Capacity Building

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative builds on strong ownership and wide investment of the various state- and non-state actors in the involved countries. The EU-IOM Joint Initiative therefore closely cooperates with all actors involved and strengthens structures of migration governance. Such approach will simultaneously contribute to increasing the sustainability of the actions under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative. 

How is the EU-IOM Joint Initiative supporting capacity building?
 

1. Strengthen the capacity of governments and local stakeholders to protect vulnerable and stranded migrants and facilitate safe and dignified voluntary return.

Building on previous interventions, national, regional or multi-country capacity building activities allow knowledge sharing and exchange on specific areas of common interest and concern such as protection, assistance for migrants in vulnerable situations (e.g. unaccompanied or separated migrant children; migrants with health-related needs). Based on the needs identified and in coordination with relevant national authorities and/or civil society of relevant countries, regional training and workshop will be organized on topics to be jointly defined ensuring synergies with the protection group within the Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

 

Facilitating access to consular services for stranded and vulnerable migrants is an essential step in the voluntary return process and has long been a priority issue for IOM. Currently, the vast majority of migrants seeking IOM support to return to their countries of origin from transit and destination countries in Africa do not have valid travel documents (c. 60% of migrants in Niger and more than 90% of migrants assisted in Libya).

 

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative is working in the immediate term to support governments to ensure timely and wider geographic access to basic consular services for migrants in need. This may include providing technical and financial support for consular missions, basic equipment, the shipment of documents, or the facilitation of video-calls.

 

In the longer term, the objective is to support interested governments to enhance procedures for identification and travel document issuance. In that regard, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative is available to review existent consular procedures and/or development of SOPs and facilitate dialogue and exchange between countries to exchange good practice and enhance cooperation for the issuance of travel documents.

 

Target countries may request specific support for these actions.

2. Strengthen the capacity of governments and local stakeholders to ensure the sustainable reintegration of returning migrants and ownership of reintegration activities at the national level

In order to strengthen reintegration systems and migration governance, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative conducts a range of capacity development activities.

 

At national level, these include for example the development of standard operational procedures, the mapping of partners, and the setting up of referral systems (see more information here). 

At regional and cross-regional level, capacity building activities will be proposed to allow knowledge sharing and exchange on specific areas of common interest. This may include for example approaches of how best to link pre-return and post-arrival procedures in a perspective of enhancing the provision of reintegration assistance.

 

Additionally, based on the mapping of all partners and reintegration opportunities for migrants in each country implemented by national stakeholders or international agencies, a specific online tool will be developed to refer migrants to reintegration support and programmes.