iom regional strategy west and central africa 2014 - 2016 · integrated border management and risk...

3R e g i o n a l S t ra t e g y f o r We s t a n d C e n t ra l A f r i c a 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 6

Executive summary ...................................................................................3

Introduction ..............................................................................................5

1. IOM strategic approach ......................................................................................52. IOM in West and Central Africa .........................................................................63. Migration trends in West and Central Africa ..................................................6

Key areas of intervention .........................................................................8

1. Migration policy development and inter-state dialogue ................................82. Labour migration and development ..................................................................93. Migrant assistance and protection ....................................................................104. Physical, mental and social well-being

of migrants and communities ............................................................................115. Integrated border management and risk analysis .........................................126. Preparedness to respond to migration crises ................................................13

Table of contents

The way forward .................................................................14

IOM Country Offices ....................................................15

Countries covered:

West Africa: Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, SierraLeone, Togo. Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome & Principe.

4 R e g i o n a l S t ra t e g y f o r We s t a n d C e n t ra l A f r i c a 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 6

More than 230 million people resided outside their home country in 20131, and there is no longer a single statethat can claim to be untouched by human mobility. Migration is a key dimension of both globalization anddevelopment, and international migration has become one of the foremost topics of the 21st century.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has a lead role at the global level on migration managementactivities. Its Regional Office for West and Central Africa, based in Dakar, covers 23 countries and 5 regionaleconomic communities.

Migration across West and Central Africa is illustrated through varied patterns and flows, in turn, highlightimportant challenges, included the lack of migration data, weak border management and controls, lack ofharmonized migration management plans, recurrent need of humanitarian assistance, irregular migration andhuman trafficking, and the overall increasing vulnerability of migrants.

The region is prone to chronic humanitarian crises linked to conflict and environmental conditions which leadto widespread population displacement within the region. The current situation represents not only a challengefor the affected countries but also for the region as a whole. Likewise, it is a challenge for IOM and its partnersto develop policy and address operational migration challenges at the regional and national level.

This Regional Strategy aims to provide a strategic framework for responding to the particular challenges andopportunities faced in the region. Taking into account the dynamic nature of migration and the regional context,this strategy identifies the key areas of intervention for 2014/2016 as:

• Migration policy development and inter-state dialogue;• Labour migration and development;• Migrant assistance and protection;• Physical, mental and social well-being of migrants and communities;• Integrated border management and risk analysis;• Preparedness to respond to migration crises.

The overall objective remains to uphold the rights and meet the needs of migrants, harness the benefits ofmigration, address its challenges and constraints, mitigate the associated risks, and govern migration. The strategyis based on the IOM Strategic approach which emphasizes the importance of facilitating human and orderlymigration for the benefit all.

Executive summary

1 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, September 2013.

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Established in 1951, the International Organization

for Migration is the principal intergovernmental

organization in the field of migration. Currently, IOM

counts 155 member states. A further 11 states hold

observer status, as do numerous international and

nongovernmental organizations. IOM’s programme

budget for 2012 exceeds USD 1.2 billion, funding over

2,300 active programmes and more than 7,800 staff

members serving in more than 470 field offices in

more than a hundred countries.

1. IOM strategic approach

The primary goal of IOM is to facilitate the orderly

and humane management of migration. Building on its

expertise and experience, IOM strives to address in

a comprehensive way the challenges of migration,

highlighting its development potential while

minimizing its negative effects.

To achieve that goal, IOM focuses on the following

activities, acting at the request of, or in agreement

with, Member States2:

Introduction

2 MC/INF/287, IOM Strategy: Council Resolution n°1150 (XCIII) and Annex.

1. To provide secure, reliable, flexible and cost-effectiveservices for persons who require internationalmigration assistance.

2. To enhance the humane and orderly management ofmigration and the effective respect for the humanrights of migrants in accordance with international law.

3. To offer expert advice, research, technical cooperationand operational assistance to States, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizationsand other stakeholders, in order to build nationalcapacities and facilitate international, regional andbilateral cooperation on migration matters.

