Turning migration governance challenges into mutually beneficial opportunities is the way forward, say participants at 2017 OSCE Mediterranean conference

ROME, 24 October 2017 – Co-operation in migration management is the focus of the annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference taking place on 24 and 25 October in Palermo, Italy.

“Enriched through the centuries by all the great Mediterranean civilizations, Palermo is a symbol of dialogue between cultures,” said Italy’s Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano. “Today, such a dialogue is fundamental for stability, peace and security. I hope the spirit of Palermo will strengthen our Mediterranean partnership.”

Representing the 2017 OSCE Chairmanship, Austria's Deputy Foreign Minister, Michael Linhart, added: “Over the past few years, Europe has been confronted with unprecedented diversified migration flows. Improved regulation of migration flows and prevention of irregular migration will contribute to disrupting the business models of human smugglers and traffickers,” he said. Linhart noted that due to the transnational nature of these criminal networks, the fight against smuggling and trafficking networks needs to be conducted through enhanced bilateral, regional and international co-operation between all relevant stakeholders.

“The OSCE offers a unique multilateral platform for addressing migration in the context of Euro-Mediterranean security,” said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger. “I believe that the OSCE has a clear edge in the field of migration governance, thanks to our capacity to comprehensively address the migration-security connection.”

Organized by the Italian Chairmanship of the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partnership , the conference entitled “Large movements of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean: challenges and opportunities”, is being attended by more than 30 foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers and more than 200 hundred high level representatives of the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia), OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions, international organizations, civil society, academia and media.

The two-day high-level discussion will focus on Mediterranean security and co-operation in an age of large movements of migrants and refugees. Special sessions will be dedicated to the risks of smuggling and trafficking in human beings, combating intolerance and discrimination, and opportunities arising from migration. The conference provides a forum for the countries in the Mediterranean Basin and beyond to discuss ideas for turning emergencies and crises arising from migration into opportunities for renewed regional and international co-operation.

More information about the conference can be found here.