Delivering the statement of the delegation before the opening Session, Ambassador Amr Aljowaily, Strategic Advisor to the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, shared the priorities of the Citizen and Diaspora organizations (CIDO) Directorate for 2022.

Aljowaily highlighted the significance of the presence of more than 200 million people of African descent in the Americas, as well as nearly 19.5 million African migrants, who contribute socially, culturally and economically to sustainable development at the national, regional and global levels.

Ambassador Amr Aljowaily delivering the delegation's statment at the summit

The statement of the Commission said the importance of the diaspora is reflected in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which encourages their rich participation in its work, which was later featured by convening the Global African Diaspora Summit in South Africa in 2012, proclaiming five legacy projects to strengthen the relationship with the continent.

Five priorities for the Citizen and Diaspora organizations (CIDO) Directorate for 2022 were identified, including the development of capacity-building initiatives for AU member states to further develop practical policy frameworks to enhance the contribution of diasporas to the development of their countries of origin.

Ambassador Aljowaily affirmed that the participation of the AUC in the Global Diaspora Summit in Dublin reflects its commitment to contributing actively to the International Migration Review Forum for the Global Compact on Migration, to be held in New York from 16 to 20 May 2022.