The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Comoros, in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, Information, Decentralization and Territorial Administration (MIIDAT), successfully conducted a comprehensive national capacity-building training on migration policy in Comoros from June 05 to June 09, 2023. This dynamic and engaging training brought together 30 participants who are members of the multi-sectoral monitoring and orientation commission responsible for developing and implementing a national migration policy in Comoros. The training aimed to enhance their understanding and appropriation of existing migration governance tools (including the GCM, SDGs, and regional Frameworks) and strengthen their capacity to contribute effectively to the formulation of a comprehensive migration policy.

The workshop sessions were thoughtfully designed and conducted by a team of experienced trainers from IOM, including Regional Policy Liaison Officer Sarah Carl from RO Dakar and EMM2.0 programme officer Zeynep Koyuncu from HQ, Geneva as well as national trainer Youssouf Ibrahim, specialist of border governance and trafficking in persons and Moctar Zouboudou, migration, and labour focal point from the Government of the Union of Comoros. 

The training curriculum was composed of key flagship training programmes of the IOM, including the Essentials of Migration Management (EMM2.0), the Leveraging Global Frameworks (LGF), and the UN Network on Migration. The learning flow provided participants with a comprehensive overview of migration policy development and concrete steps for the elaboration of a migration policy that utilizes global (SDGs, GCM) and regional Frameworks (African union). The curriculum also covered various thematic areas and their interlinkages, enabling participants to gain a deeper understanding of migration management and its cross-cutting aspect. 

Throughout the workshop, participants actively collaborated with facilitators and shared their expertise and experiences, fostering a dynamic learning environment. The training methodology emphasized active participation and collective knowledge-building, ensuring that participants felt empowered to take action and improve their migration policies. Small-group activities, discussions, and brainstorming sessions were used to enhance participants' understanding and enable the practical application of the concepts learned.

The concrete output of this 5-day training is the joint drafting of an action plan on the development of the migration policy, participants utilized the knowledge and soft skills learned in the training to engage in discussions regarding their vision and priorities for the upcoming national migration policy as well identify future areas of work. 

One participant from the government leading the policy development process has praised IOM for a successful training where all stakeholders from the national coordination mechanism on migration gained confidence to speak about their current and potential contribution in the field of migration management. “Now I know who is doing what or what are the different perspectives regarding this policy, which would help us go ahead with a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach when developing our national migration policy”. 

This capacity development event was made possible with the support of IOM Development Fund (IDF) under the project "Strengthening the capacity of the Government of the Union of the Comoros to develop a national migration policy." The project aims to improve policy frameworks that facilitate and support migration management in Comoros and enhance the benefits of migration for the country's sustainable development.