Kenya - The Regional Committee on Mixed Migration for the Horn of Africa and Yemen will hold its 5th annual meeting in Djibouti-Ville, Djibouti from 15 to 17 September 2015.

The three-day meeting, hosted by the Republic of Djibouti, aims to improve multi-lateral collaboration to propose and endorse recommendations that will serve as a roadmap for influencing policies affecting migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the region.

“The Regional Committee provides a unique platform for government actors to discuss cross-border issues related to migration, at a time when coordinated action is needed to save lives,” said IOM’s Regional Project Coordinator for Mixed Migration Craig Murphy.

Based on recommendations from the 2014 committee meeting, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this 5th meeting focuses on three key areas: Migration and Development, Detained Migrants, and Child Protection in Migration Management.

Committee members include officials from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland, Sudan, and Yemen. Observers will include the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU).

Observer state embassies including Eritrea, South Sudan, Egypt, and Libya will also attend, together with IOM, UNHCR, the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS), Mixed Migration Hub, and other partner organizations and donors.

The Horn of Africa and Yemen have unique migration challenges. Migrants make the journey from their places of origin through Puntland and Somaliland and Djibouti and across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen and the Gulf States. En route many perish, disappear or face grave human rights violations.

In 2015, the migration patterns have diversified. Migrants continue to arrive in Yemen, while at the same time large numbers of migrants and refugees are arriving in the Horn of Africa in order to escape the conflict in Yemen.

Between January and March 2015, 29,318 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa via the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.  From April to September the ongoing conflict has severely impeded registration data, but it is estimated that an additional 10,500 migrants arrived in Yemen despite the crisis.

From April to September 3rd, 2015, 59,230 migrants and refugees have arrived in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan fleeing from Yemen.

The Regional Committee on Mixed Migration continues to place emphasis on strategic regional governmental initiatives that will ensure increased protection of migrants’ rights and a reduction in the number of lives lost. A key objective of this meeting is to endorse a set of recommendations for the Horn of Africa and Yemen for the coming year that will influence policy and decision-making on migration management.

For more information, please contact T. Craig Murphy at IOM Kenya, Tel: +254 717 711 82, Email: cmurphy@iom.int