(e)
(k)
A task force composed of the following countries:
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda,
Sudan, Zimbabwe and the Secretariat should
develop a road map for implementation of Protocols
and Council decisions on the movement of persons
and labour as well as harmonization of laws.
Cooperation on Immigration Matters among COMESA Member
States to Facilitate Trade
Decisions
18. Council made the following decisions:
Harmonization of National Laws with COMESA Model Law
Decisions
17. Council made the following decisions:
(a)
Member States which have not yet transmitted their
national laws on immigration, or the draft laws to the
Secretariat should do so within a three months
period following the meeting;
(b)
On the basis of the information submitted by
Member States, and in accordance with the decision
taken at the third meeting of the ministers
responsible for immigration held in Lusaka, Zambia
on 04 April 2008, the Secretariat should undertake a
comparative study on the approximation of each
Member State’s national law with the model law to
be considered at a workshop to be organized by
COMESA and ICMPD;
(c)
(d)
A roadmap for the harmonisation of immigration laws
should be developed by the task force established
under paragraph 36(g), including a review of
individual national legislation.
The line ministries, with the support of the
Secretariat, should pioneer the process of reviewing
their national immigration laws and take an informed
decision on the need to further approximate their
national legislation with the model law;
The Secretariat should make the national legislation
on immigration, of each COMESA Member State,
available to Member States as part of a regional
database; and
8
(a)
Since the common cross border trader permits
currently in use restrict rather than facilitate small
cross border trade, COMESA should carry out a
study on the facilitation of small, cross border trade
using best practices, that will give COMESA Member
States options of instruments to use to facilitate
small border trade;
(b)
COMESA should establish a central research and
analysis unit on immigration affairs to commission,
coordinate and analyse shared data across
COMESA Member States;
(c)
COMESA should encourage the establishment of a
programme of regular direct contact among
immigration officials at all levels, including staff
exchange;
(d)
COMESA should establish a COMESA-wide
sensitization programme on the benefits of
migration, promoting co-operation with, and
tolerance to migrant workers;
(e)
COMESA should participate in the Joint African
European Union Strategy (JAES) Migration Mobility
Employment (MME) partnership as a broader
international cooperation framework for COMESA
Member States;