4. To contribute to the economic and socialdevelopment of States through research, dialogue,design and implementation of migration-relatedprogrammes aimed at maximizing migration’sbenefits.

5. To support States, migrants and communities inaddressing the challenges of irregular migration, includingthrough research and analysis into root causes, sharinginformation and spreading best practices, as well asfacilitating development-focused solutions.

6. To be a primary reference point for migrationinformation, research, best practices, data collection,compatibility and sharing.

7. To promote, facilitate and support regional andglobal debate and dialogue on migration, includingthrough the International Dialogue on Migration, soas to advance understanding of the opportunitiesand challenges it presents, the identification anddevelopment of effective policies for addressingthose challenges and to identify comprehensiveapproaches and measures for advancinginternational cooperation.

8. To assist States to facilitate the integration ofmigrants in their new environment and to engageDiasporas, including as development partners.

9. To participate in coordinated humanitarianresponses in the context of inter-agencyarrangements in this field and to provide migrationservices in other emergency or post-crisis situationsas appropriate and as relates to the needs ofindividuals, thereby contributing to their protection.

10. To undertake programmes which facilitate thevoluntary return and reintegration of refugees, dis-placed persons, migrants and other individuals inneed of international migration services, incooperation with other relevant internationalorganizations as appropriate, and taking into accountthe needs and concerns of local communities.

11. To assist States in the development and delivery ofprogrammes, studies and technical expertise oncombating migrant smuggling and trafficking inpersons, in particular women and children, in amanner consistent with international law.

12. To support the efforts of States in the area oflabour migration, in particular short-termmovements, and other types of circular migration.

R e g i o n a l S t ra t e g y f o r We s t a n d C e n t ra l A f r i c a 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 6

IOM aims to continue its role as the leadingmigration agency, strengthening its capacity to servemigrants and member states, and increasinggovernment and public recognition of thecontribution of migrants to society.


2. IOM in West and CentralAfrica

The IOM Regional Office was established in 1998 inDakar, Senegal, and covers 23 countries3 and 5regional economic communities:

• Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS – 15 countries);

• West African Economic and Monetary Union(WAEMU – 8 countries);

• Economic Community of Central African States(ECCAS – 10 countries);

• Central African Economic and MonetaryCommunity (CAEMC – 6 countries);

• Mano River Union (MRU – 4 countries).

IOM’s budget accounted for 46 million USD in 2013,spread across the 2 regions. IOM’s projects arealigned with global, regional, country and mission levelstrategies and delivered in partnership with memberstates, developmental and humanitarian partners,regional economic communities and civil societyorganizations.

IOM Regional Office participates in the UNDevelopment Group for West and Central Africa, theSubregional Coordination Mechanism for the UNsupport to the African Union, the New Partnershipfor Africa’s Development in among others. At nationallevel, IOM is also part of the UN Country Teams andthe UN Development Assistance Frameworks.

3. Migration trends in Westand Central Africa

Migration in the region is characterized by:

• Dynamic migratory patterns and a long history ofintra-regional as well as inter-regional migrationflows. West Africa provides the strongest exampleof intra-regional migration flows in sub-SaharanAfrica, with 70% of migratory movements takingplace within the sub-region mainly linked toemployment;

• In recent years, irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa towards Europe, and between West

and Central Africa, hassubstantially increased. States,previously considered ascountries of origin, arebecoming transit anddestination countries withirregular migration featuringprominently in the politicalagendas of most of thegovernments;

• Labour migration plays animportant role, facilitated tosome extent through theexistence of free movementprotocols;

• Unaccompanied migrantchildren are a commonfeature, often at risk ofabuse, exploitation ortrafficking;

3 All of which are IOM Member States except Sao Tome & Principe and Equatorial Guinea.

WEST AFRICA

About 8.4 million migrants, representing 2.8%t of the total population , movearound West Africa (UN DESA, 2009). This is the largest total migrant stock inAfrica and move either internally, intra-regional, continental or internationally.West Africa also concentrates the highest number of intra-regional migrants andto a lesser extent, migrants towards Northern Africa and Europe.

