Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Refugees and Migrants in Law and Policy pp 261–293Cite as

Teaching About Migrants and Refugees of West African Countries: UNESCO’s Experience and Recommendations for Educationists and Educators

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 1841 Accesses

Abstract

West Africa is the region with the largest migrant stock in Africa, as well as the highest number of intraregional migrants. The objective of this chapter is to reflect on the context that led to the rapidly growing migration trend, potential social problems associated with the migration, the role of education, particularly civic education in responding to the migrant and refugee “problem,” and to explore ways to assess the effectiveness of civic education activities for West African countries. It describes activities implemented under UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education (GCED) program and some good practices of other institutions in promoting better integration of migrants and refugees in host communities, with a view to promoting the enduring locally developed solutions. A quick literature review on migration, refugees, security, and education shows that some countries in West Africa have already integrated civic education into their policies, curricula, and teaching practices, but further efforts are needed in reaching out-of-school populations, advocacy and expansion of good practices, and the assessment of the impact of these interventions.

Akemi Yonemura has been Programme Specialist (Education) for UNESCO since 2002 and is currently working for the Dakar Regional Office. The views expressed herein are those of the author. No official endorsement by UNESCO is intended or should be inferred. The author appreciates Ms. Jamie Watts in Dakar (Senegal) for her review and comments on the chapter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   349.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living.

  2. 2.

    This data includes Mauritania in addition to 15 ECOWAS countries.

  3. 3.

    Larousse French Dictionary. [Online] Page consulted on 15/06/2012 http/www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais cited in UNESCO Dakar (2013a).

  4. 4.

    Larousse French Dictionary. [Online]. Page consulted on 15/06/2012 http/www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/Civisme%20, cited in UNESCO Dakar (2013a).

  5. 5.

    Modules include: (1) Culture of peace, conflict prevention and management; (2) Human rights; (3) Civic-awareness and citizenship; (4) Democracy and good governance; (5) Gender, prospect for peace and development; (6) Public health, environment and sustainable development; (7) Regional integration; and (8) Values, physical education and sport (module 8 is available only online in French).

  6. 6.

    Available at: http://educationalapaix-ao.org.

References

  • 197 EX/46 UNESCO’s Role in Promoting Education as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism, 7 October 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • A/70/674 Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, 24 December 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • A/RES/70/174 Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in the Wider United Nations Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels, and Public Participation, 17 December 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • A/RES/71/1 The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, 3 October 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carling, J. (2016). West and Central Africa. In M. McAuliffe & F. Laczko (Eds.), Migrant smuggling data and research: A global review of the emerging evidence base (pp. 25–53). Geneva: IOM.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Convention against Discrimination in Education (429 UNTS 93), 14 December 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  • Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1577 UNTS 3, 2 September 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  • Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 189 UNTS 150, 14 December 1950.

    Google Scholar 

  • ECOWAS. (2016). About ECOWAS. Retrieved November 8, 2016, from http://www.ecowas.int/about-ecowas/basic-information

  • Ethnologue: Languages of the World. (2016). Retrieved December 8, 2016, from https://www.ethnologue.com/region/WAF

  • Interpeace, Indigo Cote d’Ivoire and IMRAP. (2016). Beyond ideology and Greed: Trajectories of young people towards new forms of violence in Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. Abidjan: Interpeace Regional Bureau for West Africa, Abidjan: Indigo Cote d’Ivoire, and Bamako: IMRAP.

    Google Scholar 

  • IOM/International Organization for Migration. (2017a). Global migration trends factsheet. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from http://gmdac.iom.int/global-migration-trends-factsheet

  • IOM. (2017b). West and Central Africa: Regional migration context. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://www.iom.int/west-and-central-africa

  • IOM. (2017c). Lake Chad basin displacement affects nearly three million people in four countries. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from https://www.iom.int/news/lake-chad-basin-displacement-affects-nearly-three-million-people-four-countries-iom

  • IOM. (2017d). Migrant integration. Retrieved May 9, 2017, from https://www.iom.int/migrant-integration

  • Loo, B. (2016). Recognizing refugee credentials: Practical tips for credential assessment. New York: World Education Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • OHCHR/United Nations Office of the High commissioner for Human Rights. (2005). World programme for human rights education (2005-ongoing). Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Education/Training/Pages/Programme.aspx

  • OHCHR. (2009). First phase (2005–2009) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education - Summary of national initiatives undertaken within the first phase (2005–2009). Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Education/Training/WPHRE/FirstPhase/Pages/SummaryNationalInitiatives2005-2009.aspx#africa

