The Middle East and North Africa Migration - Annual Report 2014

8/20/2019 The Middle East and North Africa Migration - Annual Report 2014

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The Middle East and North Africa


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The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do

not necessarily reect the views of the Internaonal Organizaon for

Migraon (IOM). The designaons employed and the presentaon

of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any

opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of

any country, territory, city or area, or of its authories, or concerning its

froners or boundaries.

IOM is commied to the principle that humane and orderly migraon

benets migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organizaon,

IOM acts with its partners in the internaonal community to: assist in

meeng the operaonal challenges of migraon; advance understanding

of migraon issues; encourage social and economic development

through migraon; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of

migrants.

Publisher: Internaonal Organizaon for Migraon

17 route des Morillons

P.O. Box 171211 Geneva 19

Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 717 9111

Fax: +41 22 798 6150

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.iom.int

© 2015 Internaonal Organizaon for Migraon (IOM)

All rights reserved. No part of this publicaon may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmied in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without

the prior wrien permission of the publisher.

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Table of contents

Cover photo: Young Syrian refugees perform a tradional dance forInternaonal Women’s Day at Basirma Camp, Iraq. © IOM 2014.

The year in review: Migraon in the Middle East

and North Africa in 2014 ........................................................................

IOM in brief ............................................................................................

1. Responding to migraon crises

and providing durable soluons .........................................................

2. Addressing complex irregular migraon

and protecng migrants’ rights ..........................................................

3. Promong safe and regular migraon and coherent

migraon governance .........................................................................

4. Connecng migraon and development ............................................

5. Research and publicaons: 2014 highlights ........................................

Key stascs for IOM’s acvies in the Middle East

and North Africa for 2014 ......................................................................


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The Middle Eastand North Africa

Annual Report 2014


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2 ANNUAL REPORT 2014

The year in review: Migration in the Middle East and North Africa in 2014Jordan and Turkey.3 In addion, non-Syrians connued to leave

the country, in parcular Lebanese naonals who struggled

to reintegrate into already overburdened Lebanon. Further

complicang the situaon in the Levant, violence blighted Iraq

for most of the year following advances by the Islamic State of

Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which displaced more than 2 million

people within Iraq by the end of 2014.4

3 See hp://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php (accessed 20 January

2015).4 According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix; IOM Iraq Situaon Report No. 12

(7 December 2014). See hp://iomiraq.net/dtm-page

The migrant boat adri in the Mediterranean has come to

symbolize the complex migraon dynamics characterizing

the Middle East and North Africa in 2014. More than 170,000

migrants landed in Italy alone throughout 2014,1 almost four

mes the gure for 2013. Approximately a quarter of those

arriving in Italy were Syrian refugees, followed by Eritreans as

the second largest group; however, migrants originated from

many parts of the region including Egypt and the Occupied

Palesnian Territory, as well as from sub-Saharan Africa and

beyond. The year also saw a dramac increase in the number

of minors migrang on their own. At least 3,500 migrants died

in shipwrecks, making the Mediterranean the world’s deadliest

border.2

The men, women and children on the boats embodied theconicts, crises, and polical and economic instability aicng

the region and its neighbourhood. The war in the Syrian Arab

Republic, then in its fourth year, connued unabated with dire

humanitarian consequences: 7.6 million people were internally

displaced at the end of 2014, while more than 3.7 million

Syrians had ed across the border, principally to Lebanon,

1 According to stascs collected by the Government of Italy’s Ministry of Interior;

see IOM Press Brieng Note, available from www.iom.int/news/migrant-arrivals-

sea-italy-top-170000-2014 (16 January 2015).2 IOM, Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost during Migraon (Geneva, 2014).

http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.phphttp://iomiraq.net/dtm-pagehttp://www.iom.int/news/migrant-arrivals-sea-italy-top-170000-2014http://www.iom.int/news/migrant-arrivals-sea-italy-top-170000-2014http://www.iom.int/news/migrant-arrivals-sea-italy-top-170000-2014http://www.iom.int/news/migrant-arrivals-sea-italy-top-170000-2014http://iomiraq.net/dtm-pagehttp://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php


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3ANNUAL REPORT 2014

of 2011, IOM esmates that at the end of 2014 more than

150,000 migrant workers remained in Libya, many of whom

were highly vulnerable.8 The insecurity in Libya also facilitated

the work of people smugglers and trackers, evident from the

fact that most boats aempng to cross the Mediterranean

reportedly departed from the Libyan coast. Tunisia and

Morocco also witnessed irregular, mixed migraon, whether

of Libyans and foreigners eeing neighbouring Libya, in

rescuing boats deparng from the Libyan coast, or in

responding to the thousands of stranded migrants in the

north of Morocco as they tried to reach the Spanish enclaves.

Migraon in the region, however, cannot be explained by

crises alone: demand for labour and the search for livelihoods,

jobs and opportunity connued to propel regular and irregular

movements to, within and from the region. Countries havealso pursued new migraon policies, among them Morocco,

which launched an unprecedented set of reforms and a year-

long regularizaon campaign which granted residence permits

to over 17,000 migrants (from 27,000 applicaons) present in

the country.9 n

8 IOM Libya Situaon Report (8 January 2015). Available from hps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdf

9 I. Marn, “Ten years aerwards, is Morocco an immigraon trailblazer again?” (Migraon Policy Centre, 25 February 2015). Available from hps://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/

Internal displacement and the return of internally displaced

persons connued in parallel in Sudan, which also felt the

repercussions of conicts in its neighbourhood: Sudanese

migrants ed ghng in the Central African Republic, Chad,

Libya and the Syrian Arab Republic, while by the end of 2014,

nearly 120,000 South Sudanese had crossed the border into

Sudan.5 Meanwhile, Yemen’s migraon situaon was shaped

by internal displacement, return of Yemenis from Saudi Arabia

who numbered close to 500,000 at the end of the year6 and

arrival of migrants from the Horn of Africa. Migrants from the

Horn, mainly Ethiopians and Somalis on their way to Saudi

Arabia and other Gulf countries, totalled more than 91,000,

represenng a 40 per cent increase compared with the

numbers in 2013. At least 250 migrants perished in the Gulf

of Aden.7

Libya, which had not regained stability since the 2011 conict,

saw renewed violence and a disintegraon of polical

authority. Although not comparable in scale to the events

5 IOM Situaon Report: Regional Response to South Sudan Crisis (4 January 2015)

and IOM Sudan Humanitarian Summary 2014; available from www.iom.int/les/

live/sites/iom/les/Country/docs/IOM-Sudan-Humanitarian-Summary-2014.pdf 6 IOM Yemen, Yemeni Migrant Snapshot (November 2014 update), gure for 2014

only.7 RMMS map (January 2015); IOM Press Brieng Note (14 November 2014), available

from www.iom.int/news/thousands-yemeni-migrant-workers-return-saudi-arabia

https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdfhttps://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Sudan-Humanitarian-Summary-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Sudan-Humanitarian-Summary-2014.pdfhttp://www.iom.int/news/thousands-yemeni-migrant-workers-return-saudi-arabiahttp://www.iom.int/news/thousands-yemeni-migrant-workers-return-saudi-arabiahttp://www.iom.int/news/thousands-yemeni-migrant-workers-return-saudi-arabiahttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Sudan-Humanitarian-Summary-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Sudan-Humanitarian-Summary-2014.pdfhttps://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/ten-years-afterwards-is-morocco-an-immigration-trailblazer-again/https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Libya-Situation-Report-08-January-2015.pdf


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IOM in brief Established in 1951, the Internaonal Organizaon for

Migraon (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organizaonin the eld of migraon and is commied to the principle

that humane and orderly migraon benets migrants and

society. IOM works with its partners in the internaonal

community to assist in meeng the growing operaonalchallenges of migraon, advance understanding of migraon

issues, encourage social and economic development throughmigraon, and uphold the well-being and human rights of

migrants. The IOM Constuon gives explicit recognion to

the link between migraon and economic, social and cultural

development, as well as to the principle of freedom of

movement of persons.

