A technical workshop organized by the International Organization for Migration to improve the legal identification of migrants and the repatriations to the North African region took place in Tunis last week.
The central objective of the workshop was to improve the legal identification phase of migrants to make the repatriation process safer, more dignified, and to allow for a sustainable reintegration in the North African region, stated IOM organizers.
The technical workshop was organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and it brought together government officers, consular representatives, and experts from 11 countries located across north, western, and central Africa. The workshop took place between June 23 and 25.
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Italian government co-finances meeting
During the meeting, which took place under the umbrella of the "Migrant Protection, Return, and Reintegration in North Africa" (MPRR-NA) project funded by the European Union and by the governments of Denmark, Norway, and Italy, participants conducted an in-depth analysis of the main challenges related to the judicial identity of migrants, recognized as a fundamental prerequisite to access services, exercise their rights and to participate in paths for an assisted return, so that they can be reintegrated in their countries of origin.
Several topics were addressed during the workshop, including the importance of registering births as a key to gaining access to a legal digital identity from infancy.
Representatives from the various states also shared experiences and national best practices, discussing innovative solutions such as virtual counselor support to verify the identity and help hand out official documents required for the various processes.
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Improving migrants' protection
Participants at the workshop also looked in to how to strengthen the protection of migrants in the region by improving institutional capabilities, the development of efficient instruments to manage the identification of migrants, and encouraging a higher level of intergovernmental coordination.
The initiative is part of a broader project that aims at promoting integrated approaches based on human rights as part of the repatriation and reintegration in North Africa processes.
According to IOM, the workshop represented a significant step toward a more efficient and humane process of managing migration, based on the recognition of the right to an identity as an essential element of dignity and social inclusion.