This EMN inform aims to provide an overview of the strategies and initiatives put in place by the EMN Member Countries to enhance the prospects for displaced persons in non-EU first reception and transit countries, and to identify good practices that could serve as a starting point to further develop or improve sustainable support initiatives.
The inform explores which national strategies have been implemented in the EMN Member Countries to enhance the prospects for displaced persons in non-EU first reception and transit countries, and how these strategies have been integrated within existing EU and international frameworks and agreements such as the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. It also attempts to provide examples of successful programmes and initiatives aiming to enhance the prospects of those populations, identifying good practices and exploring opportunities to further strengthen and foster (cross-border) partnerships and cooperation.
Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands, have a dedicated strategy or policy that primarily aims to enhance the prospects of displaced persons in non-EU first reception and transit countries. Each national policy also has specific goals ranging from the provision of support to migration management and addressing the root causes of forced displacement and onward movements to protecting and promoting human rights and self-reliance. All four policies are also linked to the implementation of the GCR and some also refer to the SDGs and the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. About half of the other EMN Member Countries that participated in the inform cover the enhancement of prospects of displaced persons under their broader national development and/or migration strategies or policies. The geographical focus of the strategies and policies varies and can range from a very broad scope of multiple countries and regions to a more limited one addressing, for example, the displacement of populations in countries affected by the crisis in Syria. Several EMN Member Countries however, do not specifically refer to the enhancement of prospects of displaced populations in any of their national strategies or policies.
More than half of the reporting EMN Member Countries have also implemented and/or financed specific initiatives to improve the prospects of displaced persons. These activities range from supporting education, vocational training, employment opportunities and livelihood support, to proving psychosocial support. These initiatives are funded by EMN Member Countries on their own (or with contributions from host countries), or as part of EU initiatives such as the EU Trust Funds.
French translation of the Inform was kindly provided by EMN France.