A two-day meeting between high-level government officials from
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen organized by IOM will focus
on tackling the many challenges posed by mixed migration flows in
the Horn of Africa.

The meeting, on 1st and 2nd December in Djibouti will also look
at ways of improving cross-border cooperation between the four
countries through better information sharing.

Every year, tens of thousands of people make the hazardous
journey from their place of origin through Somalia and Djibouti and
onwards across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen and the Gulf states. These
complex and extremely dynamic population movements include
asylum-seekers, irregular migrants, victims of trafficking and
unaccompanied minors, involving men and women, girls and boys.

These individuals, driven by political unrest and/or extreme
poverty face numerous abuses along the way. Host countries and host
communities face particular challenges in responding to these
significant irregular flows of migrants since those involved often
require special and individualized assistance.

Because of its complexity, its dynamic nature and its increasing
importance, various humanitarian organizations including IOM and
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have joined together
to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated humanitarian response to
the needs of the migrants and asylum-seekers transiting through
Somalia and Djibouti to Yemen and further.

The meeting, part of a Japanese-Swiss-US funded IOM programme on
providing greater protection for migrants en route to Yemen, is not
only aimed at improving the understanding on mixed migration 
as a growing trend among participant countries, but also at
ensuring greater respect of the human rights of migrants when
applying national and regional immigration laws.

For more information please contact:

Odile Robert

IOM Djibouti

Tel: +253 352459, 

       +41 79 637 10 56

E-mail: "mailto:orobert@iom.int">orobert@iom.int