Globally, IOM has 157 Member States and 10 Observer States,

as well as close to 9,000 sta working on over 2,300 projectsin more than 480 oces. In the Middle East and North Africa,

IOM has oces in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,

Libya, Morocco, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and

Yemen. IOM’s Regional Oce for the Middle East and North

Africa is based in Cairo.

Country sta at IOM Yemen celebrate Internaonal Migrant’s Day by parcipang in the #MigraonMeans social media campaign. © IOM 2014


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5ANNUAL REPORT 2014

Across the region, IOM implements its full programmac

spectrum, including movement and reselement; emergency

preparedness and response; post-crisis transion and

recovery; migraon health; labour migraon and migraon

and development; counter-tracking and migrant assistance,

including return and reintegraon assistance for stranded

migrants; immigraon and border management; and migraon

policy and research.

IOM’s objecves in the Middle East and North Africa are to:

• enhance capacity, knowledge and dialogue on migraon,

migraon management, and migraon policymaking

among States, civil society and other stakeholders in the

region;

• contribute to safe, protected and regular migraon, in

full respect of the human rights of all migrants, and with

a view to improving development outcomes of migraon

for migrants and sociees in countries of origin and

countries of desnaon;

• improve preparedness for and responses to the migraon

dimensions of humanitarian crises, with a focus

both on vulnerable mobile populaons and aectedcommunies.n

For this boy, migraonmeans travelling.© IOM 2014


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1. Responding to migration crises and providing durable solutionsAcute and protracted polical crises as well as natural disasters

and environmental degradaon are the key drivers of forced

migraon to, from and within the Middle East and North Africa

region. Those crises have increasingly prompted risky, irregular

migraon as evidenced, for example, by the complex migraon

across the Mediterranean in 2014.

By the end of 2014, about 7.6 million Syrians had been

internally displaced in the Syrian Arab Republic, and over

3.7 million Syrians had registered for internaonal protecon

in neighbouring countries, threatening to overwhelm naonal

and internaonal response capacies.

Following years of relave instability, Iraq’s security situaon

deteriorated signicantly as a result of violent clashes between

the Iraqi Security Forces and armed groups, including ISIL.

Violence resulted in more than 2 million internally displaced

individuals idened by IOM’s rapid response teams in 2014.

Meanwhile, over 600,000 Yemenis returned from Saudi Arabia

between June 2013 and December 2014, while an esmated

91,000 individuals arrived in Yemen in 2014 from the Horn

of Africa and more than 200,000 formerly displaced people

returned to their homes, with a remaining caseload of over

300,000 internally displaced persons in 12 Governorates in

Yemen.

Despite ongoing peace eorts, the humanitarian crisis in

Sudan was further aggravated in 2014 due to the connuing

conict and resulted in over 550,000 new displacements.

Addionally, almost 120,000 South Sudanese were registered

as they came north into Sudan either eeing conict or as

part of seasonal migratory paerns. A number of climac and

environmental challenges such as annual ooding resulted in

loss of livelihoods and damage to shelter, infrastructure and

community services.

In Libya, the tenuous polical situaon erupted into renewed

violence in mid-2014, leading to internal and cross-border

displacement, once again, aecng internaonal migrant

workers in the country. An oen overlooked aspect of crises

is in fact their impact on internaonal migrants; renewed

instability in Libya, for example, le migrant workers of

dierent naonalies vulnerable and stranded, oen in need

of humanitarian assistance including humanitarian evacuaon.

Their sudden return home would likely have repercussions in

their countries and communies of origin, for instance, due

to a loss of remiances, and also create challenges to their

reintegraon.


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7ANNUAL REPORT 2014

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix

In coordinaon with governments and other stakeholders,

IOM tracked and monitored over 4 million internally displaced

persons in Iraq and Sudan in 2014, while DTM implementaon

is foreseen in Libya, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen

in 2015. Through DTM, IOM supported the humanitarian

community in idenfying needs and gaps and in providing

assistance based on the informaon produced, such as raw

data, site proles, stascal reports, themac maps and GIS

products.

Source: hp://iomiraq.net/dtm-page

Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) is an informaon

management tool developed by IOM to gather baseline

informaon on displaced populaons and their condions in

locaons they have temporarily seled.

DTM is adaptable to diverse situaons, responsive to changing

informaon needs and recepve to external feedback from

other agencies. The methodological concept of DTM in each

mission remains the same; however, implementaon and

operaons are adapted according to the situaon at hand.

Aer each round of DTM implementaon, there is a period for

evaluaon to allow for connual improvement. Informaon

is disseminated through the arrangement of results that can

be downloaded from IOM websites, as well as viewed though

interacve maps.

DTM was rst implemented in Iraq in 2006 to track the

movements of internally displaced persons during the wave

of sectarian violence. It has been applied in over 30 countries

including Hai, Mali, Pakistan, the Philippines and South

Sudan.

http://iomiraq.net/dtm-pagehttp://iomiraq.net/dtm-page


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The Migraon Crisis Operaonal Framework (MCOF),

developed by IOM in 2012, was designed to capture the

complex human mobility paerns that emerge from crises in

order to help governments, as well as IOM and its partners,

adopt structured and coherent approaches in preparing for,

during and aer crises. Another added value of the MCOF is

its focus on non-tradional humanitarian sectors of assistance,

such as humanitarian border management or counter-

tracking in emergency situaons. The MCOF therefore

combines humanitarian tools within a broader migraon

perspecve, contribung to a more coherent and strategic

approach to humanitarian crises that have implicaons

for mobility. In 2014, training sessions on the MCOF were

conducted for government ocials and local implemenng

partners in Iraq, Kuwait and Tunisia, and for IOM sta in Sudan.

In 2014, the regional migraon crisis management and

transion/recovery programming in the Middle East and

North Africa aimed to provide immediate assistance to

displaced people, refugees, forced migrants, vulnerable

people (especially women and children), as well as address the

root causes of the migraon crisis through various community

stabilizaon iniaves.

Operations, emergencies and post-crisis response

Of the four ongoing Level 3 emergencies globally, two are in

the Middle East and North Africa, and one is in South Sudan

which has had substanal repercussions on this region. As a

result, IOM has had to signicantly increase the scale of its

response through system-wide mobilizaon to improve its

overall eecveness in delivering humanitarian assistance

and in responding to the rapidly changing needs of aected

populaons.

Based on systemac and connued needs assessments, IOM

delivered a wide range of crical services to dierent types ofpopulaons, including migrants, internally displaced persons,

refugees/asylum-seekers and host communies. Through

capacity-building, IOM also supported governments to

increase their eecveness in delivering emergency assistance

and responding to crises. In parcular, IOM delivered

non-food items, hygiene kits, and winterizaon items to

displaced populaons and to migrants in detenon centres;

provided shelter assistance to over 2.4 million beneciaries;

and provided water, sanitaon and hygiene assistance toover 1 million people aected across the Middle East and

North Africa region.


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9ANNUAL REPORT 2014

Noury’s story

Noury Hamokan’s family had lile more than the clothes on

their backs when they rst arrived in Erbil on 6 August 2014,

having le behind a comfortable life in Qaraqosh.

“We were just going to sleep when we heard yelling and cars

pulling away. We looked out of the window of our home and

saw our neighbours packed in cars and leaving town.”

Rumours that armed militants were drawing closer to the

city spurred large-scale displacement of Chrisans and other

minories from Qaraqosh.

“We heard terrible stories about these terrorists, and as

minories, we did not want to stay. We do not know what has

become of the families who stayed behind,” Mr Hamokan told

IOM sta. “I could never imagine we would be living under

such condions.”

