Processus de Rabat 348d ago

The role of entrepreneurship and diaspora engagement was the main focus of this Rabat Process meeting in Lisbon on 15-16 May 2024, entitled "The Positive Effects of Regular Migration for Sustainable Development". It provided a venue for experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to exchange on recent trends and good practices. A civil society side event was also hosted alongside the meeting – the first of its kind in the framework of the Rabat Process, in the spirit of promoting an inclusive, innovative and multi-stakeholder dialogue. A diverse audience of over a hundred participants from 33 European and African countries gathered in Lisbon. Portugal and Senegal co-chaired the thematic meeting, closely involving Nigeria in its capacity as reference country for Area 1 of the Cadiz Action Plan 2022-2027, the multi-annual cooperation framework of the Rabat Process. In the first panel, international experts gave an overview of current trends in terms of diaspora engagement, highlighting research as well as initiatives and projects led by both Rabat Process’ partner countries and diaspora associations. In the second panel, partner countries presented their good practices and initiatives to engage with the diaspora, looking at cross-cutting issues such as entrepreneurship, local engagement, as well as strategies involving women and young people. During the breakout sessions, participants exchanged on 1) how to better support the socio-economic impact of diasporas and their investment capacities, and 2) how to maximise the impact of skills transfers and knowledge-sharing programmes on national development. Participants formulated a total of 22 recommendations, featured in the meeting document available on the Rabat Process website.