An international seminar on the role of the clergy in supporting
vulnerable migrants, organized by IOM's missions in Rome and
Tripoli and the NGO World Islamic Call Society (WICS), will take
place in the Libyan capital today.

The seminar, which will be attended by imams and religious
leaders from Libya and migrant countries of origin, including
Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso, aims to enhance
the clergy's role in addressing the humanitarian challenges posed
by irregular migration.

IOM's Regional Office for the Mediterranean in Rome began to
work with religious groups in 2003, when it partnered with the
International Union of Superiors General to train Christian clergy
to work with victims of human trafficking.

Over the past four years the programme has trained over 400
Catholic women from 31 countries at workshops in Europe, South
America, Asia and Africa.

WICS, founded in 1972, headquartered in Tripoli and with a
presence in 80 countries, already provides support to victims of
forced migration, conflict and natural disasters and is a natural
partner when in comes to supporting  vulnerable migrants,
according to IOM Rome Director Peter Schatzer.

"The greater involvement of the clergy in this field is very
welcome. Religious and lay contributions in meeting the complex
humanitarian and other challenges posed by migration are
complementary," he notes.

For more information, please contact:

Flavio Di Giacomo

IOM Rome

Tel. +39 06 44186 207

E-mail: "mailto:fdigiacomo@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">fdigiacomo@iom.int

or

Laurence Hart

IOM Tripoli

Tel.  +218 91 383 25 96

E-mail: "mailto:lhart@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">lhart@iom.int