Managing migration—be it legal or irregular—requires a people-centred approach that places the individual at the very centre, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela told a two-day conference for members of parliament from the European Union and from the Mediterranean region held in Malta.
The conference was organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), and the Parliament of Malta on the 16th and 17th of November 2017 under the theme ‘Promoting better regional cooperation towards smart and humane migration across the Mediterranean’.
“We need to translate the policies of the UN’s Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development into action plans that instigate sustainable social and economic development in the countries of origin”, Minister Abela said. “Economic growth is not enough if its positive ripple effects are not felt by all levels of society, especially the people at the grassroots level and, most notably, by its young men and women.”
Young people are a country’s best human resource investment, the Minister said, and they need opportunities in education, in training, and in employment. Pointing out the stark contrast between Africa’s population boom and Europe’s ageing population, he said that it was not surprising that the overarching theme chosen for the Fifth European Union – African Union Summit, which is convening in Côte d’Ivoire on the 29th November, is ‘Investing in Youth for a Sustainable Future’.
The Minister noted that, with the creation of the European External Investment Plan (EIP), the EU wanted to provide an economic and investment boost in its partner countries. “This can be done by strengthening public and private partnerships and creating job opportunities, in the same manner as we have tried to do in Europe with the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), that aimed to boost growth, jobs, and innovation within Europe itself. I am sure that the EIP will yield the same positive results in Africa as the EFSI has done in Europe.”