Noury Hamokan said their family had been in Qaraqosh for

generaons. “We want to go back to Qaraqosh if the situaon

improves. We had a big house in Qaraqosh. We have money in

the bank there but can no longer access it. We have the keys

with us here, but people can sll take everything.

“We appreciate the aid IOM has given us, but it is not enough.

There are displaced people in front of the school, and we want

them to receive kits also.”

Source: hp://iomiraq.net/arcle/0/nourys-story

Noury and his family receive an NFI kit in Erbil aer being displaced fromtheir home in Qaraqosh. © IOM 2014

http://iomiraq.net/article/0/nourys-storyhttp://iomiraq.net/article/0/nourys-story


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As in all major crises, those who witnessed atrocies bear

mental and emoonal scars, leading to feelings of stress,

depression and insecurity. In 2014, IOM reached almost

100,000 individuals with Mental Health and Psychosocial

Support (MHPSS) intervenons, including capacity-building,

formal educaon programmes and direct intervenons in

Lebanon, Libya and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Reselement assistance to refugees is a key pillar of IOM’s work

in the region. IOM’s reselement assistance in 2014 beneed

a total of 31,380 refugees and included acvies such as

processing legal documents to facilitate the safe departure

of refugees accepted for reselement; medical assessments

and counselling to ensure that refugees are t to travel as

well as arrangement for medical and non-medical escorts;

pre-departure orientaon to inform refugees about the life

and culture that await them in their desnaon countries;

movement assistance in coordinaon with authories,

non-governmental organizaons (NGOs) and others; and

transportaon of refugees from their current locaons to their

future host communies, usually through air travel. IOM has

been acvely engaged in reselement of refugees to a number

of countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States

and many European countries.

Transion and recovery iniaves are designed to promote

dialogue and boost local economies aer a crisis by facilitang

trade and income generaon, construcng or rehabilitang

key infrastructure, and through other acvies to foster peace.

The acve parcipaon of beneciaries is a key principle of

IOM’s intervenon in this area, which stresses the importance

of peace for development and whose sustainability is best

ensured when communies assume responsibility for the

projects within a framework of cooperaon with government

instuons.

A Syrian mother and child seek assistance from a member of an IOM healthteam in Za’atari Camp. © IOM 2014


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11ANNUAL REPORT 2014

In conict-aected areas of Sudan, for example, IOM delivered

training and improved community infrastructure to enhance

local authories’ capacies in migang conict through

social cohesion. For instance, to reduce tensions over land use,

IOM assisted in the demarcaon of over 100 km of livestock

migratory routes. In order to enhance livelihoods and promote

income generaon, IOM also distributed seeds and tools in

South and West Kordofan states to over 10,000 individuals.

Humanitarian border management

The humanitarian crises aicng the region have sharpened

the focus on the need and capacity of countries to provide rapid

border management responses to migate the consequencesof sudden mass movements of people.

Within the MCOF, IOM developed the humanitarian border

management (HBM) sector of assistance, which ensures the

eecve management of large-scale populaon movements in

an emergency scenario while pung in place safeguards at the

border to monitor any threats that could undermine migrants’

safety or naonal security.

In Jordan, HBM methodology enhanced the overall

implementaon of the humanitarian operaons in response

to the Syrian crisis. Border guards received new transportaon

and operaonal equipment to beer monitor the borders and

organize convoys to safely transport Syrian refugees arriving in

Jordan to refugee camps. As complementary capacity-building

measures, border ocials were trained on HBM-specic

topics, including countering terrorism in crisis situaons, which

was tailored to the Jordanian border authories’ operaonal

context.

IOM also promoted HBM as a system to beer respond to

the parcular challenges of a health crisis. In the wake of the

Ebola outbreak and subsequent rise of restricve measures

on internaonal ights to contain the infecous disease,

IOM facilitated two internaonal workshops for government

representaves from a total of 25 African countries to present

HBM as the recommended approach to ensure border security

while addressing the health-related needs of migrants.

Trafcking in crisis

Complex and protracted humanitarian and migraon crises,

such as armed conicts, increase vulnerabilies and, in some

cases, have led to an increase in human tracking. The driversof conict may even lead to the emergence of specic forms

of crisis-related tracking in persons, requiring enhanced and


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adaptable intervenons. In Libya and Yemen, for example,

connued insecurity has rendered migrant workers

ever more vulnerable and there are persistent accounts

of tracking for forced labour or slavery and slavery-

like pracces. In the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq, too,

women and girls remained at risk of tracking for sexual

exploitaon and forced labour. In refugee movements

or secondary onward movements, individuals may start

out being smuggled, which, given their heightened

vulnerability, can easily turn into tracking or tracking-

like situaons.

In line with the MCOF, IOM oces worked to ensure that

an-tracking mechanisms are mainstreamed during all

phases of a crisis response: preparedness, emergencyresponse and longer-term soluons. Even where

tracking in persons does not manifest immediately,

proper planning in the short, medium and long term helps

reduce vulnerabilies and gaps that trackers may later

exploit even when the emergency phase has passed.

In 2014, IOM iniated eld research to gather lessons

learned on tracking responses during crises, which will

be made available in 2015. n


A young boy stands by an IOM tent in acamp in al-Fasher, Darfur. © IOM 2014


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A livelihoods assessment of Lebanese returneesfrom the Syrian Arab Republic

In 2014, the Syrian crisis

connued to weigh heavily

on Lebanon. Among those

aected are Lebanese

families who had been

living in the Syrian Arab

Republic but ed as a result

of the conict. Most of

these Lebanese returnees

had been residing in the

Syrian Arab Republic for

decades and now face challenges similar to those of refugees.

Though they enjoy legal status in the country, returnees oen

face barriers when accessing instuons, employment and

services, and remain, on the whole, an under-assisted group.

Ahmed le Tripoli with his family as a boy during the Lebanese

civil war and seled in Aleppo. As a young factory worker, he lost

his arm in an accident but went on to compete in internaonal

sporng events for the disabled. Ahmed and his family have

now ed back to Tripoli, where they live in a small room above

a warehouse. He complained that while his Syrian relaves had

received support, he and other Lebanese had not. “My house

and work are in Syria,” Ahmed said. “We’re just waing for the

situaon to improve so we can go back.”

IOM commissioned a study on the socioeconomic situaon of

returnee households, targeng a sample of 313 households

across Lebanon, with a concentraon on Akkar and the

northern Bekaa. Based on the ndings of the survey, a set

of recommendaons were made to further assist Lebanese

returnees from the Syrian Arab Republic:

• Strengthen the system for referral and registraon

of Lebanese returnees, ensuring urgent life-saving

assistance for the most vulnerable;

• Improve coordinaon of assistance through data

sharing – where appropriate – and issuance of proof-

of-registraon cards to returnees;• Facilitate access to Lebanese instuons and services,

for instance those provided by the Ministry of Social

Aairs;

• Facilitate access to or provide more livelihood support

through emergency job creaon schemes, job

placement programmes, micronance/in-kind grant

projects and vocaonal training programmes.

Source: www.iom.int/les/live/sites/iom/les/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdf

Ahmed is a Lebanese returnee fromSyria struggling to establish a new life inLebanon. © IOM 2014

https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdf


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2. Addressing complex irregularmigration and protectingmigrants’ rights

Migrants eeing conict or in search of beer economic

opportunies risked their lives on a daily basis transing inmixed and complex ows to, through and from the region,

and onward across the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Aden,

the Sahara desert or the diverse terrains of the Middle

East. Whether at the hands of human trackers or migrant

smugglers, migrants are frequently exposed to severe human

rights violaons. The condions of the journey also mean that

migrants can become stranded en route, which increased their

risk of destuon, detenon, becoming vicms of tracking,

or suering from other abuses or forms of exploitaon. 2014also witnessed a sharp increase in the number of minors on

the move across the Middle East and North Africa, many of

whom were unaccompanied.

