Introduction

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a distinct honor and privilege to be here today. I wish to thank the European Migration Network (EMN) and the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice for giving the International Organization for Migration – and me personally – the opportunity to participate in this important meeting within the framework of the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Globally, we are facing an unprecedented level of forced migration – compounded by an unparalleled number of simultaneous, complex, and protracted crises from armed conflict to political upheaval, to natural disaster, to abject poverty. Not since the Second World War have so many persons been forcibly displaced, a number exceeding 60 million. Whether forced or voluntary, large-scale migration will continue, and will increasingly become a fundamental characteristic of the future. Unfortunately, migrants confront unprecedented anti-migrant sentiment at all points along migratory routes.

Since the tragedy off Lampedusa in October 2013 – in which 368 migrants lost their lives -- the daily loss of life at sea has focused our minds – and, indeed, our hearts – on the urgency of developing responsible and humane measures – measures to address the complex mixed migratory flows to Europe, and elsewhere.

One important part of this concerns the urgent need to address the growing prevalence of migrant smuggling to reach an intended destination. The question of how to tackle migrant smuggling effectively is key to our discussions about coordination, inter-operability and effectiveness of comprehensive migration management.

IOM recently adopted a “Migration Governance Framework” (MiGOF) – to help States to develop well-planned, well-managed migration policies to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people. The Migration Governance Framework stresses that: "Maintaining the integrity of migration and mobility schemes requires a state to facilitate regular travel and migration, while at the same time detecting irregular migration and interdicting illegal cross-border activity."

Migrant smuggling has now become a global concern affecting all countries – those of origin, transit and destination. Smugglers take advantage of the great number of migrants willing to take risks when they cannot access legal channels of migration. Restrictive visa policies help make smuggling a highly profitable business. Reliance on smugglers makes migrants particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Oftentimes, migrants pay with their lives: they suffocate in containers, perish in deserts or drown at sea while smugglers treat them as mere merchandise.

Today, I would like to make three points:

1. The need for a comprehensive approach to counter migrant smuggling;
2. The need for partnership and collaboration; and
3. The need for experience and capacity.

1. Comprehensive, long-term approach against migrant smuggling

IOM has long advocated and actively supported a holistic migration policy approach – one that recognizes migration as a “mega-trend” of this century. Our “thesis” is that migration is inevitable, necessary and desirable – if well-managed, through sensible, humane and responsible policies. Migration is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be managed. Any plan that tries to hinder migration ultimately would fail.

In many parts of the world, migrant smugglers have become an integral part of the irregular migration journey. Two decades ago, migrant smuggling existed already; however, the growth, prevalence, and almost “normalization” of smuggling in many countries is more recent. For instance, roughly two-thirds of migrants reportedly use smugglers to enter Europe.

Irregular migration and migrant smuggling are complex in several ways:

(a) their root causes are manifold;
(b) migrant smuggling is a multi-layered industry woven into the fabric of international criminal networks; and
(c) smuggling profoundly affects countries and migrants themselves. There are no simple, easy policy solutions. Comprehensive policies are required, covering both preventive and remedial angles.

To address migrant smuggling comprehensively, IOM supports four pillars of action:

1. Help migrants in distress and save lives – saving lives and guaranteeing safe passages must remain the top priority. Use temporary protective status (TPS) as a first step.
2. Create more legal channels for migration – credible legal avenues for migration will undercut smugglers.
3. Address the root causes driving migrants to seek smugglers – including long-term measures to address the drivers of irregular migration and forced migration displacement. Drivers include: demography, socio-economic disparities; desperation; and environmental degradation.
4. Interdict migrant smuggling and prosecute smugglers – Despite a Global Alliance against traffickers and smugglers, we have made hardly any progress over the past fifteen years in arresting and prosecuting the kingpins in these criminal operations. We need to understand smugglers’ networks and recruitment techniques to stamp out the trade, and bring these perpetrators to justice:

• Address both supply and demand sides of smuggling;
• Trace and disrupt smugglers’ financial flows.

But a truly comprehensive approach cannot be undertaken by a single government or agency alone. This leads me to my second point.

2. The need for partnership

Partnerships are needed to develop a truly comprehensive approach to confront human smugglers.