Labour mobility has significantly increased over the last decade. Following theregional economic integration and economic cooperation, a growing number ofWest Africans leave their home country in search of better opportunities.Estimations indicate that south-south migration within the region accounts formore than half of the migratory movements (UNDP, 2009).

Countries in the Sahel region have received a large influx of returnees as well asarms from Libya. Visible effects of these destabilizing elements are in Mali, but itsneighbouring countries have also been affected. The situation in northern Malihas led to the displacement of people internally and regionally with consequencesfor regional migration, border management and for community stabilization.Niger is also witnessing the arrival of migrants from the region attempting toreach Libya and being expelled at the border, and also returnees who are fleeingthe insecurity in northern Nigeria.

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• Several factors highlight the needto mitigate the impact of migrationon health in the region, includinghigh levels of internal and cross-border migration with highprevalence of communicablediseases, weak public healthcaresystem and policy frameworks,weak or non-existent cross bordercooperation and collaborationmechanisms on migration andhealth, and lack of data on mobilityand health;

• Cultural and ethnic groups arefrequently split by borders, andGovernments face challenges inmanaging international boundariesrespecting the cross bordercommunities;

• Border management is oftenperceived as an exclusively nationalcompetence and responsibility. The resultingfragmentation in national approaches hascontributed to mismatching and often incompatibleborder management systems and practices forcountries in the region;

• Droughts, desertification, deforestation, rising sealevel, coastal erosion and flooding have increased inoccurrence and severity over the last few decades.Natural disasters displace millions ofpeople throughout the region;

• Conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côted’Ivoire, Mali, Central African Republicand Nigeria hit the region over the lastdecade. Mali, the Central AfricanRepublic and Chad are currently themain countries of origin of refugees andinternally displaced persons;

• The Libyan crisis provoked emergencyreturns of more than 200,000 migrants,destabilizing the Sub-Saharan region.


CENTRAL AFRICAConflicts inevitably cause population displacement. As intraregionalmobility is limited by the dense vegetation and the lack of inter-connecting roads, the majority of the migrants move to other Africanregions or Europe.

The ECCAS has a Protocol of free movement and the right ofestablishment of its citizens. While some measures facilitating the freemovement of ECCAS citizens are in place, free movement andestablishment has not been a priority for ECCAS Member States.

Besides, the oil windfall and the lumber industry have transformedcountries such as Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, into countries ofdestination, with Gabon hosting the largest number of migrant workersin Central Africa.

The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic has led to thedisplacement of people internally and regionally. Large and long-standingrefugees from Central African Republic are in Chad, Cameroon and theRepublic of Congo. Chad also witnesses the arrival of migrants from theregion attempting to reach Libya and being expelled at the border,returnees fleeing the insecurity in northern Nigeria as well as returneesand refugees fleeing the inter-communal clashes in Sudan and the crisisin the Central African Republic.

This put an extra burden on communities of origin,notably in Chad and Niger;

• Security has deteriorated lately, showing that Statesare generally poor-prepared/equipped bothindividually and collectively to manage crises. TheSahel and Nigeria are notably affected by terroristactivities.


The IOM Regional Office for West and Central Africa,in collaboration with its country offices, is engagedwith national governments and regional institutionsin six key strategic areas.

1. Migration policy developmentand inter-state dialogue

Strengthening the intra-regionaldialogue

In West Africa, governance of migration is hampered byan insufficient level of dialogue between the regionalinstitution and its Member States. For this purpose, in2000 the Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA)was created by ECOWAS in cooperation with IOM.

Coordination problems among regional and nationalpolicies also exist in Central Africa which led ECCASMember States to request to establish a migration dialogueprocess. A regional conference on migration was organizedby ECCAS and IOM in 2012. The conference culminatedin draft recommendations for the establishment of aMigration Dialogue for Central African States (MIDCAS).

