Malta among 16 states to sustain job creation in migrant transit countries

Sixteen countries have pledged to sustain local communities of African transit countries by investing in relevant regions and creating new job opportunities, in the plight to manage migration flow.

During a ministerial conference entitled “A shared responsibility for a common goal: solidarity and security”, held in Rome, ministers from eight European Union member states, including Malta, and eight African countries adopted a joint declaration that sets out a number of actions to be jointly implemented in order to achieve a cooperative, integrated approach towards migration flow management.

The joint declaration aims at sustaining and supporting initiatives to address migrant smuggling, to mitigate the suffering of migrants stranded in transit countries, and to support local host communities and the efforts of the local authorities, together with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations’ Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Participants at the Ministerial Conference on Migration in Rome

Outlining a number of measures, the ministers agreed to investing the relevant regions within African transit countries by creating new job opportunities for the local population, especially women and the young. They also pledged to support hosting communities, with regard to rural development, food and nutrition security, health, education and social protection.

According to the declaration, the 16 countries will also focus on increasing international mobilisation in the fight against smugglers and human trafficking networks by building on existing instruments, notably the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, and supporting national capabilities in transit countries.

Additionally, the countries will work to protect migrants and refugees by increasing the capacity of IOM and UNHCR, as well as host governments, to assist migrants and refugees in Transit countries, while improving the existing channels of regular migration.

The declaration was signed by the ministers of foreign affairs and development cooperation and other representatives of Malta, Algeria, Austria, Chad, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, The Netherlands, Niger, Spain, Sudan, and Tunisia, as well as the Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR and the Director General of IOM.