In 2015, at least 3,760 migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea in the attempt to reach Europe – most at the hand of unscrupulous smugglers. The ongoing situation along the Western Balkans route vividly shows that exclusive reliance on border controls, walls, fences and other “closed door” policies and restrictive measures – such as tightened visa regimes and criminalizing irregular migrants – do not work.

Instead, isolated national measures often only change the direction and routes that irregular migrants take. Thereby, restrictive measures unintentionally, subsidize the smugglers, pushing more desperate migrants into smugglers’ hands as a last resort to escape from strife, poverty, insecurity, rights violation, and climate change.

Moreover, there are limits to what democratic, open societies can legitimately do at their borders if they will follow the rule-of-law. Indeed, countries have the sovereign right to protect their borders and ensure orderly migration and cross border exchange; however, such measures should not come at the expense of saving lives or pose unnecessary hardships or risks for already vulnerable populations legitimately seeking protection.

We need to work with our partners to promote opportunities to migrate in a safe, dignified manner. We need to re-focus our cooperation with one another, recognizing that our challenges and responsibilities are shared and inter-linked. Effective cooperation requires responsibility-sharing among states, and inter-agency cooperation between border and law enforcement authorities.

Cooperation among States and relevant actors on information sharing and exchange of evidence and intelligence is paramount. States should also review and develop legislation which better identifies and prosecutes the smugglers without criminalising the migrants.

3. The need for experience and capacity

For 65 years, IOM has been dedicated to promoting safe, humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. We do so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. With 9,000 staff deployed around the world in nearly 500 sites, IOM is actively engaged in addressing Europe’s migration concerns in origin, transit and destination countries.

As the lead global migration agency, IOM activities are directed at helping governments to develop capacity and respond effectively to diverse migration challenges such as the smuggling of migrants, in line with the four aforementioned pillars.

1. IOM has the capacity and experience to help you provide practical protection to smuggled migrants. This group requires special attention as the majority is vulnerable to multiple risks. Assistance includes addressing immediate needs; identification and screening processes; health services; psychosocial support; Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration – and Humanitarian Border Management. IOM is also on the frontline for the implementation of the Migration Resource and Response Mechanisms along migratory routes, such as one the EU is supporting IOM to develop in Agadez, Niger.
2. IOM can support governments in providing credible and effective legal alternatives to irregular migration – such as humanitarian admission; temporary protective status; short-term and seasonal worker visas; work and study visa; circulation migration; temporary re-location; resettlement; private sponsorship schemes and family reunification. Canada’s resettlement of 25,000 refugees from Syria with assistance from IOM is a current example of how we can work together. 
3. Addressing the drivers of irregular and forced migration is a core element of IOM’s “Response Plan for the Mediterranean and Beyond”. Through its implementation, IOM seeks to support Member States in adapting migration management policies to contemporary reality. Stabilization, development programmes, conflict prevention, transition, recovery, governance, resilience building and disaster-risk prevention are key areas in which IOM is involved to address the drivers. Furthermore, IOM is committed to undertake further research and analysis on routes, motivations, the role of communication and diasporas networks, which will serve as a basis for effective policies.
4. In close cooperation with governments, the UN and other partners, IOM is able to lead the way in formulating comprehensive needs assessments to ascertain the legislative, judicial, investigative and operational capacity of states to deal with smuggling of migrants. We can help with research to uncover trends on how smuggling networks develop. IOM could help build the capacity of state officials to disrupt and interdict smuggling through training, providing of necessary technical infrastructure, or through policy advice.

Conclusion: “3 Cs – comprehensive; collaborative; capacity”

The first priority remains that of saving lives. At the same time, we must also address the drivers of irregular migration – the root causes that eventually result in the use of smugglers. We need to act in concerted, coherent partnership, and draw upon experience and a comprehensive framework. We need to work together to ensure the continued effective protection for migrants. Governments need to create more channels for safe, regular migration for those in need of family reunification or for other legitimate migratory purposes. These measures will save lives by eliminating any need for migrants to take dangerous irregular migration routes and hire smugglers who disregard their safety.

A robust international response must be put into place rapidly to end smuggling operations. Comprehensive, concrete measures should be aimed at undercutting the smugglers’ business model on both shores of the Mediterranean, recognizing that criminal networks operate across regions. While the high number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe in 2015 has increased pressures and tensions, this is not a crisis beyond the capability of Europe to manage together as a Union. We need partnerships and bold, collective thinking and action to develop a truly comprehensive approach. IOM is here to support you.