The French Development Agency intends to promote a specific approach of migration, both internal and international. Its goal is to avoid developing specific migration projects and instead to mainstream migration issues into other development sectors: private sector development; education and employment; health; environment and climate change; urban development; rural development and food security.

In order to do so, a mainstreaming strategy has been developed and approved by the French government in 2010 “Cadre d’intervention transversal migrations internes et internationales”. Through awareness raising activities (studies on specific migration-other development sector linkages, trainings, internal events), migration issues have become more integrated into AFD operations.

Until now, issues related to diaspora, remittances, investment have been easier to integrate. More sensitization work should be done on internal migration and urbanization, migration and labour markets. One lesson learnt has been the need to gather specific evidence (at sector or country level) to convince non migration experts on the advantages to foster migration/development sectors linkages.