libmitaf-interimreport-finalcopy-redacted
Dieses Dokument ist Teil der Anfrage „Contracts and interaction documents“
Libya's Migration Technical Assistance Facility - Interim Report 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2022
Table of contents
Acronyms and Abbreviations...................................................................................................................... 3
Figures and Tables....................................................................................................................................... 4
1. Description............................................................................................................................................... 5
2. Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................. 6
3. Context of the Action............................................................................................................................... 7
3.1. Country Background........................................................................................................................ 7
3.2. Current Situation in the Migration Sector...................................................................................... 7
3.3. Operational Challenges and Solutions............................................................................................ 8
4. Results.....................................................................................................................................................11
4.1. Inception Phase............................................................................................................................... 11
4.2. Implementation Phase................................................................................................................... 12
Immediate Outcomes, Specific Objectives and Impact.............................................................. 14
4.3. Connection to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.................................................. 14
5. Activities................................................................................................................................................. 16
5.1. Stakeholder Consultations..................................................................................................... 16
5.2. Implementation of Project Activities.................................................................................... 24
5.3. Development of Monitoring and Evaluation tools.............................................................. 27
5.4. Gender Sensitivity Assessment and Recommendations...................................................... 28
5.5. Conflict Sensitivity Assessment and Recommendations..................................................... 30
5.6. Participation in External Events............................................................................................ 31
6. Updated Logframe matrix..................................................................................................................... 32
7. Implementation Phase Work Plan for the next 12 months................................................................ 38
8. Coordination with International Actors............................................................................................... 44
9. Risks and Assumptions.......................................................................................................................... 48
10. Visibility and Communications............................................................................................................ 49
11. Conclusion and Next Steps.................................................................................................................. 50
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Acronyms and Abbreviations
CSOs Civil Society Organisations
DG NEAR Directorate-General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
DI Diplomatic Institute
eMGPP evidence-driven Migration Governance Policy and Practice in North Africa project
E U BAM EU Border Assistance Mission
EUTF EU Trust Fund for Africa
FES Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
G NA Government of National Accord
G NS Government of National Stability
GNU Government of National Unity
HCS High Council of State
HoR House of Representatives
ICMPD International Centre for Migration Policy Development
IDPs Internally Displaced Persons
INGOS International Non-Governmental Organizations
IOM International Organization for Migration
IOS International Organisations
JVAP Joint Valletta Action Plan
LIBMITAF Libya's Migration Technical Assistance Facility
LIF Libya INGO Forum
LLA Libyans living abroad
LNA/LAAF Libyan National Army / Libyan Arab Armed Forces
LPDF Libyan Political Dialogue Forum
MC2CM Mediterranean City-to-City Migration project
MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
MMC Mixed Migration Centre
Mol Ministry of Interior
MoJ Ministry of Justice
MoSA Ministry of Social Affairs
MoY Ministry of Youth
MSMA Ministry of State for Migration Affairs
MWG Migration Working Group
NRC Norwegian Refugee Council
NTBSM National Team for Border Security and Management
OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OSC Operational Steering Committee
PCI Peaceful Change Initiative
PHRD Peace and Human Rights Division
SDGs Sustainable Development Goals
SEM State Secretariat for Migration
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
VMC Vienna Migration Conference
WFP World Food Programme
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Libya's Migration Technical Assistance Facility - Interim Report 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2022
Figures and Tables
Table 1 Objectives and results achieved during inception phase of the project................................... 11
Table 2 Results in accordance to outputs in the logframe..................................................................... 12
Table 3 Official consultations and meetings with Libyan stakeholders................................................. 17
Table 4 Meetings with the project donors............................................................................................... 24
Table 5 Participation in External Events...................................................................................................31
Table 6 Logframe with proposed amendments....................................................................................... 32
Table 7 Work Plan for the next 12 months.............................................................................................. 38
Table 8 Coordination meetings with international stakeholders........................................................... 44
Table 9 Status on Communication and Visibility Tools............................................................................ 49
Figure 1 Number of consultations and meetings per Libyan institution................................................ 16
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Libya's Migration Technical Assistance Facility - Interim Report 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2022
1. Description
1.1. Name of the organisation
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
1.2. Title of the project
Libya's Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF)
1.3. EUTF Project Code
T05-EUTF-NOA-REG-15 (T05.1800)
1.4. Project start and planned end date
01/04/2021 - 31/03/2023
1.5. Start date and end date of the reporting period
01/04/2021 - 31/03/2022
1.6. Name and title of the contact person
1.7. Objectives of the project
Strategic Objective: Strengthened national mechanisms for addressing regular and irregular
migration.
Specific Objectives:
1. Legislative and institutional frameworks addressing regular and irregular migration are
enhanced.
