On 17-19 November 2020, ICMPD organised two trainings on the important topics of consular crisis management and migration governance. Respectively the two events took place under the framework of the EU-funded project "Strategic and Institutional Management of Migration in Libya".
Consular Crisis Management
The first training, on 17 November, was an awareness-raising workshop to bring attention to the importance to enhance the crisis management capacities of the Libyan authorities in charge of supporting Libyan nationals abroad in preparation for potential future crises. ICMPD partnered with the Diplomatic Institute of the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organise the training.
During the workshop, participants from the Department for Consular Affairs and the Department for Expatriate Affairs of the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) gathered at the Diplomatic Institute in Tripoli where they discussed key concepts and lessons learned on consular crisis preparedness, and they identified training needs and opportunities in the area of consular crisis management. This workshop was based on the lessons learned and tools of the past "Migrants in Countries in Crisis" (MICIC) project. Next to ICMPD expert, Aurélie Sgro, who led the training session via Zoom, a peer exchange with an expert coming from the Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns at the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs allowed for a discussion on concrete experiences and a reflection on another country’s good practices.
The workshop was a successful first step towards improving the crisis management capacities of the Libyan authorities. Mohamed Musbah, Head of the Migration & Humanitarian Affairs Division, International Organization Department of the Libyan MFA, noted that, "Today’s workshop is a very important workshop in this very difficult context of the corona pandemic". Ayad Elbay, Deputy Director of the Libyan Diplomatic Institute, thanked the EU for its support and highlighted that there is "a need for workshops and awareness raising on contingency planning" and he noted, "The Diplomatic Institute aspires to continue the cooperation with ICMPD on this topic".
Migration Governance Training
On 18 November, ICMPD launched a two-day Migration Governance Training Course for Libyan officials. ICMPD partnered with the European University Institute’s (EUI) Migration Policy Centre (MPC), a leading research institute in the area of migration and its governance, for the training.
During the training, Libyan participants, including civil servants at ministries in charge of migration, staff of the House of Representatives (HoR), and representatives of the Libyan municipal councils, discussed and shared their experiences on a wide range of fundamental theories, concepts and institutional and legal frameworks related to international migration. The EUI MPC experts presented their training sessions via Zoom, while the Libyan participants joined the training via Zoom from Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi in Libya.
The successful event gathered officials from the Libyan Bureau of Statistics & Census, the HoR, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labor and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Local Governance, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Social Affairs, the Municipal Councils, NTBSM, Presidential Council, as well as officials from the European Union and experts and colleagues from the EUI MPC and ICMPD. Sandra Goffin, Head of Operations at the EU Delegation to Libya stressed: "There could not be a better time for this workshop; your role and actions are instrumental from our point of view for improving the migration governance as part of the overall governance reform and security sector reform in Libya". Abdunasser Segayer, Chair of the Libyan NTBSM, welcomed the expertise and support from ICMPD on important issues such as the development of the institutional framework on migration and the participation of Libya in dialogues on migration.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, both events were conducted partially via Zoom, with the Libyan participants joining in from several locations in Libya, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi.
The aim of the "Strategic and Institutional Management of Migration in Libya" project, which is implemented by ICMPD in collaboration with the Libyan National Team for Border Security and Management (NTBSM), is to support the efforts to improve the management of migration flows and the conditions of migrants in Libya.