The Association of Senegalese Departments (ADS) Relaunches the International Forum of Territories on Migration

Initially scheduled for December 2025, the event will finally take place on 14 and 15 December 2026 in the Senegalese capital. It will provide a leading international platform to examine how regional governments around the world are addressing and managing contemporary migration challenges.

The Association of Senegalese Departments (ADS), with the support of ORU Fogar, has officially announced the relaunch of the first International Forum of Territories on Migration (FITM). While the choice of Dakar as the host city gives this edition particular significance –Senegal lies at the crossroads of routes of emigration, transit, return and reception– the event has a resolutely global ambition. Its aim is to bring together regional executives, departments and local governments from all continents to rethink the global governance of human mobility from a territorial perspective.

In the face of the profound transformations shaping our time, the Forum will address migration dynamics –whether driven by economic, climate-related, humanitarian or family factors– moving beyond a strictly reactive approach towards a forward-looking perspective.

At the international level, the exponential growth in human mobility and cross-border flows demonstrates that migration policies are no longer the sole responsibility of central states. On the front line of socio-economic realities, regions and intermediate governments are best placed to anticipate these flows, mitigate the impacts of crises, support the integration of populations and harness the invaluable potential of diasporas.

In particular, mobilizing diasporas and channelling their resources towards productive investment will be one of the central themes of the Forum. Remittances from these communities, which often exceed official development assistance, flow directly into territories of origin, financing housing, healthcare, education and entrepreneurial projects capable of generating sustainable employment.

Held under the high patronage of the Government of Senegal, the programme will feature plenary sessions and opening conferences focusing on the role and legitimacy of regions in managing migration flows, job creation and decentralized cooperation mechanisms. Participatory workshops will then provide an opportunity to co-develop concrete roadmaps and adopt the Dakar Declaration, laying the foundations for an ongoing global dialogue among regions.

A Prelude: The Social and Solidarity Economy Fair in Kaolack

Ahead of this major gathering, on 12 and 13 December 2026, the department of Kaolack, led by ADS president Ahmed Youssouf Bengelloune, will host the first edition of its Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) Fair.

Conceived as a key preparatory event, the fair will showcase endogenous development models based on handicrafts, agri-food processing, women's empowerment and youth employment and inclusion.

Through exhibition spaces, B2B professional meetings and practical workshops, the event will provide a concrete platform for creating opportunities, demonstrating the capacity of territories to build inclusive and resilient local economies before opening the broader international debate on migration in Dakar.