Somalia - The UN Migration Agency (IOM) this month joined the first meeting of the Inter Ministerial Task Force for Migration Management under the new Federal Government of Somalia.

Established in May 2016 by the previous Prime Minister under the lead of the Ministry of Internal security, the High Level Task Force is complemented by two technical Task forces for Human Trafficking and Smuggling and for Return and Readmission. The Task Forces were established to introduce a Migration Governance system in Somalia, to develop policies and to foster better coordination within the Ministries.

“This Task started its work when the Government was entering a transition period, now we need to continue the legacy so we can jointly find a solution to irregular and risky migration by tacking the root causes in a sustainable way,” said Mariam Yassin Hagi Yussuf, the Chair of the High Level Task Force the Federal Republic of Somalia’s Special Envoy for Migrants and Children’s Rights, during the meeting.

“Migration is a global issue and can be a challenge faced by Somalia and its neighbouring countries,” said Gerard Waite, IOM Somalia Chief of Mission. “As IOM, we will continue to support the Government through capacity building of the members of the Taskforce to enable them be in a position to address the root causes of irregular migration and also help in better management of migration flows in Somalia”.

The meeting was attended by Federal Government of Somalia officials from the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Internal Security Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Constitutional Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Women and Human Rights, Ministry of Education, Office of the Attorney General, Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and the Office of the Special Envoy for Migrants and Children’s Rights.

The Inter Ministerial Task Force for Migration Management’s work is supported by IOM and is funded by the European Union and is part of IGADs regional programme on migration governance.

For further information, please contact Julia Hartlieb at IOM Somalia, Email: jhartlieb@iom.int, Tel: +254 741 988 846