Protection and sustainable solutions for migrants and refugees along the Central Mediterranean route

Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers face extreme protection risks en-route and upon arrival in Libya. Following joint commitments taken at the AU-EU Summit in Abidjan with the UN to increase the protection of migrants and refugees, this Action will contribute to strengthen the governance of migration in the region and provide protection and sustainable solutions for migrants and refugees along the central Mediterranean route.

In that regard, this Action foresees to provide emergency protection, life-saving assistance, evacuation to refugees in Libya in the framework of the Evacuation Transit Mechanism (ETM). Furthermore, it will contribute to provide resettlement and complementary pathways for refugees living in/or transiting Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Chad.

Finally, the Action will also provide assistance to migrants and host and transit communities through search and rescue and community stabilisation operations and enable the assisted voluntary humanitarian return of at least 15,000 vulnerable and stranded migrants from Libya and ensure their reintegration in a dignified and sustainable manner.

The action aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which refers to “the right of migrants to return to their country of citizenship" and the obligations of states “to ensure that their returning nationals are duly received" and their commitment to ensure, including through international cooperation, “safe, orderly and regular migration involving full respect for human rights and the humane treatment of migrants regardless of migration status, of refugees and of displaced persons” (see also sub-goal 10.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals 10 on migration policies).

Main objectives

The overall objective of the Action is to contribute to strengthen the governance of migration in the region and provide protection and sustainable solutions for migrants and refugees along the Central Mediterranean route.

The specific objectives of the Action are the following:

Component 1 – UNHCR
Specific Objective 1: Provide emergency protection, life-saving assistance, evacuation and access to solutions to persons of concern to UNHCR in Libya in the framework of the Evacuation Transit Mechanism (ETM).
Specific Objective 2: Provide support to resettlement and complementary pathways for persons in need of international protection living in/or transiting Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Chad through resettlement and the expansion of complementary pathways.

Component 2 - IOM
Specific Objective 1: Improve protection, provide assistance to migrants and communities and enable the assisted voluntary return of vulnerable and stranded migrants in target countries.
Specific Objective 2: Improve the reintegration of returning migrants and strengthen capacities to manage reintegration in a dignified and sustainable manner.
Specific Objective 3: Enable migrants or potential migrants to make informed decisions about the migratory journey and raise awareness of communities on migration.
Specific Objective 4: Strengthen migration data and communication on migratory flows, routes and trends, as well as on the needs and vulnerabilities of migrants in the targeted countries, in order to support evidence-based policies and programmes design.

Activities under this component will target all categories of returnees, including stranded migrants, irregular migrants, regular migrants, migrants in vulnerable conditions, such as victims of trafficking, elderly people, unaccompanied migrant children and migrants with health-related needs.

Contracts

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

EUR 30 000 000

Enhancing protection, live-saving assistance and solutions, including resettlement for persons of concern with international protection needs in Libya and West Africa (Niger and Burkina Faso)

Action Fiche