POLICY BRIEF September 2025 REVITALISING MULTILATERALISM TO REBALANCE EU-AFRICA MIGRATION COOPERATION ABSTRACT Multilateralism is facing an acute crisis, undermined by rising nationalism, geopolitical rivalries and weaken ing commitments to international cooperation. This decline is starkly evident in migration governance between the African Union(AU) and the European Union(EU), where migration has shifted from a shared development priority to a politicised and securitised issue. The consequences are severe: weakened global conventions, humanitarian aid cuts, declining development budgets, and an erosion of trust in global frameworks such as the Global Compact for Migration(GCM) and the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Meanwhile, African stakeholders and civil society remain sidelined, reinforcing perceptions of externally imposed agendas. This Policy Brief identifies three critical challenges: the drift from shared responsibility to unilateralism, the shrinking space for African agency, and the financing crisis undermining the migration- development nexus. It argues for revitalising multilateralism through renewed commitments, inclusive governance and sustainable financing, thereby rebalancing AU-EU cooperation toward people-centred, rights-based and development-oriented migration policies that benefit both continents. AUTHORS LUKMON AKINTOLA Knowledge Associate, Global Centre for Climate Mobility STEFFEN ANGENENDT Co-founder and Partner, Migration Experts Group IN PARTNERSHIP WITH