E/CN.4/2006/73/Add.2 page 9 namely the entitlement to travel without a visa among member countries for up to 90 days. The right of residence, which is stage two of the Protocol, related to the right to employment, has still not been made operational. Similarly the right of establishment, which is the objective of stage three, has not yet been applied. 29. None of the above-mentioned agreements has really been applied so far, any more than the Treaty setting up the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), adopted in 1994, which included the principle of the free movement of persons, services and capital. 30. It is not easy to evaluate the real nature of migration flows within the region, since most of them occur outside the framework of regional agreements on the movement of labour. Many migrants do not cross official border posts.5 This means that most migrants either enter or leave Burkina Faso without proper papers and become irregular immigrants, de facto and de jure. 31. As in other African regions, inter-State initiatives seeking dialogue and cooperation in the area of migration have tended to proliferate. In West Africa regional consultations started in 2001 with the West African Regional Ministerial Conference on the Participation of Migrants in the Development of their Countries of Origin, the main outcome of which was the adoption of the Dakar Declaration.6 32. As with other processes of this kind, regional consultations in West Africa are informal. Migration policies undoubtedly still remain a prerogative of sovereign States, despite the need to coordinate and harmonize the migration policies of countries of origin, transit and destination. C. Joint development programmes 33. Even though the definition of migration policies remains a State prerogative, there is still a need to adopt bilateral, regional and international measures to ensure a more effective management of migration. This is particularly essential for a country of strong immigration such as Burkina Faso. For several years international discussions on migration have shown the benefits of certain major initiatives, such as the establishment of observatories on international migrations, the organization of the diaspora, the promotion of productive investments, official projects and joint development programmes. 34. The key to joint development consists in a control of immigration in northern countries combined with aid for the development of countries of origin. Several programmes aim to coordinate joint development initiatives. Among these the Special Rapporteur mentions the MIDA programme (Migration for Development in Africa) for Burkina Faso, the implementation of which will depend on the financing available. 35. The MIDA programme, under the aegis of the IOM, was set up at the initiative of 20 countries meeting in Libreville in April 2001. The aim of the project is to match know-how requirements with the skills of volunteer migrants in African countries. In the beneficiary countries of the project, the authorities have to appoint a national correspondent who will be responsible for establishing contacts with the bodies concerned (whether ministries, universities, enterprises or associations). In the host countries, a coordinator is responsible for