Migrant Protection and Reintegration : Actors Review Sustainability Measures

 Several persons are trapped annually along the Mediterranean Route as they undertake clandestine measures of travelling to other countries for varied reasons. In order to properly address the situation, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with the support of the State and funding from the European Union launched in June 2017 an initiative aimed at giving another opportunity of growth to migrants returning to their home country. Known as the joint EU-OIM initiative for the protection and reintegration of migrants, the steering committee of the aforementioned programme met at the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) on November 12, 2019 to review progress, challenges and lessons learnt while reflecting on strategies to ensure the sustainability of the initiative. 
The interim Secretary General of MINREX, Abanchime Limangana presided on behalf of the Minister of External Relations the opening of deliberations for the third steering committee meeting in the presence of members of the diplomatic corps, administrative officials and representatives of civil society organisations. He stated that the 29-months-old initiative and the positive outcome manifest government’s strong involvement in the programme. “Cameroon, while pleased to be one of the 14 target countries of this initiative, measures its challenges in order to reap the best possible dividends,” he stated. 
The IOM Head of Mission in Cameroon, Dr Boubacar Seybou said “despite the challenges related to the major increase in the number of direct beneficiaries of the project, we were able to assist 3,590 migrants, 3,514 of them in vulnerable situations received counselling for better reintegration. 1,574 were effectively reintegrated, 3,389 received social support and 571 received psychosocial support,” he revealed.  
For the Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation in Cameroon, Hans-Peter Schadek, the provision of emergency travel documents by Cameroonian consular services, provision of sanitary and psycho-social support to migrants upon their arrival is laudable. “I acknowledge that the commitments taken by the Cameroonian authorities at the Abidjan Summit and in other venues have been transformed into practice by the various efforts deployed so far to ensure a decent return of its citizens and their sustainable reintegration,” he stated. 
 Several persons are trapped annually along the Mediterranean Route as they undertake clandestine measures of travelling to other countries for varied reasons. In order to properly address the situation, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with the support of the State and funding from the European Union launched in June 2017 an initiative aimed at giving another opportunity of growth to migrants returning to their home country. Known as the joint EU-OIM initiative for the protection and reintegration of migrants, the steering committee of the aforementioned programme met at the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) on November 12, 2019 to review progress, challenges and lessons learnt while reflecting on strategies to ensure the sustainabilit...