Poverty & Unemployment: The Root Causes of Migration

Abuja, Nigeria, ECOWAS Parliament
November 12-13, 2007

The 29th Annual PGA Forum was hosted by the Senate of Nigeria and the PGA National Group at the ECOWAS Parliament in Nigeria, chaired by Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (Nigeria).

Approximately 100 Parliamentarians from 35 different countries participated in the 2007 Annual Forum together with representatives from several international organizations, embassies, academia and civil society. The Forum was formally opened on November 12, 2007 by H.E. Umaru Musa Yar-Adua, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

PGA members called for the ratification of conventions conceived to protect human and labour rights of all migrants, regardless of their legal status. In particular, participants urged support for international standards and agreements focused on preventing, eradicating and punishing the trafficking, smuggling and enslavement of human beings.

Finally, participants to PGA's 29th Annual Forum called for a dialogue between origin and host countries involving the International Labor Organization, UNAIDS, governments, trade unions and other relevant agencies to establish consensus for treating migrants with HIV/AIDS in accordance with international norms.

The Annual Forum built upon the success of PGA's 27th Annual Forum, hosted in Dublin, Ireland in 2005 on the subject of Migration, Immigration and Integration.