The Regional Migrant Response Planlaunched this week, will address the serious needs and protection risks faced by people along the dangerous Eastern Route towards the Arabian Peninsula.
Other goals include scaling up the delivery of lifesaving and resilience-building initiatives, and implementing long-term sustainable solutions for both migrants and host communities.
dangerous journey
The Eastern Route is one of the busiest, most complex and dangerous migration corridors in the world, cutting through deserts, seas and war-torn Yemen.
Every year, thousands of people from countries in the Horn of Africa leave their homeland and go there in search of a better life elsewhere.
They are fleeing interconnected crises, including persistent insecurity and conflict, extreme climate conditions and public health emergencies, in addition to socioeconomic forces and traditional seasonal factors.
Most make the perilous journey across the Red Sea through Bossaso in Somalia and the coastal town of Obock in Djibouti to Yemen and beyond by land to the Gulf countries.
‘An unattended crisis’
Last year, about 145,545 migrants entered Djibouti – nearly as twice as numbers in 2021.
Besides, 89 migrants dead or missing have been recorded along the Eastern Route due to dangerous shipping, disease, extreme environmental conditions, drowning at sea, and violence. Many deaths and disappearances go unreported.
“The Eastern Way is an unresolved crisis easily forgotten amid other global crisesand we must give migrants the support and dignity they deserve,” speak IOM General Manager, António Vitorino.
Voluntary return support
The Regional Migrant Response Plan will address the most pressing and urgent humanitarian and protection needs of migrants in vulnerable situations.
It will also assist them in returning home safely and voluntarily, and ensure their successful reintegration into the community.
“The plan provides a flexible mechanism for all stakeholders to respond to evolving migration trends as well as broader humanitarian and development challenges affecting migrants, host communities and respective governments,” said Mr. Vitorino.
Funding will continue to support efforts to address the causes of irregular migration and strengthen the capacity of governments in the region to manage migration, including by ensuring coordination and better cooperation.