In West Africa, IOM provides technical support forthe strengthening of the MIDWA as a regionalconsultative process on migration (RCP) under theleadership of the ECOWAS Commission andECOWAS Member States, and support theoperational structure of MIDWA.

In Central Africa, IOM supports the establishmentand operational structure of the MIDCAS as the firstRCP on migration in Central Africa under theleadership of the ECCAS Commission and ECCASMember States.

Supporting both platforms, IOM aims to strengthen thecontribution of ECOWAS and ECCAS Member Statesto the global dialogue on migration, and in particularto the Global Forum on Migration and Developmentand the UN High Level Dialogue on Migration.

Strengthening migration datamanagement

Despite the extent of migration dynamics in the region,there is little data on migration both at national and regionallevel. Existing data is often poorly managed and not linkedto policy choices. Indeed, research capacities are quitelimited to produce the necessary evidence for coherent andcomprehensive policies. As a result, the migration policiesadopted do not rely on evidence-based instruments.

IOM supports the development of national andregional migration profiles; facilitate the establishmentof inter-departmental mechanisms at governmentlevel to collect and manage data; and train the keynational institutions and departments at regional levelon migration data management.

Strengthening national migrationpolicy development

Whilst several countries have expressed their willingnessto engage in the process of drafting and endorsingnational policies on migration or have requested externalassistance to do so, the ECOWAS and ECCAS States donot have yet comprehensive national migration policies inplace defining the strategic framework and the division ofresponsibilities between the various national stakeholdersinvolved in migration management. National frameworksare still defined by the legislation regulating specific sub-sectors (immigration, refugee protection, trafficking, labour,etc.). This situation raises incoherence between nationalinstruments, especially since the coordination between thevarious institutions involved remains generally weak.

Key areas of intervention

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At national level, IOM supports the development ofmigration policy frameworks through:

• The establishment of inter-governmental migrationworking groups or taskforces;

• The drafting of national Migration Policydocuments;

• Training in key areas of migration management;• The integration of migration into other national

policies.

At regional level, IOM works together withECOWAS to develop and assist in theimplementation of a new regional migration policyframework. It also supports the ECOWAS CommonApproach on Migration, as well as the ECCAS andECOWAS protocols on free movement.

At African level, IOM organize capacity building andawareness-raising campaigns on the African UnionMigration Policy Framework for Africa.

2. Labour migration anddevelopment

Supporting regional economicintegration and free movementprocesses

Free movement frameworks exist for both West Africa andCentral Africa and yet, full implementation remains achallenge. This is particularly affecting the rights ofresidence and establishment, which are at the core of thefacilitation of regional labour mobility. Restrictiveimmigration policies, notably for migrant workers, stillapply.

IOM aims at strengthening the capacities of theRegional Economic Communities and their memberstates to address obstacles to regional labourmobility, including through the harmonization ofnational legislations and the development ofmechanisms for the mutual recognition ofqualifications and skills. IOM supports States todevelop and implement bilateral labour migrationagreements. Improving potential migrants’ access toinformation on the possibilities and procedures forlegal labour migration within and outside the regionis essential to facilitate their mobility.

Protecting migrant workers andtheir families

Protecting the rights of migrant workers and their familiesas well as their access to appropriate social protection isa key issue in both regions. Many undocumented migrantsface great difficulty in accessing social protection systems.Several countries have ratified the UN Convention on therights of migrant workers and their families, and it isimportant to underline that these rights and obligationsapply both to their own migrants abroad and towardsmigrant workers in their country.

Although international instruments are developed toprotect migrant workers’ rights, the ratification andimplementation of these instruments remains a challengein most countries.

IOM promotes the ratification of internationalconventions on migrants’ rights and supports thegovernments in the actual implementation. Thisincludes support for the review and development ofnational legislation, capacity building of governmentagents, as well as information and sensitizationcampaigns towards migrants and civil societyorganizations.

