OSCE-ILO-IOM present handbook on managing migration in the Mediterranean region

RABAT, 12 December 2007 - Enhanced co-operation and more targeted policies are needed to effectively manage increasingly complex labour migration patterns in the Mediterranean, argues a new handbook presented today by the OSCE and its partners at a seminar in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

The Mediterranean edition of the Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies is published jointly by the OSCE, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Office (ILO), and is available in English and Arabic.

"Migration in the Mediterranean is not only linked to security concerns, but also to economic development, gender, human rights and environmental degradation," said Bernard Snoy, Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. "It is for this reason that the OSCE, with its comprehensive security concept, is well placed to facilitate dialogue and the exchange of best practices on this topic."

The Handbook notes that modern labour migration patterns require more effective cooperation between countries of origin and destination. Intended as a comprehensive policy tool for government officials, policy makers, employers and trade unionists, the publication contains policy models, practical guidelines and good-practice examples from the Mediterranean region as well as from other countries of the OSCE area that address some of the key migration management challenges.

The seminar to launch the Handbook aimed to promote dialogue and co-operation on labour migration-related issues among OSCE participating States as well as Northern and Southern Mediterranean countries.

It was organized by the OSCE's Spanish Chairmanship, the IOM and the ILO in co-operation with the Kingdom of Morocco.

The event highlighted some of the main themes presented in the Handbook, including labour market regulations in countries of destination, bilateral agreements, services to departing and returning migrants, international cooperation to promote legal labour migration and stronger links between migration and sustainable development.

The OSCE, the ILO and the IOM published a first edition of the Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies in Countries of Origin and Destination for the OSCE region in 2006.