Migrant workers across the region also connued to suer

from mulple abuses of their human rights and labour rights,

including human tracking for sexual exploitaon, forced

labour, slavery and slavery-like pracces. Others sll found

themselves caught in countries in crises and in need ofassistance, including returning to and reintegrang into their

countries of origin.


Displaced children and theirfamilies improved their livingcondions through shelter repairand rehabilitaon in As-Sweida,Syria. © IOM 2014


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A migrant’s story – taking risks, pursuing hopes

Back in Somaliland, Fartuun’s mother listened to an IOM

radio programme on the risks and dangers associated with

irregular migraon and decided to contact IOM. It took IOM

in Libya over a month to nd Fartuun in a crowded hospital.

Her health condion was extremely serious and she also found

herself unable to pay the large medical bill she had incurred.

At Fartuun’s request, IOM oces in Libya and Somaliland,

together with respecve naonal authories, organized her

return to her family in Somaliland a year and a half aer she

had le. She has since been able to benet from specialized

reintegraon assistance.

*Name changed to protect her identy.

Aged 21, Fartuun,* a high school graduate and young mother,

le her hometown in Somaliland in 2013 and set o on a

migratory journey to reach Europe, where she hoped to nd

work to eventually pay for an educaon and realize her dream

of becoming a teacher. Instead, her ordeal took her from her

village to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and, eventually, Libya.

At rst, things seemed to go according to plan, and Fartuun

was smuggled by a group of men from Somaliland to Saudi

Arabia. From there, over the course of many days and nights,

she crossed the Arabian Desert and eventually reached Libya

two weeks later. Once there, her original agreement with the

smuggler unravelled and Fartuun was forced to work odd jobs

to pay for her onward travel to Europe. It was at this point

that her experience turned from one of smuggling to human

tracking. Fartuun’s identy documents were conscated, she

was held against her will for six months, repeatedly abused by

those who had tracked and were now exploing her, and she

eventually fell seriously ill.


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Providing direct assistance andsustainable solutions to migrantsin need

In 2014, IOM connued to provide direct assistance to abused,

exploited and tracked migrants. Promong an individualized,

case-by-case approach to assistance and protecon, services

included medical care, psychosocial counselling, shelter, legal

aid, voluntary return and reintegraon support. Throughout

the year, 411 tracked persons were assisted aer having

experienced mulple forms of exploitaon in North Africa,

the Middle East and Gulf countries. Navigang the many crises

across the region, life-saving support to tracked persons in

Iraq, Libya, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen oen came at

crical mes and under constraining environments.

Complementary to ongoing programming, IOM was able to

work with its partners to connue to make a regional direct

assistance fund available for the most vulnerable and at-risk

cases of stranded migrants. Under the fund, assistance can

cover medical care, shelter, legal assistance, socioeconomic

support, and assisted voluntary return and reintegraon for

those who do not have internaonal protecon concerns.

For example, in Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen,

through assisted voluntary return and reintegraon, IOM

was able to oer sustainable and comprehensive soluons to

several thousand stranded, irregular and tracked migrants in

need of assistance, including those rescued at sea, as well as to

individuals returning home from other regions, such as Europe

and the Gulf.

A notable trend across the region was the heightened level

of abuse occurring both in human tracking and migrant

smuggling contexts, with irregular migrants moving in mixed

ows increasingly at risk of physical and psychological abuse,

various forms of exploitaon and other human rights abuses.

Correct and mely idencaon of migrants’ vulnerabilies

together with funconing mechanisms for vicms to reach

assistance remained crical. One noteworthy success in2014 was the commitment to equal assistance measures

to both tracked persons and abused smuggled migrants

in the Declaraon on African Union–Horn of Africa Iniave

on Human Tracking and Smuggling of Migrants, adopted

by eight countries of the Horn of Africa and North Africa in

Khartoum, Sudan, in October 2014.10

10 Djibou, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan and Tunisia.

http://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docxhttp://www.regionalmms.org/fileadmin/content/sector_publications/Final_Khartoum_Declaration_on_AU_HOA_TIP___Smuggling.docx


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Young ambassadors take part in lming a video inTunisia as part of the SALEMM project. © IOM 2014


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Immigraon detenon also remains prevalent across the

Middle East and North Africa, and while IOM connued to

promote alternaves to detenon, the Organizaon further

worked to nd humanitarian and sustainable soluons to

migrants in detenon in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and

Libya. In parcular, IOM programmes – such as the delivery ofassistance packages, visits by physicians, and mely referrals

of sick individuals to health-care services and other relevant

instuons – ensured that migrants in detenon had greater

access to health care.

Mitigating risks

While protecon is a core pillar of humanitarian response,

events in the region demanded innovave approaches

to prevenon of human tracking and other forms of

exploitaon, and to prosecuon of perpetrators, to ulmately

uphold the rights of migrants.

Pursuing a child rights-based approach, the iniave Solidarité

avec Les Enfants du Maghreb et Mashreq (SALEMM)11 in

Morocco and Tunisia worked with diverse stakeholders to

11 See www.salemm.org/

provide alternaves to the risky, irregular migraon of minors

and youth from the Maghreb. In Tunisia, for example, young

Tunisians were empowered through media training, and

produced innovave audiovisual awareness materials on

migraon issues. In December 2014, 20 young Tunisians were

named “ambassadors of the SALEMM project” for their lms onirregular migraon.12 As part of its global focus on the situaon

of youth and children in migraon, at the end of 2014, IOM

signed a global memorandum of understanding with Save the

Children, outlining the potenal for future partnerships.

In Egypt, IOM launched the interacve, mulmedia plaorm

Crossroads,13 telling the stories of six migrants in Cairo.

Focusing on the challenges faced by countries of origin, transit

and desnaon, Crossroads further depicts the complexiesof irregular and mixed migraon.

In Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic,

IOM worked with naonal and internaonal humanitarian

counterparts to raise awareness of the risks of human

tracking among displaced and refugee populaons aected

12 SALEMM videos are available here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCT8RZL3Ku-

e3yDBKRpICg/feed 13 See www.egypt.iom.int/Crossroads/index.html#Home

http://www.salemm.org/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCT8RZL3Ku-e3yDBKRpICg/feedhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCT8RZL3Ku-e3yDBKRpICg/feedhttp://www.egypt.iom.int/Crossroads/index.html#Homehttp://www.egypt.iom.int/Crossroads/index.html#Homehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCT8RZL3Ku-e3yDBKRpICg/feedhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCT8RZL3Ku-e3yDBKRpICg/feedhttp://www.salemm.org/


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19ANNUAL REPORT 2014 19ANNUAL REPORT 2014

Mahmoud travelled across the Mediterraneanto France in December 2013, but his boat sank

near the Greek coast. Aer his return to Egypt,IOM provided reintegraon assistance by helpinghim set up a business. © 2014 (Photo by: AlbertoGonzález Farran)


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by the crisis in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic. In Iraq and

Jordan, this also included capacity-building for crisis-response

actors, enabling them to beer understand and detect human

tracking and protect and assist vicms.

Under a mul-country project to protect and assist vulnerableand exploited migrant workers in the Middle East and North

Africa, IOM launched a regional campaign to inform migrant

workers of their rights: “Are we working or are we exploited?”14

The campaign was complemented by a number of training for

labour aaches from key labour-sending countries (Indonesia,

Philippines and Sri Lanka) to further empower embassies and

ministries to protect the rights of their naonals working in the

Middle East and North Africa.

