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International Partnerships
Project

Promoting safe and regular migration in the Horn of Africa

The Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme

Civil society organisations offer services such as accommodation, food and medical and psychosocial support to migrants in need
Civil society organisations offer services such as accommodation, food and medical and psychosocial support to migrants in need © GIZ/Muse Zerihun

Migration in the Horn of Africa largely takes place within the region itself. There are over 15 million migrants, internally displaced people, refugees and asylum seekers in Horn of Africa countries. Human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants remain significant threats to people on the move and a key challenge to migration management.  

The Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme accompanies national authorities and institutions to strengthen safe, orderly and regular migration in the region by applying a human rights-based approach. To date, up to 50 000 migrants and victims of trafficking have benefited from protection services and assistance supported by the programme.

Objectives

The programme aims to enable national authorities and institutions to facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration, and address human trafficking by applying a human rights-based approach.

BMM works on three interconnected pillars

  • migration governance to establish a political basis for regionally harmonised migration management
  • effective institutions to address and reduce human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants
  • protection for victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants

The project seeks to

  • contribute to a human rights-based management of migration and mobility on national and regional level
  • strengthen cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination in the Horn of Africa
  • improve the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking
  • enhance an effective and coordinated protection and assistance of vulnerable migrants and victims of trafficking, involving governmental and civil society actors

Project activities

Training on forensic investigation and cybercrime strengthen capacity to prosecute cases of human trafficking
Training on forensic investigation and cybercrime strengthen capacity to prosecute cases of human trafficking © GIZ/Light in Captivity

The programme reaches its objectives through a number of activities

  • supporting the development and formulation of national migration policies and legislation in line with international conventions
  • training on investigation and prosecution of human trafficking, for example forensic trainings, mock trials, etc.
  • capacity building on integrated border management, anti-human trafficking and identification and referral of victims of trafficking
  • financial and technical support to civil society organisations to strengthen their services to migrants, such as accommodation, food and medical and psychosocial care
  • development and implementation of referral mechanisms and standard operating procedures to support migrants and victims of trafficking efficiently and according to their needs

Results

  • assistance to approximately 50 000 migrants and victims of trafficking
  • 21 new or revised national migration policies, strategies and legal frameworks
  • 11 host communities formulated recommendations on improved migration governance, engaging about 2 660 people
  • more than 22 750 actors supported in improving migration governance, for example through the regulation of work and residence rights for migrants and strengthened cross-border cooperation
  • about 11 620 actors participated in trainings on investigation and prosecution of human trafficking and integrated border management, curricula developed and embedded into the regular curricula of 17 national training institutions of law enforcement agencies in 5 countries
  • regional network established of about 80 CSOs working in protection and anti-human trafficking

Implementing partners

  • British Council
  • Civipol
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
  • International Organization for Migration (IOM) UN Migration
  • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
  • Expertise France (in phase 1)
  • Italian Department of Public Security (in phase 1)