Meeting of States and other stakeholders Along the North/West African Migration Routes to Discuss a Joint Approach on Missing Migrants

From 24 to 26 May, representatives of 12 North and West African states (Algeria, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia), as well as the African Union, the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the League of Arab States and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) met in Tunis, Tunisia, to discuss a joint approach to the issue of missing migrants and refugees.
The meeting was jointly convened by the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the ICRC.

In a final joint communiqué, all participants deplored the disappearance of thousands of migrants in Africa each year and agreed on the urgent need to act by preventing disappearances, searching and identifying those who go missing, and addressing the multi-facetted needs of families of missing migrants.

Key steps recommended by the participants include the integration of the missing migrants issue into continental, regional and national policy and cooperation frameworks, the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in search efforts, and the creation of a network of national focal points.