In Kuwait, IOM convened a regional meeng of media actors

as key allies in the ght against human tracking and migrant

exploitaon, and to promote correct and factual reporng

on migraon issues. The training was supported by the Gulf

Cooperaon Council Joint Program Producon Instuon,

with whom IOM signed a memorandum of understanding in

2014, to connue joint work on accurate, fair and balanced

representaon of migraon in the media.

14 See www.facebook.com/pavemena?fref=ts

Early 2014 also marked the adopon of Sudan’s an-tracking

law, signalling progress in the regional ght to combat human

tracking. With similar laws pending in Libya, Morocco and

Tunisia, more and more countries in the region will be in line

with their internaonal obligaons under the Protocol to

Prevent, Suppress and Punish Tracking in Persons EspeciallyWomen and Children, supplemenng the United Naons

Convenon against Transnaonal Organized Crime. IOM

connued to support countries across to the region to ensure

correct implementaon of naonal an-tracking legislaon,

build the capacity of frontline actors and foster prosecuon of

trackers. One parcular success relates to 29 court cases in

Egypt on the charge of tracking in persons in 2014. A number

of countries in the Middle East and North Africa further lied

overstay nes for tracked persons to ensure their safe returnhome. Nonetheless, greater eorts are needed regarding

compensaon schemes for vicms. n

http://caifile01/Regional%20Office/Public%20information/2014%20MENA%20Annual%20Report/Chapters/31-5%20To%20send%20to%20Manila/www.facebook.com/pavemena%3ffref=tshttp://caifile01/Regional%20Office/Public%20information/2014%20MENA%20Annual%20Report/Chapters/31-5%20To%20send%20to%20Manila/www.facebook.com/pavemena%3ffref=ts


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Force are forthcoming: a report on migrants and detenon in

Libya and a study on the north-east Africa migraon route.

For more informaon, see: www.mixedmigraonhub.org

Promoting dialogue, cooperation and knowledge: The North Africa MixedMigration Task Force and the Mixed Migration Hub

Throughout 2014, IOM connued to be an acve member

of the North Africa Mixed Migraon Task Force, which IOM

helped found, and supported the research and knowledgemanagement eorts of the Mixed Migraon Hub (MHub).

The North Africa Mixed Migraon Task Force is an inter-agency

iniave by the Danish Refugee Council, IOM, the Oce of

the United Naons High Commissioner for Human Rights,

the Regional Mixed Migraon Secretariat in Nairobi and the

Oce of the United Naons High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR). It promotes a human rights-based approach to

ensuring the protecon of people moving in mixed andcomplex ows to, through and from North Africa.

MHub works on behalf of the Task Force, as go-to source for

knowledge, data and research, and a plaorm for inter-agency

exchange. With a view to fostering collaboraon and informing

policy, advocacy and programming, MHub and the North Africa

Mixed Migraon Task Force support policymakers, agencies,

donors, the public and academia by producing knowledge on

the human rights protecon issues faced by people movingin mixed and complex ows. Two research pieces on complex

ows in North Africa by the North Africa Mixed Migraon Task

http://www.mixedmigrationhub.org/http://www.mixedmigrationhub.org/


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3. Promoting safe and regular migration and coherent migrationgovernance

One of the central objecves of good migraon governance is

to ensure that migraon takes place in safe and regular ways,

protecve of the human rights of migrants, governed by the

rule of law and respecul of the sovereign integrity of States.IOM promotes good migraon governance in all areas of its

work by facilitang dialogue, supporng sound policies and

legislaon, and enhancing migraon management through

capacity-building and technical assistance. Migraon touches

on and is inuenced by a range of policy domains; therefore,

migraon policy needs to be reconciled with objecves in

other realms, such as labour, health, development and naonal

security, to maximize synergies and minimize contradicons.

Any approach to migraon governance must be underpinned

by strong partnerships within States, among States at bilateral,

regional or intraregional levels, and with civil society partners:

for example, throughout 2014, IOM supported the European

Union-led Horn of Africa Migraon Route Iniave (Khartoum

Process) and the Africa Union–Horn of Africa Iniave on

Human Tracking and Smuggling of Migrants, which brought

together countries in the Horn of Africa, northern Africa and

Europe to coordinate acons on tackling irregular migraon,migrant smuggling and human tracking.

The challenge of complex, mixed migraon also remained

high on the agenda of policymakers in North Africa. Technical

assistance, knowledge-sharing and dialogue enabled Egypt,

Morocco and Tunisia to beer respond to mixed ows, in aniniave supported by the IOM Development Fund. Research

conducted as part of this iniave provided insights into

the drivers of mixed ows and migrants’ living condions in

each country. Parcipang governments are commied to

developing comprehensive migraon policies consistent with

internaonal law and based on internaonal cooperaon.

Launched in 2013, the regional project “Protecng and

assisng vulnerable and exploited migrant workers” bringstogether ocials from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and

Saudi Arabia on issues of human tracking and migrant

exploitaon. In addion to direct assistance to migrants, in

2014 the project made progress towards creang a regional

framework for the protecon of vicms. It also encouraged

peer-learning among governments through regional dialogue

and training on vicm idencaon and protecon, as well as

a study tour to Brussels to discuss best pracces with Belgian

counterparts and delegates from the European Commission. Inaddion to government ocials from parcipang countries,

the training also targeted civil society actors, journalists and

embassy personnel of migrants’ countries of origin.


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Fostering sound migration policiesand laws

To assist governments throughout the region in devisingsound migraon policies and laws in line with internaonal

standards, IOM consistently built knowledge and capacies on

all dimensions of migraon and the interacons of migraon

with other policy areas. For example, in collaboraon with

the League of Arab States, IOM and UNHCR trained ocials

from around the region on internaonal migraon, migraon

management, and refugee and displacement issues; while

the inter-agency regional working group on internaonal

migraon in the Arab region, which IOM co-chairs, organizeda workshop on migraon and development for government

representaves from nine Arab countries. The laer was

based on a set of training modules on internaonal migraonand development produced by IOM and available in Arabic.15

At naonal levels, in 2014, IOM also trained ocials in Egypton the basics of internaonal migraon law, while in Kuwait,

IOM reached out to journalists, media personnel, NGO andcivil society representaves, and government ocials fromKuwait and other member countries of the Gulf CooperaonCouncil (GCC) on a range of migraon issues. In the context ofMoroccan reforms to its migraon policy, parcipants from arange of ministries completed training on migraon, humantracking and border management.

Since 2013, IOM has been supporng the Governmentof Iraq in addressing the dual priories of responding to

the humanitarian crisis in the country and developing itsmigraon and border management capacies. The EuropeanUnion-funded project HIJRA AMINA (Iraq-EU-IOM Jointly RunAdvanced Assisted Migraon Iniave) has promoted andsupported an integrated approach to migraon issues. Both thecentral government and the Kurdistan Regional Governmenthave commied to creang a joint border management

training strategy in Iraq.

15 The Internaonal Migraon and Development Training Modules are available

here: hp://publicaons.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_

info&cPath=47&products_id=1070

http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=1070http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=1070http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=1070http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=1070


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In Libya, IOM supported the establishment of a Legislave and

Policy Task Force within the Government to improve exisng

migraon-related legislaon and policies. While this task force

was meant to come into eect in June 2014, all acvies have

been suspended due to ongoing polical instability.

Facilitating regular migration

Regular migraon channels must not only be available but also

supported by fast and accurate mechanisms to process visa

applicaons. To facilitate visa processing, in September 2014,

IOM opened a new Visa Applicaon Centre (VAC) in Erbil,

Iraq, which enables Iraqi naonals and foreigners residing in

the country to apply for a temporary visa for Canada withouthaving to travel to the Canadian consulate in Jordan or Turkey,

which require entry visas for Iraqi naonals. Three months aer

opening, the VAC had already assisted over 100 applicants.