  • OHCHR. (2014). Second phase (2010–2014) of the world programme for human rights education-evaluation of the implementation of the second phase (2010–2014) by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Education/Training/WPHRE/SecondPhase/Pages/SecondphaseEvaluation.aspx

  • Overseas Development Institute (ODI). (2016). Education cannot wait: Proposing a fund for education in emergencies. London: ODI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, 606 U.N.T.S. 267, 16 December 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sesnan, B. (2011, June). Finding people to teach and making them good teachers in a complex IDP emergency: The case of Cote d’Ivoire from 2002. UNESCO-IICBA Newsletter: Teacher mobility and recruitment in education in emergencies, 13(1), 8–10. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.eng.unesco-iicba.org/sites/default/files/NL%20Vo.13%20No.1.pdf

  • UDHR/Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN General Assembly/UNGA resolution 217 A, 10 December 1948.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP. (2016). Human development report. New York: UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1974). Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In Records of the General Conference. Eighteenth Session. Paris, 17 October to 23 November 1974. Volume 1. Resolutions. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (1997). Convention on the recognition of qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region 1997. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2013). Consolidated Report on the Implementation of the 1974 Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Cooperation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. General Conference 37th Session, Paris, 2013. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2015a). Education 2030: Incheon declaration and framework for action towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2015b). Global citizenship education: Topics and learning objectives. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2016a). Global education monitoring report statistical tables. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2016b). Global education monitoring report. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO and UNHCR. (2016). No more excuses: Provide education to all forcibly displaced people (Policy Paper 26). Paris/Geneva: UNESCO/UNHCR.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Dakar. (2013a). ECOWAS reference manual: Education for a culture of peace, human rights, citizenship, democracy and regional integration. Dakar: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Dakar. (2013b). Peace education project in West Africa reaching out to 15 ECOWAS countries. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/dakar/education/peace-and-human-rights-education/peace-education-project-in-west-africa-reaching-out-to-15-ecowas-countries

  • UNESCO Dakar. (2015a). Promoting a culture of peace, conflict management, citizenship, democracy and good governance in Burkina Faso. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/dakar/education/peace-and-human-rights-education/uncct-unesco-project-on-peace-education-in-burkina-faso

  • UNESCO Dakar. (2015b). Kigali Statement, published at the sub-Saharan Africa Regional Ministerial Conference on Education Post-2015, Kigali, Rwanda 11 February 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2016, from http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Nairobi/pdf/20150213RegionalTheKigariStatement.pdf

  • UNESCO Dakar. (2015c). Report of theme 5: Education for sustainable development and global citizenship. Presented at the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Ministerial Conference on Education Post-2015. UNESCO, Dakar.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Dakar. (2015d). Promoting Global Citizenship Education in West Africa. Final Report of the International Capacity Development Workshop 7–9 July 2015, Dakar Senegal. Dakar: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). (2016). Laying the foundation to measure sustainable development Goal 4. Montreal: UIS.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). (2017). UIS Stat. Retrieved June 23, 2017, from http://data.uis.unesco.org

  • UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE). (2016). Global monitoring of target 4.7: Themes in national curriculum frameworks. Geneva: IBE.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP). (2016). E-forum report: Planning for the inclusion of displaced populations in the education sector: Preliminary reflections. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNHCR/United Nations High commissioner for Refugees. (2016a). Global trends forced displacement in 2015. UNHCR, Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNHCR. (2016b). Missing out: Refugee education in crisis. Geneva: UNHCR.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNHCR and IOM. (2015). Nationality, migration and statelessness in West Africa. Dakar: UNHCR Regional Office for West Africa, Dakar and International Organisation for Migration Regional Office for West and Central Africa.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2015). Trends in international migrant stock: Migrants by destination and origin (United Nations database. POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev. 2015). New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2015). WDI database. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Education Services (WES). (2017). About WES. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from http://www.wes.org/about/?

  • WUSC. (2016a). Annual Report 2015/2016. Ottawa: WUSC.

    Google Scholar 

  • WUSC. (2016b). The Canadian post-secondary education community’s response to the refugee crisis. Report on Roundtable Discussions. Ottawa: WUSC.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dakar, Senegal

    Akemi Yonemura

Authors
  1. Akemi Yonemura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Helmut Kury

  2. Vienna Liaison Office, Academic Council on the United Nations System, Wien, Austria

    Sławomir Redo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Yonemura, A. (2018). Teaching About Migrants and Refugees of West African Countries: UNESCO’s Experience and Recommendations for Educationists and Educators. In: Kury, H., Redo, S. (eds) Refugees and Migrants in Law and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72159-0_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72159-0_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-72158-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-72159-0

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation