Policy & Advocacy
At ADEPT, we place a great emphasis on migration, development, and the African diaspora. Our Policy & Advocacy department aspires to strengthen the position of the Diaspora as a key player for the development of Africa, while continuing to be involved with different actors on a daily basis, that share our core values.
We strive to influence stakeholders’ positions on diaspora-related matters, to ensure a balanced, coherent, and comprehensive approach to migration and mobility.
Furthermore, ADEPT is prone to guide its stakeholders by the principles of solidarity, partnership, and shared responsibility, while staying in line with the five pillars of the Valletta Action Plan.
Effectively, this implies several activities:
- Preparing analysis and position papers,
- Remaining up-to-date with current affairs by following meetings and webinars,
- Being part of Forums and high-level panels,
- Organizing activities that involve the African Diaspora Development Organisations (ADDOs), governments, and decision-making institutions,
- Improve evidence-based decision-making, and more specifically on research-based evidence.
Policy
The objective is to influence the decision-makers to be more inclusive of the diaspora but also to have a different outlook on migration and development. Our Policy actions aim to improve the evidence-based decision-making process, and improve the vision of the decision-makers by presenting thorough research.
ADEPT reacts to a policy by drafting and publishing position papers.
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These include:
- An analysis on the EU pact on migration and asylum, following on the EU’s new pact on Migration and Asylum published in September 2020.
- A Union of Equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025.
Based on these two documents, several meetings were held with Members of the European Parliament and other institutions working on these issues.
Advocacy
ADEPT and its ADDOs members represent the african diaspora at roundtable talks, high-level panels, forums, government meetings, engagement, negotiation, and observers.
In December 2019, ADEPT was accepted in the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) European Civil Society Steering Group, whose primary purpose is to monitor and influence the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy.
When it comes to inter-governmental and multi-sectoral, ADEPT works together with IOM/iDiaspora on several activities. The cooperation with iDiaspora has resulted in ADEPT signing a contract with IOM in June 2020, to work together and share knowledge in the field of African Diaspora and development.
DDD (Diaspora Development Dialogue)
The DDD (Diaspora Development Dialogue) is ADEPT’s flagship event, organised in both Europe and Africa, that brings together and anchors many aspects of ADEPT’s research, policy, advocacy, networking, and knowledge-sharing activities.
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The DDD brings together three main components:
- Professional Training of ADDOs,
- Development Dialogue Between ADDOs and Mainstream Agencies and Institutions,
- Facilitated Networking for Collaborative Action and improved Development Impact.
Facts & results
The DDD has:
- Brought together 150 people from ADDOs who reside in 15 European countries, and who are originally from 30 African countries.
- Produced 12 Declarations that serve as thematic expertise and policy advocacy support.
- Outreached and engaged 400 senior officials, policymakers, and diplomats from EU, AU, civil society organisations and development institutions.