Enhancing the positive impact ofmigration on development

The development impact of labour mobility between thesouthern and northern hemispheres is widely recognized.However, the impact of south-south labour mobility isoften disregarded.

The impacts of both phenomena need to be capitalizedon and integrated into policy and legislative frameworks,as well as promoted through practical incentives. Forinstance, sending remittances between countries of the



region can be more expensive than north-south transfers.Besides, due to lack of proper channels, the cost ofinformal transfers is much higher.

The challenge of brain-drain is also a reality for south –south labor mobility. Increasing capacity in the countriesof origin will help compensate for emigrating highly skilledworkers, as well as the mobilization of the skills andcapacities of diaspora in favor of their home countries.

An efficient labour migration policy can relieveunemployment pressure, notably youth unemployment,and contribute to development through channelingremittances, transfer of know-how, and the creation ofbusiness and trade networks.

IOM supports States in developing strategies toactively engage their diaspora in local and nationaldevelopment initiatives.

IOM encourages the transfer of skills through thetemporary or virtual return of qualified nationals andpromotes mechanisms to channel and maximize theimpact of migrant workers’ remittances.

3. Migrant assistance andprotection

Enhancing cooperation andcapacities of key stakeholders inproviding protection measures tovulnerable migrants

The majority of international and regional instrumentsagainst trafficking in persons have been ratified by themajority of countries in the region. Nevertheless, some ofthe national laws recently adopted are often partial, law

enforcement and judiciary authorities often lack thenecessary tools to criminalize traffickers. Many of themare unaware of their crucial role in identifying victims andaddressing their first needs. Shelter structures and civilsociety organizations do not often comply with minimumstandards to ensure legal guardianship of children hosted,and cooperate among themselves on an ad hoc basis andthrough informal channels. Moreover, the majority of legalframeworks addresses exclusively the child traffickingphenomena and leave aside adult women and menvictims of trafficking.

In addition, the situation of stranded migrants is aproblematic issue. Little data is available regarding thescope of the phenomenon and its root causes, let aloneits legal definition, and little information exists on thehuman rights challenges that stranded migrants face. Theyare more vulnerable to discrimination, particularly inrelation to their access to basic services. IOM offices havewitnessed an increasing number of referrals fromgovernments, partners and migrants themselves, oftenstranded and in dire conditions and asking for assistanceto return to their countries of origin, in the region andoutside the region.

IOM sets the foundations for the establishment ofeffective referral systems among national andinternational counterparts in dealing with directassistance and protection to people on the move,either victims of trafficking, asylum seekers, refugees,smuggled or stranded migrants.

IOM has built local partnerships for the assistance tovictims of trafficking and now aims to institutionalizethese networks and giving them the opportunity toenlarge the protection spectrum to all vulnerablemigrants. IOM coordinates the stakeholder’s effortsand contributes to build capacities in providingprotection for people on the move through a regionalassistance network and referral system.

Fostering effective reintegrationof returning migrants

Effective reintegration of returning migrants via theAssisted Voluntary Return and reintegration (AVRR)programmes is a priority for the region, which receiveslarge numbers of returning migrants from overseas anddue to migration crises (Ivory Coast, Libya, Central AfricanRepublic). Family tracing, return and reintegration ofunaccompanied minors are part of these importantactivities.

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Through the enhancement of national partnershipsand cooperation, IOM encourages the implementationof socio-economic reintegration options in countriesof origin to returning migrants using a homogeneousand integrated approach which promotes sustainabilityand self-reliance. Countries of origin receive returningmigrants from different destination countries and applydifferent assistance modalities and reintegrationpackages at the request of the diverse host countries.A country of origin approach should be implementedto be able to provide the same standards of assistanceto migrants returning to the same village or region andto foster better integration within existing socio-economic contexts.

Identifying the most appropriateprotection measures for childrenon the move (unaccompanied andseparated children)

West and Central Africa is characterized by high intra-regional mobility of unaccompanied minors. Often lookingfor better socio-economic opportunities and education,children move independently within the region andsometimes face exploitation.

