Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, received at the Farnesina the Director General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing.
The talks focused on the global challenge posed by migration, with special attention on the migration flows along the Central Mediterranean and the current cooperation with the Sahel region, especially with Niger.
Minister Alfano expressed his great appreciation for the work performed by the IOM along the migration routes through West Africa. He affirmed: “The Foreign Ministry has contributed 15 million euros from the Africa Fund for the development and implementation of new assistance centres for migrants along the Sahel route, first of all in Niger.” He went on: “Last week, with my counterpart from Niger, I signed an agreement to contribute 50 million euros to support the Country’s budget so that it can enhance border controls.”
The meeting gave the opportunity to evaluate the possibility of promoting a joint action in Libya. Minster Alfano said: “We are ready to make a financial contribution to the Joint Action Plan developed by the IOM and the UNHCR as we agree with its priorities, starting with increasing humanitarian assistance at the Country’s detention centres.” He added: “It is also important to support those who would like to access Assisted Voluntary Repatriation Programmes and, at the same time, support local communities, to show that what we want is a real partnership.”
The Italian Foreign Minister concluded by expressing his interest in intensifying the cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the IOM: “In the light of our excellent cooperation, we are ready to explore the possibility of establishing a partnership between the Foreign Ministry and the Organisation in order to strengthen the joint activities that we are already conducting and to broaden the scope of action to include other Countries of origin, and especially of transit, of the great migration flows towards the Central Mediterranean.”
