Forward Thinking and the Sovereign Order of Malta hold meeting on the "Migration Crisis in the Mediterranean", 12-13 July 2016

Government and parliamentary representatives from Tripoli attend meeting in Rome organised by Forward Thinking and the Sovereign Order of Malta to discuss key humanitarian challenges related to migration flows and to explore how the Libyan authorities (and wider international community) should respond. The meeting, titled: “How to Face Migration Challenges in the Mediterranean”,  took place in Rome, at the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Magistral Villa and represents the second stage of the discussion began last October at the Order of Malta’s institutional seat.The management of migration flows, the refugee crisis, human trafficking and the entrenchment of smuggling networks, corruption, violations against human rights, and the threat posed by the potential infiltration of military extremists were just some of the themes discussed at the meeting. Furthermore, illegal immigration, the growing human trafficking industry and the consequently strengthened extremist militias affiliated to Daesh were recognised to be complicating the country’s stabilisation process and impeding the Government of National Accord led by Prime Minister Sarraj.Representatives of the United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also attended the meeting and revealed the presence of almost a million migrants in Libya of which at least 100,000 are refugees and asylum seekers. Over 67,000 migrants had crossed the Mediterranean in the first six months of 2016, and nearly 3,000 people lost their lives along the way. It is difficult to estimate the number of lives lost along the land routes, but it is feared to be extremely high. An important contribution to the meeting was also made by a commander in the Sophia Mission, a military operation launched by the EU in June 2015  to monitor migration routes in the Mediterranean. To date they have saved over 19,000 human lives and seized nearly 200 boats used by human traffickers, arresting 74 people.It was emphasised illegal migration should not be understood as a "Libyan problem" but rather as a regional and global challenge that Libya requires support and partners to address.A key outcome of the meeting was the suggestion of creating of a Libyan working group to address the long and short term obstacles starting with the training of competent authorities to manage and control migration flows, taking effective action to weaken the criminal network feeding on the trafficking of women, children and men, and strengthening the security conditions, laws and respect for human rights in the country. This was seen as a critical component in developing an effective and coordinated response to the humanitarian, political and economic challenges stemming from migration.