Objective 11: Manage borders in an integrated, secure and coordinated manner

The COVID-19 pandemic hindered the mobility of goods, services and people all around the world and regional and national authorities struggled to find common guidelines which could be applied homogenously. This was the case also for the Eastern and Southern African region, where different Regional Economic Communities (RECs) operate simultaneously, resulting in overlapping memberships with several countries in the region belonging to various RECs. Of these, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) represents the largest of the eight RECs and comprises 21 Member States.

The Migration Strategy 2016-2020 is the third strategic document for Georgia defining migration policy. The strategy reflects an increasing drive, in cooperation with the EU member and other states, to increase the basis for legal migration, and prevent illegal migration, and transnational and trans-boundary organised crime. A special emphasis is given to the development of mechanisms facilitating return and reintegration of Georgian citizens, protection of the rights and integration of persons with refugee or humanitarian status, and asylum seekers in Georgia.

Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), this programme implemented by GIZ supports government institutions, local governments and civil society in the border regions of Colombia with Venezuela and Ecuador with Colombia to better respond to the flow of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and, in the case of Ecuador, also Colombian refugees. The project supports host communities in the integration of refugees and migrants.

The National Institute of Migration is an administrative body, under the Ministry of the Interior of Mexico, which applies the Mexican laws and international treaties to grant all foreigners the necessary facilities to carry out legal, orderly and safe migration procedures that allow their entry and stay in the national territory. 

The Government of Uruguay has set up a multi-stakeholder and consultative approach to State migration policy, institutional responses and coordination in the care and protection of the rights of migrants arriving in cities. 

In 2016, Egypt launched a ten-year national strategy on combating illegal migration under the auspices of the National Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration.

In Morocco, national consultations were held in September 2017 with civil society and diaspora representivatives, scholars and researchers, represensatives of the private sector and public institutions. These national consultations have enabled Morocco to come with a consolidated contribution to the Global Compact, the "Recommendations of the Kingdom of Morocco on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration."

The PROGUARD project in the European Guardianship Network is a promising project to strenghten effective guardianship and cross-border coordination across Europe. 

The provision of quality guardianship to unaccompanied children is key if they are to receive an appropriate level of care and protection and if they are to achieve their full potential. Quality guardians can play complementary roles of ensuring that all decisions are made in the best interests of the child and contributing to the provision of safe and effective decision making by State actors.

This Handbook is a tool to accompany training on the operationalization of the ‘Guidelines: Protection Assistance for Vulnerable Migrants in Zambia’. The Handbook will be used during training of first line officials, to help them understand the needs of vulnerable migrants and to assist them in becoming conversant with international and national standards to be upheld in meeting the needs of such migrants.