MoJ, IOM ink MoU to buttress efforts of protecting, upholding rights of vulnerable migrants

Addis Ababa, November 23, 2023 (FBC) – The FDRE Ministry of Justice and International Organization for Migration (IOM) have signed today an agreement which would enable them to scale up their existing cooperation to a strategic partnership.

The cooperation agreement was signed between Justice State Minister Alemante Agidew and IOM Chief of Mission to Ethiopia Abibatou Wane.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of Mission Wane said the agreement will facilitate efficient and effective coordination and collaboration between the two organizations.

“We live in a world on the move with migration seen as an adaptation strategy in the context of changing circumstances and challenges posed by poverty, conflict and natural disasters, among others.”

And some migration corridors are more challenging than others for migrants as well as for authorities, he noted.

Ethiopia is a migration origin, transit, and destination country. “Every year, close to 150,000 laborers migrate to the Middle East, while thousands of others are engaging on the southern route or towards Europe.”

The chief pointed out that the scale and complexity of contemporary human mobility in Ethiopia requires effective management of the social, economic, political, developmental, environmental, and humanitarian factors underpinning migration.

According to him, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE), in partnership with IOM Ethiopia, has taken significant strides towards establishing the required migration governance system to ensure well-governed migration.

“I would like also to reiterate the dedication of the GoE to the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration from its inception phase, paving the way to ambitious reforms and further engagement.”

Justice State Minister Alemante Agidew said on his part that the cooperation agreement is a milestone for greater cooperation.

Since its first presence in Ethiopia in 1995, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been contributing to the efforts of the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to effectively manage migration through a wide variety of projects and programs, he noted.

“As a collaborative endeavor between the Ministry of Justice and IOM, the cooperative agreement (signed today) reflects both entities commitment to more fully harnessing the benefits of migration at country level and to enable the ministry to play its leading role in migration governance,” the state minster said.

The Ministry of justice has been carrying out various activities in collaboration and partnership with various local and international institutions by promoting regular pathway to migration and preventing human trafficking.

The Government of Ethiopia has been closely working with the International Organization for Migration in all aspects of migration.