The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) hosted a Regional Forum on Migration and Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean that saw participation by country representatives, experts, and key stakeholders from the region. The aim was to buttress cooperation and harness collective intelligence to formulate solutions in the wake of complex challenges pertaining to migration and maritime security, with a focus on areas such as violence at sea, human trafficking, irregular and illegal migratory flows, and other human rights violations.
For the record, the United Nations estimated that more than 281 million people worldwide were living outside their country of origin. During the regional forum, participants examined the challenges linked to migration in the maritime domain, while stressing the fundamental need to ensure maritime safety in the region within the framework of the Maritime Safety Architecture of the MASE programme under the IOC. A robust “migration and maritime security” mechanism plays a pivotal role in addressing critical global challenges.
The regional forum posed an opportunity for dialogue and the exchange of experiences on the governance of migration, as well as the promotion of a coordinated approach to effectively confront the increasing challenges in the Indian Ocean. “Our Member States have adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and have expressed their commitment to ensuring better governance of migration at all levels,” remarked Officer in Charge at the Indian Ocean Commission’s Economic, Connectivity, Maritime Security and Island Interests Department Mr. Raj Mohabeer.
In this context, the forum believes that it is increasingly necessary to adopt a holistic approach to help integrate the economic, social, and environmental dimensions to ensure effective and sustainable management of migration and maritime safety in the Western Indian Ocean region. As the IOM Regional Director – South Africa, Ashraf El Nour, pointed out, maritime and human security are inextricably linked: “Acknowledging this nexus between migration, human mobility, and sustainable development, this clearly provides a basis for effective approaches and strengthened collaboration between States and different partners actively to contribute to good migration governance.”
There were several recommendations made at the Regional Forum on Migration and Maritime Security where participants collectively called for: The establishment of an appropriate structure (at both regional and national levels) to develop a five-year Action Plan while considering the 7 recommendations made at the workshop in July 2022 and the proposals made at the July 2023 forum. The Action Plan will serve as a tool to mobilize resources and guide regional organizations and Member States in its implementation and control; Effective operationalization of the national centres and better coordination with the two regional centres (RMIFC and RCOC) with the support of OIM and the IOC; Enhance the capacities of regional and national stakeholders to address human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, irregular migration and loss of lives at sea; Integration of MASE In this context, regional cooperation plays an essential role to help allow the effective management and dissemination of information, development of technical capacities and operational resources, as well as the improvement of the legal framework at the national and regional level.
The joint actions of the IOC and the IOM will contribute to the operationalization of the maritime security architecture, thereby strengthening regional and international coordination mechanisms for safe, orderly, and regular migration. The results and recommendations of this forum will serve as a solid foundation to guide future actions aimed at strengthening regional cooperation. This collaboration of IOM and IOC is part of the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) project, funded by the European Union.
