Activities

The Regional Training on Countering Trafficking in Human Beings was a two-day event elaborated and implemented as a means of delivering on the commitments made under the Italian Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process. The programme represented a first-of-a-kind activity in the framework of the Khartoum Process and was designed in consultation with the host country and based on the inputs provided by KP national focal points by means of a pre-training needs assessment, to ensure a tailored-fit content that addresses national and regional priorities in the fight against trafficking in human beings.

The event gathered over 40 participants from Khartoum Process member states and regional organisations such as IGAD, as well as representatives of international organisations such as IOM, UNDP, and UNCHR.

On the 14^th and 15^th of November 2018, around 280 Senior Officials from across Europe and Africa met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The participants met to follow up on both the conclusions established during the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Malta last year, and the progress made under the five domains of the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP), adopted at the Migration Summit in Malta in 2015.

The SOM gave an opportunity to all partners to reiterate the core principles of solidarity, partnership, and shared responsibility. The participants also expressed their commitment to respond decisively and to jointly manage migration flows in all their aspects. The meeting focused on the state of play of the JVAP, including analysis and suggestions for a way forward. The partners also discussed the Khartoum and Rabat Processes which, as key dialogues, are mandated to monitor and report on the implementation and progress of the Joint Valletta Action Plan. The current situation of the different bilateral and European instruments contributing to the JVAP objectives was also examined. The meeting concluded with recommendations for the way forward for the JVAP.

Between 18-19 September 2018, Sweden, together with Kenya as co-host, hosted the Thematic Meeting on the Protection of Women and Girls on the Move from Africa to Europe. 

The 2017 Thematic Meeting on International Protection and Asylum in Berlin, Germany, explored the issue of protection challenges of populations on the move, with the conclusions of the meeting highlighting the need for further concerted action to address the specific protection challenges faced by migrant and refugee women and girls. Earlier this year, at the Thematic Meeting on Awareness-Raising Campaigns in The Hague, The Netherlands, delegates examined how sharing information with refugees and migrants can help reduce risks and facilitate access to services.

On 10^th - 11^th July 2018, the Khartoum Process (EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative) convened a Thematic Meeting on Law Enforcement and Capacity Building, which was hosted and chaired by Egypt and co-chaired by Italy. During the Meeting, the delegates shared their knowledge, experience and good practices pertaining to law enforcement responses to human trafficking, international police cooperation and investigation, as well as capacity building. To address these important issues, the first day of the meeting was dedicated to targeted presentations of good practices in the area of capacity building, international cooperation and law enforcement.

Within the framework of the Khartoum Process, a Thematic Meeting on Awareness Raising Campaigns was organised on 19 – 20 June, in The Hague, Netherlands. The meeting, hosted by The Netherlands and co-hosted by Ethiopia, brought together representatives of Khartoum Process Member States as well as a wide range of practitioners working with INGOs, NGOs and social enterprises active in the field of migration management. The meeting was centered on the issues of impact and effectiveness of awareness raising campaigns and how do awareness raising campaigns fit in the broader context of policy coherence and whole of government approach to managing migration in countries of origin, transit, and destination.

The Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the Khartoum Process took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 8^th May 2018, following a Steering Committee meeting, and was chaired by the 2018 Italian Chair of the Process.  The meeting was dedicated to the Khartoum Process state of play, an update on the related projects, and the implementation of Thematic Meetings’ Conclusions through a possible stock-taking exercise in the coming months. The roadmap to the 2018 Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP) SOM, which is scheduled to take place in mid-November 2018 in Addis Ababa, as well as the contribution of the Khartoum Process to this important meeting, were deliberated upon. The questions of governance, namely the future chairmanship of the Process in 2019 and the expansion of the Steering Committee, were addressed.

On 7th December 2017, Members of the Khartoum Process met in Rome, for the last Senior Officials' meeting of the year which solidified Ethiopia’s handover of its Chairmanship of the Process to Italy.

Italy made reference to the Rome Declaration, adopted at the Ministerial Conference in Rome in 2014, whereby the members of the Process agreed to assist participating states in tackling human trafficking and smuggling between the Horn of Africa and Europe. Three years later, those present again in Rome agreed on the need for an assessment of achievements to date, with a view to explore further paths of cooperation through a range of dedicated thematic meeting and trainings put forward as a rich programme for the year.

The new Chair also stressed the importance of regarding migration as a transnational phenomenon which as a result cannot be addressed by one state alone and therefore requires a high degree of coordination between the EU and AU as well as between European and African partner countries; both continents should work together towards common goals.

 As well as a review of the Projects and initiatives under the Programme, the meeting more broadly looked to the preparation of the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP) Senior Officials Meeting foreseen for the 2^nd quarter of 2018. This meeting will, amongst other topic discussions, look concretely at the means of implementation of projects under the JVAP priority actions as its framework for follow up and review.

In November 2017, in Sudan, members of the Khartoum Process met for their 7^th thematic meeting since its inception. The theme: addressing the root causes of irregular migration.

Since its inception, the Process has acknowledged the importance of addressing the root causes/drivers of irregular migration. Its 2014 Rome Declaration lays emphasis on "addressing the push and pull factors, and the root causes of irregular migration and mixed migration flows between Africa and Europe and underlining in this context the importance of promoting sustainable development, in line with the global development agenda".

The meeting, which took place on 22^nd and 23^rd November in Khartoum, focused on the factors behind irregular migratory movements on both national and regional levels, with the aim of better understanding the drivers of irregular migration in the specific context of Khartoum Process countries. In this respect, the meeting encouraged partner countries to target strategies and policies in country, in  response to the fruitful discussions of the meeting where gaps where idenitified and best practices shared.