Juan David Latorre
The Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum, organised by the Libyan Government of National Unity and scheduled to discuss the issue of illegal immigration and enhance dialogue and cooperation between Africa and Europe, will be held in the city of Tripoli, Libya, on Wednesday 17 July.
Initiated by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Mediterranean Migration Forum aims to address the pressing problem of irregular migration, a persistent challenge that security-based approaches have failed to adequately address. Annual data and statistics indicate an unprecedented increase in the number of irregular migrants. International studies and reports reveal that the escalation of irregular migration is influenced not only by internal factors such as poverty, economic decline and widespread conflict, but also by international economic policies and political and security approaches towards southern Mediterranean countries. These factors have considerably exacerbated the phenomenon.
While irregular migration exerts economic and security pressures on European nations, it poses different challenges for African countries. Increasing migration drains human resources and young talent from sub-Saharan African nations and imposes a significant burden on transit countries, which lack the resources and capacities to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the growing number of migrants, in addition to the security challenges posed by migratory flows.
Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach through the establishment of a strategic cooperation framework between African and European countries. This framework must serve the interests of all parties involved in the migration equation, with a strong focus on safeguarding the human rights and dignity of migrants.
The Forum will bring together governmental and non-governmental organisations from 28 Mediterranean and sub-Saharan African countries. Rooms for bilateral and multilateral meetings will be made available to participating delegations for the event. The activities will be covered by local media.