Elsewhere in the region, the VAC in Amman, Jordan, assists

Palesnians and Syrians in addion to Jordanian naonals,

with over 4,000 applicaons received in 2014. Meanwhile, due

to the deteriorang security situaon, the VAC in Tripoli, Libya,

had to close temporarily in July 2014. Applicants from Libyaare assisted by the VAC in Tunisia, which received over 6,500

applicaons throughout 2014.

An elderly lady told the Client Service Assistant

in Erbil: “I am so pleased that IOM has opened

a Visa Application Centre for Canada. Now I can

apply from my home and I do not have to go to

Amman for my visa anymore, so it is easier to go

visit my daughter in Toronto. Thank you, IOM!”

Building capacity to curbtransnational crime

Eecve border management plays a crucial role in countering

all forms of transnaonal crime, parcularly in a context ascomplex and transitory as the one in the Middle East and

North Africa, where border agencies need to be equipped with

the necessary human and material resources.

Gaps in the current border control systems are exacerbated

by the lack of eecve cooperaon among border agencies.

This contributes to fostering transnaonal crime and creang

a lucrave environment for criminal organizaons that play an

increasing role in the smuggling of migrants and tracking ofhuman beings, which oen feed prostuon, forced labour

and slavery.


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Terrorist networks tend to exploit weak border management

systems to destabilize both naonal and regional peace

and security. In the framework of the cooperaon with the

UN Counter-Terrorism Commiee Execuve Directorate,IOM shared experiences on validang the security of travel

documents, identy management soluons, and data collecon

and analysis system at a workshop entled “Strengthening

Border-related Counter-terrorism Capacies in the Sahel and

the Maghreb through Internaonal Databases and Enhanced

Cooperaon, Coordinaon and Informaon-Exchange”,

held in Algeria. This included informaon on technological

soluons such as the IOM-developed Biometric Informaon

Management System (BIMS) and Migraon Informaon andData Analysis System (MIDAS).

IOM has been supporng governments in the region to address

the challenges facing border agencies through contextualized

capacity-building iniaves in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan

and Tunisia, as well as by providing equipment to support thegovernments’ eorts in detecng false travel documents.

Aer beneng from training of trainers on passport

examinaon procedures, a pool of more than 70 Iraqi, Lebanese

and Sudanese trainers are now familiar with the features of

genuine travel documents and the most common techniques

used by forgers; they are also qualied to pass their knowledge

on to colleagues in their respecve countries. In Iraq, further

training has enhanced other crical skills such as invesgaontechniques and passenger proling while always safeguarding

human rights when countering irregular migraon.

A delegaon of Sudanese ocials aend a passport examinaon training and study tour in Italy. © IOM 2014


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Promoting integrated bordermanagement

IOM promotes cooperaon among border agencies, both

within countries and between countries. Such an approachavoids duplicaons and overlaps in managing borders, leading

to faster processing procedures and minimizing the risk of

loopholes in the overall border management system. It requires

a well-funconing informaon exchange mechanism to be

in place to coordinate communicaon between parcipang

agencies.

In Egypt, IOM delivered a regional training to enhance the

communicaon and informaon-sharing capacies of borderocials from countries in North Africa and the Sahel and to

promote regional coordinaon in countering crimes related

to human mobility such as human tracking and migrant

smuggling. In Jordan, the integrated border management

approach was discussed in the framework of the “Middle East

Dialogue on Strategic Border Management” among Bahrain,

Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Morocco,

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

Lebanese border ocials takepart in an exercise during a“training of trainers” session

on passport examinaonas part of IOM’s bordermanagement programme.© IOM 2014


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• Evidence-based immigraon and border management

assessments

IOM capacity-building and technical assistance iniaves take

place at the request of countries, are grounded in evidence

acquired through assessments and are tailored to each

country’s situaon. For example, to improve the response

to migratory pressures and to migate the security threat

emanang from the Syrian Arab Republic, IOM conducted

repeated technical eld visits in Lebanon at border crossing

points with the Syrian Arab Republic. Through the assessment of

the Aboudiyeh border crossing point at the northern Lebanese

border, IOM experts idened the most urgent infrastructural

and operaonal needs to ensure protecon of Syrian refugees

eeing the crisis and border communies. Throughout the

year, IOM provided passport examinaon equipment andoce refurbishment to the Lebanese General Directorate of

General Security and the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Following on from recommendaons made during a joint

assessment by IOM, UNHCR and the Internaonal Centre

for Migraon Policy Development in Tunisia, IOM connued

its long-term engagement in supporng the security

sector reform. A technical evaluaon of the current border

management informaon system is ongoing, with the aim toidenfy the most appropriate border technology soluon.


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28 ANNUAL REPORT 201428 ANNUAL REPORT 2014

An Iraqi delegaonmeets ocers at PrisnaCentral Police Staonfor a discussion on thebenets and challengesof integrang CommunityPolicing into their dailydues. © IOM 2014


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• Standard operang procedure

IOM assessments address regulatory and procedural

frameworks that guide border authories’ work. A coherentset of standard operang procedure assigning clear funcons

and responsibilies to dierent enes involved in migraon

management is a crucial tool to harmonize border ocials’ daily

tasks. In 2014, IOM iniated the development of the standard

operang procedure on humanitarian border management

for Jordanian border ocials deployed at the borders withthe Syrian Arab Republic, and for the Libyan Department to

Combat Illegal Migraon (DCIM) to ensure fundamental rights

and due process to irregular migrants during idencaon and

repatriaon procedures. The standard operang procedures

for Libya include an instrucons guide for the newly developed

BIMS, installed in six of the DCIM-run holding facilies to

assist ocials in registering migrants and addressing theirvulnerabilies.

• Peer-to-peer exchanges on immigraon and border

management

Peer-to-peer exchanges among government ocials –

exposing them to internaonal best pracces – have proven

an eecve means of enhancing knowledge. Throughout

the year, IOM promoted study visits to allow ocials to gain

rst-hand experience with migraon management systemsworldwide, which in turn will enhance the eecveness ofnaonal systems.

Egypan and Sudanese ocials visited Italy, where they

learned about the dicules of managing migraon in

situaons of emergency at sea, countering migrant smuggling,

detecng cases of identy fraud and best pracces of integrated

border management. Parcipants had the opportunity to

interact with Italian counterparts on best pracces in the

idencaon and repatriaon of irregular migrants in line with

internaonally recognized standards.

IOM supported representaves from Egypt and Lebanon

on learning about state-of-the-art border management

technology during an internaonal conference organized

by IOM in Thailand. This event oered an opportunity to

observe cung-edge border management soluons used by

governments, immigraon and border management agencies,

airlines and airport authories.

IOM connued to promote the role of community policing

to enhance cohesion between the police and civil society.

Given the potenal contribuon of community policing to

the establishment of responsible governance in the security

sector, IOM sponsored a study visit to UNSC resoluon

1244-administered Kosovo for nine senior Iraqi ocials,

during which the Kosovan Police shared lessons learned

and best pracces idened under its community policingprogramme.n

4 C ti g ig ti


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4. Connecting migrationand human development

There is a growing understanding within the region and globally

of the so-called migraon–development nexus, recognizing

that the two phenomena are oen inmately connected as

both cause and eect of one another. This recognion hasbeen accompanied by renewed interest among government

and other stakeholders in the region to build their capacity,

develop policies and implement programmes that take into

account the migraon–development nexus. The aim is to

migate the challenges migraon ows may pose to migrants

and sociees, and harness the social and economic benets

that can be gained from migraon.

Forced migrationand human development

Ongoing polical instability and conict in several countries

in the region have connued to result in large-scale forced

migraon and protracted displacement. The scale and duraon

of these displacements can place considerable strain on the

social and economic fabric of host communies, as well as

challenge the longer-term social and economic prospects ofthose displaced.


