Djibouti – Host country for 150,000 undocumented migrants and transit point for thousands more from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf, Djibouti seeks to improve their well-being and that of communities of reception thanks to the country’s first national migration strategy, launched with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
This strategy will assist and promote sustainable livelihoods for migrants affected by conflict, protracted crises, climate change and lack of jobs in the region.
“We hope that this new strategy will contribute to the economic and social prosperity of the country but also to the well-being of migrants,” said Stéphanie Daviot, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti. “This is the result of consultations carried out for several months with all the stakeholders concerned. “
Launched in the capital this week, the strategy will help coordinate the country’s institutions on future migration laws, policies and legislation, as well as promote awareness of migrants’ rights and needs. humanitarian and protection. It will also support the National Migration Coordination Office, which is the main interlocutor of partners working in the field of migration.
Composed of a population of barely one million, Djibouti is bordered by Ethiopia, which has 112 million inhabitants, and Somalia, which has more than 15 million. Thousands of migrants, mostly from these countries, pass through Djibouti in search of safety or work, mainly in the Gulf countries. More than half (55 percent) of the more than 9,900 migrants who arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa in the first half of 2021 crossed Djibouti and then the Gulf of Aden.
Many of them die en route, from hunger and dehydration in harsh desert conditions. Hundreds of them are targeted by traffickers and smugglers, at the risk of exploitation and gender-based violence. More and more women and children are passing through Djibouti. According to the IOM Missing Migrants Project , 97 migrants, including 16 children, have died crossing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into Yemen since early 2021.
The IOM Country Strategy for Djibouti (2021-2024) will support the implementation of the government initiative and strengthen collaboration among key migration stakeholders in the country, including civil society and other agencies. United Nations.
The development of the national strategy on migration and the IOM plan for Djibouti was financed within the framework of the project entitled “Durable solutions for host populations, refugees and most vulnerable migrants in Djibouti”, funded by the European Union.
“This new strategy is a decisive step towards effective management of migration, in accordance with the commitments made by the Republic of Djibouti when the Global Compact on Migration was signed in 2018,” said Djibouti Minister of the Interior, Saïd Nouh Hassa.
Source: International Organization for Migration