One of the top priorities is to enhance inter-statecooperation and capacities of service providers andcommunities alike in order to protect children on themove and rescue them from exploitation in line withinternational standards and best practices.

IOM participates in a regional working group on childmobility where both international, regionalorganizations and NGOs gather to analyze regionalchild mobility trends and possible protectionresponses.

Through increased cooperation at national andregional level, IOM promotes the identification ofeffective protective measures for children on themove. These measures should involve at least theidentification of legal guardians in both host andorigin countries as well as working for the mostsuitable durable solutions in line with best interestof the child.

4. Physical, mental and socialwell-being of migrantsand communities

Integrating health component inall emergency responses in theregion

Cholera, diarrhea, pneumonia, meningitis, measles, HIV,tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseasesare common in the region due to recurrent food crises,conflicts, natural disasters, weak health systems, and highlevel of population mobility. They contribute to increasepopulations’ physical, mental and psychosocial vulnerability.

IOM develop and implement programmes inemergency response situations to contribute toimprove physical mental and social well-being ofmigrants and host communities.

Strengthening of health humanresources

Most countries in the region face human resources forhealth shortages. Most countries also have substantialnumbers of health professionals living in the diaspora andpotentially willing to contribute to the development of thehealth sector of their country of origin.

IOM supports the virtual, temporary or permanentreturn of health professionals in the diaspora throughhealth professionals’ diaspora mapping, healthprofessionals’ needs assessment in the countries oforigin, and the development of national DiasporaEngagement Strategies.



Promoting equitable access tohealth services for mobilepopulations

Although migration in itself is not a risk-factor for health,conditions surrounding the migration process (e.g. lack ofhygiene or poor nutrition) amplify migrants’ vulnerability,in particular for irregular migrants and InternallyDisplaced Persons (IDP). Migrants often lack access tohealth and social services, despite their high potential tosuffer health risks deriving from exploitation, dangerousworking and substandard living conditions.

IOM supports States to formulate healthprogrammes and policies to address health inequitiesand barriers affecting migrants and mobilepopulations in transit and destination communities.

5. Integrated bordermanagement and riskanalysis

West and Central Africa region is faced with strongregional security and economic considerations calling foreffective and humane border management. Borderauthorities, however, in many of the countries in the regionlack the resources and means, including up-to-datetechnical knowledge and skills, to effectively perform theirduties. Moreover, border management has often beenperceived by governments as an exclusively nationalcompetence and responsibility. The resulting fragmentationin the national approaches to border management hasled to mismatching and often incompatible systems andpractices for neighboring countries within the region.

Enhancing border management

IOM aims to enhance national and regional capacitiesfor effective border management, inter alia, throughthe installation and use of automated BorderManagement Information Systems, namely IOM’sMigration Data Analysis System (MIDAS). The systemaddresses the need of collecting and analysing data atthe national level and offers the possibility of analysingand exchanging data. One of the intended long termgoals is the complete automation of the externalborders of the region with border managementinformation system and harmonized data collectionand analysis procedures.

Strengthening the skills andknowledge of border officials

Building effective migration management capacitiesrequires regular and continuous training.

Developing regional training curricula for borderofficials aimed at harmonizing border managementpractices for all ECOWAS and ECCAS states hasbeen identified as a regional priority in an effort toset the standards, establish best practices andprocedures.

Enhancing intelligence functions forimmigration officers and agencies

The role of intelligence functions for immigration officersand other border management agencies have often beenoverlooked and under resourced in the region. Reinforcingintelligence functions can in turn play a crucial role inaddressing challenges relating to irregular migration, andcross border criminality based on assessed risks.

IOM supports the governments and regionalinstitutions to reinforce intelligence functions, assessand analyze risks to reduce irregular migration andcontribute towards prevention cross border crimes.With this approach, reinforced intelligence functionswill also be able to serve early warning purposes incase of large scale cross border displacements,refugee movements as well as in case of human oranimal epidemics.