Chokri Houidi, a blacksmith in Jbeniana,Tunisia, takes part in a community projectas part of his assisted reintegraon.© 2014 (Photo by: Fabio Donofrio)


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Host communies have struggled not only in aending to the

basic needs of displaced populaons but also with the impact

such large movements have on local labour markets, housing

costs, and demand for other essenal goods and services.

Recognizing these challenges and the possibility for growing

tensions between displaced and host communies, IOM’sresponse, in addion to meeng humanitarian needs, has

increasingly incorporated components designed to enhance

community resilience and build human capital. Such acvies

include supporng livelihood and community development

iniaves that benet members of both the host community

and those displaced, as well as the availability of health services

and psychosocial intervenons, and educaon and training for

youth.

Labour migrationand human development

Labour migraon connues to play an important role in

the region’s development both for the major countries of

desnaon such as the Gulf States and Jordan, and for the

principle countries of origin such as Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco

and Tunisia, which rely on labour migraon as a way of easingunemployment pressures at home and for the economic

benets of the inow of nancial remiances. In 2014, over


Young Egypan womenlearn to make tradionahandicras as part of asustainable livelihoodsproject. © IOM 2014


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USD 80 billion were remied from the GCC countries,16

making the region the source of nearly one h of the world’s

remiances. Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia connued

to be among the largest recipients of remiances globally,

receiving USD 19.6 billion, USD 8.9 billion, USD 6.9 billion

and USD 2.3 billion, respecvely. At the same me, a recent

IOM–Gallup Poll survey looking at percepons of migraon

across the world noted that the GCC countries had some of the

most posive views of migraon globally, with the vast majority

of parcipants recognizing the posive role migrant workers

have played in their countries’ economic development.

16 Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Despite the posive percepons and large contribuons of

labour migraon to development in countries of origin and

desnaon, challenges relang to exploitaon and extoron

within the recruitment process as well as the protecon ofdomesc workers and other vulnerable migrants in countries

of desnaon persist, negavely impacng the value of

labour migraon to support sustainable development. 2014

proved to be a seminal year for IOM’s engagement on these

issues in the GCC with agreements signed both with Kuwait

and the United Arab Emirates relang to labour migraon

management. At the global level, IOM connued to spearhead

the Internaonal Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) as a

means of building oversight and improving ethical pracceswithin the internaonal labour recruitment industry.

Hammadi ben Kalfahaand Houcine Besbesconstruct shing boats inSfax, Tunisia, as part ofan assisted reintegraonproject. © 2014 (Photoby: Fabio Donofrio)

International Recruitment Integrity System


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International Recruitment Integrity System

• Job-seekers will have beer informaon regarding

ethical recruitment though an informaon portal

and publicly available roster of accredited IRIS

members internaonally.

• IRIS will administer a complaints and referral

mechanism to assist vicms of unethical or illegal

recruiters to le grievances with the appropriate

authories.

The Internaonal Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) is a

consorum of internaonal stakeholders commied to the

fair recruitment and selecon of migrant workers. Iniated

by IOM, IRIS sets up an internaonal voluntary ethical

recruitment framework that will benet all stakeholders in thelabour migraon process. IRIS will address unfair recruitment

and bridge internaonal regulatory gaps governing labour

recruitment in countries of origin and desnaon. Specically:

• IRIS aims to create a public–private alliance of like-

minded governments, employers, recruiters and

other partners commied to ethical recruitment.

• IRIS will develop a voluntary accreditaon

framework so that its members can be recognized as

bona de fair recruiters and disnguish themselves

from unscrupulous intermediaries. Accreditaon

will be based on adherence to common principles

for ethical recruitment and a code of conduct which

will include the following:

− No fees charged to job-seekers;

− No retenon of workers’ passports or identy

documents; − A requirement for transparency in their

labour supply chain.


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In November 2014, labour ministers from the GCC countries

and major countries of origin in Asia came together in Kuwait

for the Third Ministerial Meeng of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue(“Ministerial Consultaons on Overseas Employment and

Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin and Desnaon

in Asia”). The Ministerial Meeng resulted in the approval of

several innovave iniaves intended to beer understandand manage the complexies of the recruitment industry:

• IOM will manage a large-scale research project analysingthe recruitment networks and labour supply chains

between Nepal, the state of Kerala in India and the United

Arab Emirates in order to beer understand the instuonal

linkages that make up these vast networks and the

condions that result in their funconing the way they do.

The study will provide concrete recommendaons on policy

and programme innovaons to address shortcomings.

• The Philippines, in cooperaon with IOM, will support a

project to develop standardized and updated pre-departure

orientaon training and material across the major countriesof origin.

• The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will run a pilot project

on skills tesng and skills recognion in select occupaons

in the construcon and hospitality industries.

Also, in November in 2014, IOM signed an agreement with theUnited Naons Development Programme, the Internaonal

Labour Organizaon, and the Kuwai Ministry of Social

Aairs and Labour to build the capacity of the Kuwai Public

Authority for Manpower (PAM) in the eecve management

and regulaon of the labour market. This two-year programme

will see IOM implement several research projects pertaining tolabour migraon and deliver training workshops and capacity-

building acvies on labour migraon management for PAM

ocials.

Arab expatriatesand human development

While the nancial remiances sent home by migrants tend

to aract most aenon by governments and the media,

migrants contribute to social and economic development in

their countries of origin in numerous ways, including through

the facilitaon of trade and investment or the transfer of

technology and ideas. The Arab expatriate community across

Europe and the United States, as well as Arab migrants within

the Middle East and North Africa region, include countless

experts and highly skilled individuals across a variety of elds

who are able and eager to give back to their countries of

origin. Techwadi, in Silicon Valley, connects highly successful

Arab expatriates in the informaon technology (IT) sector with

young IT entrepreneurs in the Arab region to provide advice

and experse, facilitate their access to potenal investors and

open new markets. The Syrian American Medical Society in the


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United States, Hand in Hand for Syria in the United Kingdom

and the Arab Medical Union in Europe connue to provide

direct humanitarian assistance to Syrians in need both within

the Syrian Arab Republic and in neighbouring countries. Their

work includes delivery of medical supplies and other necessary

goods, as well as temporary return of Syrian expatriates to

perform medical intervenons, including emergency surgery.

Throughout 2014, IOM connued its work to facilitate and

leverage diaspora engagement in development by:

• building government capacity to engage with communies

abroad;

• improving networking and linkages with and across Arab

expatriate associaons;

• developing programmes to facilitate diaspora engagement

in development. Such iniaves have included, inter

alia: projects for mainstreaming migraon into naonal

development plans in Morocco and Tunisia; training

workshops on migraon and development in Egypt;

broadening IOM’s network of Arab expatriate associaons

to include organizaons across Europe and North America

specializing in areas such as medicine, IT, scienc research,

and business development and investment; and support forthe temporary return of qualied naonals to build capacity

in public instuons in Morocco and Sudan.n


Cucumbers are grownas part of a livelihoodproject in Iraq.© IOM Iraq 2014

Temporary return of qualied Moroccan nationals


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Temporary return of qualied Moroccan nationals

IOM started its Temporary Return of Qualied Naonals

(TRQN III) Programme in Morocco in October 2012, with the

goal of ulizing the advanced skills and training of expatriates

living abroad to build capacity in countries of origin. To

date, over 40 capacity-building exercises have been carriedout across Morocco in a variety of elds, ranging from

programmac technical support, to social development,

scienc and technological research, law, advocacy, health

and communicaon.

During the two years the project has been running, two

exchange visits to the Netherlands have been organized for

delegaons from partner and Moroccan instuons. During

the visits, parcipants had the opportunity to engage in avariety of topics, including transfer of experse, networking

between countries, cooperaon with other instuons, and

developing new areas of research and programming.

