An international conference bringing
together delegations from Europe, the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan
Africa opened yesterday in the Sicilian town of Pozzallo to discuss
common migration policies in the Western Mediterranean.

The two-day conference "Migration and Dignity:
Europe and Africa for a common Mediterranean migration policy" is
organized by IOM and the Italian Foreign Ministry. It brings
together senior political representatives from Algeria, Austria,
Egypt, France, Ghana, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger,
Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and Tunisia. Representatives from the
United Nations and the European Commission are also attending the
conference.

Participants are focusing on effective and
coherent regional strategies in the field of migration, including
programmes and policies to combat irregular migration and
trafficking, facilitating labour migration and integration and
mitigating the impact of the brain drain on the development of
countries of origin and transit.

"The many topics discussed at the conference
are examined in the context of the overarching theme of migration
and dignity," said IOM Director General Brunson McKinley. "This
echoes a key principle of the Organization, that all migration
management measures should respect the dignity of migrants. The
principle is one of the reasons for the opening of a second IOM
office in Italy on the island of Lampedusa. Our presence there,
together with the Italian Red Cross and UNHCR, will be aimed not
only at helping the authorities manage irregular migration flows,
but also at helping to find solutions for migrants in accordance
with international law and principles of human dignity."

Redouane Saadi

Tel: +41 79 8297121

Email: "mailto:rsaadi@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">rsaadi@iom.int