A three-day workshop organized by IOM, the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union Commission
(AUC) on border management and irregular migration in the IGAD
region opens on 26 November in Nairobi, Kenya.

The workshop will bring together some 40 officials and experts
from ministries with migration-related responsibilities and
functions, including Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs,
Labour and Social Affairs, Police, Intelligence and Security.
Representatives from neighbouring transit countries such as Chad,
Egypt, Libya, Niger, Tunisia and Yemen will also take part in the
meeting, alongside representatives from the regional
media.   

The workshop aims to build on recommendations of the Inter-State
and Intra-Regional Cooperation Conference and the IGAD Regional
Consultative Process (IGAD-RCP), which was launched in Addis Ababa
earlier this year by representatives from the IGAD member
states. 

Prior to the workshop, IOM in collaboration with IGAD and its
member states carried out technical assessments of selected border
points in the region to evaluate the technical capacities of
immigration officials and of existing infrastructures to identify
potential gaps in the management of regional borders.

"This workshop aims to contribute to the AU and IGAD policy
processes aimed at improving border management systems within the
region," says Charles Kwenin, IOM's representative in Addis
Ababa.  

In addition to discussing the use of information campaigns to
ensure potential migrants are aware of their rights and are able to
protect themselves from health and other related risks, the
workshop will look at how to use migration as a catalyst for
regional social and economic integration and cooperation.

The workshop is part of "The East Africa Migration Route
Programme: Building Cooperation, Information Sharing and Developing
Joint Practical Initiatives among Countries of Origin, Transit and
Destination" funded by the European Commission and other
co-sponsors including the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands and
Malta.

For further information, please contact:

Charles Kwenin

IOM Addis Ababa

Tel: +251 11 551 16 73

Email: "mailto:ckwenin@iom.int">ckwenin@iom.int

or

Ms. Lily Sanya

Email: "mailto:lsanya@iom.int">lsanya@iom.int