Kenya Launches GCM Implementation Plan for Better Migration Governance

Nairobi — The Government of Kenya renewed its commitment to better migration management by launching its implementation plan for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). In doing so, Kenya becomes the first country to develop a GCM implementation plan using guidance developed by the UN Network on Migration.

The new Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Coordinator of the Network, Ms. Amy Pope, attended the launch event alongside government officials, UN representatives and civil society organizations.

"If we are truly to confront the challenges of the day and certainly the challenges of tomorrow, it is critical that we bring together well-managed migration policies,” said Ms. Pope. “The Global Compact for Migration gives us a roadmap to make migration work and Kenya is the first country to turn it into a national implementation plan and to do so, working with the UN Network on Migration,” she added.

Kenya’s 2023-2027 National GCM Implementation Plan translates commitments into action by highlighting key actions to fast track realizing the GCM in the country. It encompasses five thematic areas: promoting fact-based and data-driven policy and planning; addressing the drivers of migration; facilitating regular migration, decent work, and enhancing the positive development effects of human mobility; addressing irregular migration and improving the social inclusion and integration of migrants.

“The Government of Kenya is taking bold steps towards a sustainable future, one that embraces the opportunities and challenges of migration,” said Ambassador Julius Bitok, the Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizens Services, in a video recorded for the launch. “The National Implementation Plan reflects Kenya’s commitments to making migration more safe, orderly and regular. One key challenge was the lack of a framework for comprehensive migration governance at the national level. This Plan aims to mainstream migration into national development planning, aligning it with national, regional and global aspirations.”

The UN Network on Migration was established to help Member States implement the GCM and promote partnerships towards achieving the Compact’s goals. To this end, the Network developed a six-step guidance to help governments and other stakeholders elaborate their own national strategies.

“This implementation plan is not merely a document; it is a beacon, aiming to maximize the development contributions of and with migrants,” said Dr. Stephen Jackson, UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya. “It represents a comprehensive approach to migration, encapsulating a wide array of GCM interventions that mirror the diverse nature of Kenya's migration context.”

As a GCM Champion country and the first to practically apply the Network’s guidance in preparing a validated National GCM Implementation Plan, Kenya is leading the way in implementing the Compact. This support was made possible with assistance from the Building Migration Partnerships programme, funded by the European Union.

Learn more about the Network’s GCM implementation guidance (infosheet here) and read Kenya’s National Implementation Plan here.