Migration is admittedly a sensitive
subject, eliciting many emotions and fears, and often reduced to apocalyptic
terms. The reality is that migration is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that
includes many stakeholders across countries of origin, transit and destination.
Amid this complexity, the main thrust of our objective remains that we want
migration to be a choice, and not a necessity imposed upon people. Those who
have already migrated out of genuine fear for their lives or persecution should
be provided the protection they need.
We thus aim to foster
partnerships with other countries and international organisations to support
safe, orderly and regular migration and to address the needs of refugees. The
Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP), adopted in Malta in 2015, is one such
example. It continues to provide a comprehensive partnership between Europe and
most of the African continent, covering all facets of migration at the regional
level. The first time a similar – if voluntary – agreement was reached at the
global level was only in December 2018, with the adoption of the UN Global
Compact for Migration and the UN Global Compact on Refugees. It is admittedly
still early to see their impact, but the fact that we even have such a
widespread agreement that sets out common responsibilities is already a step in
the right direction.
While these have more long-term effects,
the Ministry is involved in more tangible and immediate initiatives as well. We
have been partners in the EU-funded Migration Media Award project which was
spearheaded by the International Centre for Migration Policy (ICMPD) between
2017 and 2019. The Ministry has also provided scholarships for African students
under the JVAP framework, which have thankfully already started to bear fruit
as the first students have started successfully graduating from the University
of Malta.
Whatever the initiative, we shall
continue to strive for the movement of people to be managed holistically for the
benefit of all.