Dr Ahmed Rachid (standing) is a professor of electrical engineering andrenewable energy in France, and returned to Morocco under the TRQNprogramme. © IOM 2014

In focus: Dr Ahmed Rachid


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In focus: Dr Ahmed Rachid

Dr Ahmed Rachid is a professor of electrical engineering

and renewable energy at the University of Picardie Jules

Verne, Amiens, France. He returned to Morocco as part of

the Temporary Return of Qualied Naonals Programme to

work at the School of Sciences and Engineering at Cadi AyyadUniversity in Marrakech. There, he assisted in the construcon

of a prototype solar car, which the university entered in the

naonal solar car race against universies from France,

Australia and Turkey in September 2014.

Working over three months with a team of doctorate students

and the president of the Faculty of Sciences, Dr Rachid’s team

built a car that won at the naonal level in an event organized

by the Cherian Oce for Phosphates, in partnership with theInstute of Research in Solar and Renewable Energy. While the

Turkish university won the compeon at the internaonal

level, the University of Marrakech’s teams received a special

commendaon from the jury of the Internaonal Federaon of

Solar Cars and were invited to parcipate at the internaonal

level in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

Dr Rachid and a PhD student during the solar car race in Marrakech inSeptember 2014. © IOM 2014


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Fishermen in Ahwar, Yemen, meet with IOM eld teams todiscuss their vulnerabilies and immediate needs. © IOM 2014

5. Research and publications: 2014 highlights


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5. Research and publications: 2014 highlights

Household International Migration Surveys in the Mediterranean Countries (MED-HIMS)

IOM is a partner in the Household Internaonal Migraon Survey in Mediterranean Countries programme, which conducts

coordinated migraon surveys at the request of naonal stascal oces of select countries of the southern and eastern

Mediterranean. The surveys provide unique, detailed and comparable data on migraon dynamics in the region. IOM supports

technical acvies and coordinaon at the regional level while also engaging at naonal levels in data analysis and knowledge

producon, for instance in Egypt in 2014.

Assessment of Priorities for the Development of Libya’s Migration Policy: A Strategic Vision

This assessment report supports eorts to develop a domesc migraon policy for Libya.

It analyses Libya’s current rules, instuonal set-up and pracces relang to migraon

management in areas considered priories for policy development, and formulates various

opons for the future development of a migraon policy in relaon to both legal and

irregular migraon, as well as on the capacies of the relevant authories. This assessment

provides an overview of key migraon challenges facing Libya and suggests how these

might be met through government acon.

http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=1465http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=1465http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=1465http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=1465


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Assessment of the Reintegration Experiences of Childrenin Contact with the Law in Iraq

Since 2003, protracted conict and violence, poverty and daisplacement have exposed

children to a higher-than-usual risk of coming into contact with the law. It is understood

that ocial gures represent only a small percentage of all delinquency cases, with Iraqi law

prescribing various non-custodial alternaves, such as nes and probaon, at both the pretrial

and sentencing/disposion stages. There are reports that police ocers divert a considerable

number of cases without formal judicial proceedings, but with limited mechanisms for follow

up, lile is known of the fates of these children and it is believed that many remain vulnerable

to recidivism.

Pilot Project: Assessment and Strategy Development to Respondto Sea Level Rise on Human Mobility in Abu Qir, Egypt

The impact of sea level rise can devastate the lives and livelihoods of people living in coastal

communies and may result in a temporary or more permanent migraon to areas with perceived

beer opportunies. This report outlines the results of research and acvies assessing the

impacts of sea level rise on Abu Qir, and ends with conclusions and recommendaons on policy

and praccal opons to counter the negave eects of sea level rise.

http://iomiraq.net/reports/assessment-reintegration-experiences-children-contact-law-iraqhttp://iomiraq.net/reports/assessment-reintegration-experiences-children-contact-law-iraqhttp://iomiraq.net/reports/assessment-reintegration-experiences-children-contact-law-iraqhttp://iomiraq.net/reports/assessment-reintegration-experiences-children-contact-law-iraq


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Ongoing Displacement: A Prole of Iraq 2013–2014

Ongoing Displacement proles the displacement trends, living condions, needs and

intenons of populaons that have been displaced in Iraq since 2013. Through a series of

household quesonnaires, focus group discussions and supplementary data from IOM’s

Displacement Tracking Matrix, this report presents an in-depth and holisc view of how themost recent crises have aected internal displacement in Iraq.

Pilot Study: Ethiopian Migrant Labourers on Qat Farms in Rada’, Yemen

This research invesgates the alleged situaon of Ethiopian migrant labourers being forced

to work on qat farms in Rada’ Governorate, Yemen. It looks at their working condions in

this unregulated sector, the domesc legislave framework and the risks associated with

migrant smuggling, contextualizing it within the history of migraon between Yemen and the

Horn of Africa and recent socioeconomic drivers. The research found no conclusive evidence

that irregular Ethiopian migrants were tracked for forced labour, although decepon was

an aspect of the smuggling process. The research oers a list of recommendaons for the

Government of Yemen, the internaonal community and naonal civil society organizaonsto take acon and strengthen the response against labour exploitaon, human tracking

and migrant smuggling.

http://iomiraq.net/reports/ongoing-displacement-profile-iraq-2013-2014http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=1473http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=1473http://iomiraq.net/sites/default/files/styles/colorbox-show/public/field/image/articles/Screen_Shot_2014-12-01_at_3.55.34_PM.png?itok=WYMHKKDRhttp://iomiraq.net/reports/ongoing-displacement-profile-iraq-2013-2014http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/Tourist_Marriage_Yemen.pdf


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Pilot Study: Tourist Marriage in Yemen

This publicaon assesses the phenomenon of tourist marriage, dening it as a temporary, formal

union between a Yemeni female and a man from an Arabian Gulf country. The pilot study explores

the economic and social dimensions and consequences of tourist marriage, and highlights its

impact on young Yemeni females and their families. The research idenes how tourist marriageis a form of human tracking because the groom deceives the young bride and her parents

and with the purpose to use her in the short term (e.g. one week to one month) for sexual

exploitaon. The research oers a list of recommendaons for the Government of Yemen, the

internaonal community, and naonal civil society organizaons to take acon and strengthen

the response against human tracking.

Refugees at Home: A Livelihoods Assessment of Lebanese

Returnees from Syria

Displaced from residency in the Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanese returnees should have equal

access to the Lebanese labour market and public services. In reality, they are oen perceived

as Syrians and are unfamiliar with the services available to them, while at the same me oen

lacking the support of friends or family. Furthermore, at the beginning of the emergency

response, returnees were not targeted for humanitarian assistance in the same way as refugees

and remain, on the whole, an under-assisted group. This report takes into account informaon

gathered over 2013–2014 by the Lebanese Government’s High Relief Commission and IOM toassess the socioeconomic situaon of Lebanese returnee households to beer inform long-term

programming that seeks to improve their livelihoods.

http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/Tourist_Marriage_Yemen.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttps://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Lebanon-LH-Assessment-November-2014.pdfhttp://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/Tourist_Marriage_Yemen.pdf


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Key statistics for IOM activities in theMiddle East and North Africa for 2014

An Iraqi woman tends her cale as partof a livelihoods project. © IOM Iraq 2014

Beneciaries of IOM development and humanitarianassistance activities in 2014


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assistance activities in 2014Type of programme

Number ofbeneciaries

Provision of non-food items and food distribuon 2,322,032

WASH assistance 1,050,252

Health care (excluding health screenings) 654,405

Awareness-raising 401,165Mass movement operaons from the Middle East and North Africa provided in the contextof ongoing humanitarian crises

134,933

Provision of shelter assistance (including construcon, maintenance and management ofcollecve shelter facilies and provision rental subsidies, excluding the provision of shelter kits)

75,732

Health screenings 38,311

Reselement movement assistance 31,880

Livelih

Documents

The Middle East and North Africa Migration - Annual Report 2014