On 22 – 25 May 2023, ICMPD organised a training for Libyan officials on assisting citizens abroad during times of crisis. The training was conducted within the framework of the EU- and Swiss co-funded Libya’s Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF) project.
How can embassies and consulates prepare for a potential crisis? How do you support your citizens abroad during a natural disaster, a pandemic, or other consular crises? How do you deliver psychological first aid? These were some of the questions answered during the training organised for eight trainers from the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and two from the Ministry of Interior.
The training was the second part of ICMPD’s Training of Trainers Programme on Consular Crisis Preparedness and Management, following the first step of the training that took place earlier this year, providing the participants with the ABCs of delivering trainings. The objective of the training programme is to equip the 10 trainers with the pedagogical skills, technical knowledge, and relevant tools needed to design and deliver trainings to their peers. ICMPD was joined by experts from the embassies of Sweden, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom in Libya, who shared good practices on how to prepare for and offer support and consular services in times of crisis.
Against the backdrop of COVID-19 and the current conflict in Sudan, the training on how embassies and consulates can support and protect citizens was welcomed. The participants did hands-on exercises, practicing for example how to provide psychological first aid to reduce stress, and connect people with family and local services. The interactive training also allowed the participants to identify ways to strengthen the current practices of assisting citizens abroad, gaining insights from good practices of other countries.
The “Libya’s Migration Technical Assistance Facility” (LIBMITAF) project is co-funded by the European Union and the Swiss Confederation (represented by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, acting through the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD)). Read more about the project here.