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6. Preparedness to respondto migration crises

IOM developed the concept of a “migration crisis” tocapture the complex human mobility patterns thatemerge from crises. The concept offers an analyticallens for understanding crises, for identifying gaps andfor improving responses in general4. The ultimate goalof the framework is to help people to provide themwith adequate assistance and protection andultimately uphold their human rights and dignity.

Building resilience at communitylevel in the Sahel region

The food and nutrition crises in the Sahel coupled withhigh population growth, environmental degradation andrecurrent natural disasters, are growing in frequency andseverity. Creating resilience, and an enabling environmentfor sustainable growth, requires supporting communitiesto acquire adaptive capacities to resist, absorb, andrecover from future shocks and stresses, and to avoidforced displacement of populations in particular.

IOM supports small community stabilizationinterventions (alternative livelihoods andreintegration support, income generating initiatives,small community projects) and capacity building oflocal authorities in areas of high return of migrantsand internally displaced persons (IDP) to increase theresilience of the overall population. IOM is part ofthe UN Regional Resilience Inter Agency Task Forcefor the Sahel, and also supports the UN IntegratedStrategy for the Sahel.

Strengthening national andregional capacities to collectreliable data on populationmovements

The conflicts in Côte d’Ivoire, Libya, Mali and Central AfricaRepublic have prompted complex population movementsand have spread people internally and across borderscreating regional migration crises. These crisescompounded large influxes of IDP, returnees, refugees, andplacing additional strain on weak economies with limitedbasic social services and livelihood opportunities. It is nowurgent to increase national and regional capacities totrack the displaced people and to identify the needs inorder to deliver efficient and effective assistance toaffected populations.

IOM supports the development of standardized datamanagement, analysis and mapping tools to collectreliable data on population movements andintentions in order to prevent, plan and respondaccording to their needs. Additionally IOM isexpanding its communication with communitiesprograming in the region in order to reach out andreceive feedback from target communities.

Increasing national preparednessfor the management of displacedpopulations

Partnerships between national authorities andhumanitarian agencies are necessary to reduce theincidence of forced migration and to manage the situationof displaced populations.

IOM, as the global cluster lead for Camp Coordinationand Camp Management in natural disasters (Inter-Agency Standing Committee), and following the rollout of the IOM Migration Crisis OperationalFramework, assists governments in the region inmanaging displaced populations according tointernational standards, providing adequate protectionand access to basic services.


4 The IOM Migration Crisis Operational Framework was approved at IOM’s 101st Council in November 2012 (MC/2355),trough the adoption of Resolution n°1243.


The IOM Regional Strategy is a three years strategic framework for the West and Central Africa region. IOM will

review it annually to ensure its compliance with emerging issues and priorities in the region.

The Regional Strategy is designed to build on the past endeavours of IOM in the region as well as to develop

new initiatives to support targeted population groups (IDPs, refugees, returnees, migrants, etc.). The goal of IOM

is to build local, national and regional capacities to effectively and humanely manage migration and to ensure and

promote local, national, and regional ownership of the projects’ results implemented with the support of IOM.

Through the Regional Strategy, IOM will strengthen its engagement and collaboration with the Civil Society

Organizations and strive to be gender-sensitive by taking into consideration the specific needs of women and

men in its outreach with partners and in its projects. It will also give particular attention to youth needs in relation

to the emerging demographic trends environmental issues, vulnerability of countries in the region due to conflict

and natural disasters, and in line with the Human Rights Based Approach, IOM will promote and strengthen the

protection of human rights of migrants.

IOM looks forward to continue to work with its partners for responding to the migration's challenges and

opportunities faced in the West and Central Africa region.

Please consult the IOM Website for West and Central Africa for updates and additional information:

www.rodakar.iom.int

The way forward

15R e g i o n a l S t ra t e g y f o r We s t a n d C e n t ra l A f r i c a 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 6

IOM Country OfficesBENINLot 1 Patte d'Oiec/o UNHCR - Cotonou03 BP 1394 Jericho Tel : +229 6602 1443

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