the
conditions for migrants to be integrated
effectively into the society of receiving
countries makes it possible to harness
their potential and can be beneficial for
everyone. To achieve this, we need to
change the discourse about migration,
providing data and arguments to help
challenge stereotypes, and upholding
migrants’ human rights. It is necessary to
address both the humanitarian and the
development aspects of the worldwide
refugee crisis, while not forgetting
the root causes of migratory flows.
The International Forum on emergence in
Africa and future perspectives of the continent
was organized in December by UNESCO’s
Africa Department, in order to elaborate on
Africa’s emergence leading to a prosperous,
inclusive and peaceful continent. With a
population of 1 billion by 2050, Africa must
definitely foster more inclusive economic
growth. On this occasion, the book Futurs
Africains : vers une émergence durable (African
futures, towards a sustainable emergence)
was launched, in line with African Union’s
Vision 2063 which has been integrated in the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
‘If migrants are treated with dignity and
are given the opportunity to develop fully,
then this can have a positive impact on
every aspect of life – cultural, economic,
political and social,’ said Ms Al-Nashif.
Social inclusion is at the heart of the 2030
Sustainable Development Agenda and the
newly adopted Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). Five different SDGs (4, 8, 9,
11 and 16) refer to the concept in different
contexts, and Goal 16 is fully dedicated to it.