Irregular Migration

The Papyrus Project, which officially began in February 2017, is a project of the Canton of Geneva, supported by the Swiss Confederation. The project aims to initiate a process of regularisation of undocumented migrants in Geneva and to address the economic sectors affected by undeclared work and unfair remuneration. Operation Papyrus was developed and implemented with the active participation of Geneva associations and trade unions, which advised and supported migrants in the preparation of their regularization file.

The Crisis Communication Plan in the field of irregular migration was devised with the participation of a wide range of governmental actors and institutions at local and central levels.

At the city level, Amsterdam has adopted a program called “Everyone’s Police”, which encourages the reporting of crimes in the interest of more effective policing and community engagement. To reach undocumented residents, the police organizes monthly information sessions. A safe reporting policy based on the Amsterdam model has been rolled out nationwide to encourage people who are undocumented to approach the authorities to report crimes and to promote trust.

Switzerland has firewalls between immigration enforcement and service providers to guarantee access to basic services to all, including undocumented migrants. This right is based on the Swiss Federal Constitution and regulated by the Public Health Insurance Law.

Thailand has championed migrants’ health protection for years by offering a prepaid, premium-based health insurance scheme. Undocumented migrants can buy the insurance under the condition of registering with the government.

Thailand achieved universal health coverage, through three main insurance schemes: 1) the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for ordinary Thai nationals, 2) the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS) for Thai civil servants, and 3) the Social Security Scheme (SSS) for workers in the formal private sector.

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.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is partnering with the Ministry of Manpower of the Arab Republic of Egypt to address youth employment in line with Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy – Egypt’s Vision 2030. 

The program aims to improve migration management in the region, and in particular to address the trafficking and smuggling of migrants within and from the Horn of Africa. The priority is to strengthen the rights of migrants and protect them better from violence, abuse and exploitation. The aim is to make migration in the region easier and safer.



The program’s activities are being implemented on four levels:

In July 2007, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers established the ASEAN Committee to Implement the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. Part of the role of this committee has been to strengthen information services to educate migrant workers about their rights, access to services and immigration requirements.

All residents whatever their nationalities are invited to register in the Padron, the administrative municipal census, to automatically gain the status of a “neighbour”. The Padron is managed by the local authority (Offices of Citizenship Attention). Access to many services in the city requires registration in the Padron (i.e. for social housing, public education, but also city public bikes).