2. Cooperation between relevant stakeholders on regular and irregular migration at
international and national level is improved.
1.8. Target country
Libya
1.9. Stakeholders in the project
• Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFA) (International
Organisations Dept., International Cooperation Dept., Expatriate Affairs Dept., Consular
Affairs Dept., Diplomatic Institute)
• Libyan Ministry of Interior (Mol)
• Libyan Ministry of Justice (MoJ)1
• Libyan Ministry of State for Migration Affairs (MSMA)
• Libyan National Team for Border Security and Management (NTBSM)
• Libyan Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)
• Libyan academia and researchers
• Libyans living abroad
1 Given the pending approval of the MoJ, discussions are ongoing with the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation with respect to potentially giving the Libyan Ministry of Justice observer status until the activities focusing on
migration legislation are officially confirmed to be part of the project.
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2. Executive Summary
This interim report summarizes and presents the main results and activities implemented during the
first year (1st April 2021 - 31st March 2022) of the EU and Swiss Confederation co-funded "Libya's
Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF)" project implemented by ICMPD.
The overall objective of the action, and the mandate of ICMPD in this framework, is to support the
relevant Libyan institutions as well as Libyan civil society in their efforts to strengthen national
mechanisms for addressing regular and irregular migration, specifically via the enhancement of the
institutional and legislative frameworks to address migration as well as by enhancing cooperation at
national and international level. The project builds on the previous EU-funded project "Strategic and
Institutional Management of Migration in Libya", implemented by ICMPD from 2016 - 2021, which
worked on developing the prerequisites for effective migration governance in Libya. The LIBMITAF
project is thus a natural continuation of the work and achievements accomplished under the former
project.
The LIBMITAF project is planning to work along four specific activity strands:
Facilitation for Libyan delegations' active participation in international and regional
migration dialogues;
Support to the Libyan authorities in their efforts with respect to consular crisis preparedness
and engaging Libyans living abroad;
Support to and strengthening of the efforts of the Libyan authorities in the field of migration
legislation;
Support to the Libyan Civil Society Organisations working on migration in reinforcing their
work and roles.
The main results accomplished during the reporting period included (1) the organisation of an
inclusive and transparent consultation process with all the relevant Libyan stakeholders with the view
to ensure that the project activities are designed in full consideration of the Libyan needs and
priorities; and (2) the start of the implementation of a number of important project activities,
particularly with respect to Libya's participation in international and regional dialogues.
The interim report will first present the overall context and operational challenges of the project
(Chapter 3), followed by a discussion on the results achieved during the reporting period (Chapter 4),
where special attention will also be paid to the connection between the project and the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development. This is followed by a comprehensive review of the organised activities,
including with respect to the stakeholder consultations, the implementation of project activities, as
well as the development of a gender sensitivity and conflict sensitivity assessment, and the design of
Monitoring and Evaluation tools (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 presents an updated Logframe matrix, which
is followed by an updated Implementation Phase Work Plan for the next 12 months (Chapter 7). To
round up, the report will outline the efforts made with respect to coordination with other
international actors (Chapter 8) as well as discuss the risks and assumptions of the project (Chapter
9). Lastly, the visibility and communications actions will briefly be reviewed (Chapter 10) before closing
the report with a conclusion and the next steps for the upcoming period of the project (Chapter 11).
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3. Context of the Action
3.1. Country Background
Since 2014, Libya has entered a second phase of its post-revolutionary history, marked by continuous
political fragmentation and insecurity. Following a period of armed conflict after the offensive on
Tripoli in 2019 by the Libyan National Army/Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LNA/LAAF), an immediate
ceasefire was announced on 21 August 2020 between Libya's rival authorities - the UN backed
Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and the authorities in Eastern Libya - which was
welcomed by the majority of the international community.
An official agreement on a permanent ceasefire was announced on 23 October 2020, followed by UN-
led talks on Libya's future coined the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF)2 in early November. On
15 November 2020 an agreement was reached on a "political roadmap" towards parliamentary and
presidential elections scheduled for 24 December 2021. The members of the LPDF also agreed on an
executive authority to lead a Government of National Unity (GNU), with the main objective to lead
Libya towards elections. In early February 2021, the LPDF members elected Abdul Hamid Mohammed
Dbeibah as the prime minister and Mohammed Younes Menfi as president of the Presidential Council,
and on 15 March 2021, the GNU was officially sworn in.
The legislative and presidential elections, initially scheduled for 24 December 2021, were postponed
indefinitely after months of rising challenges and disagreement among other regarding the legal and
constitutional framework for the elections. Following the postponement of the elections, the Eastern
based House of Representatives (HoR) appointed the former GNA Minister of Interior Fathi Bashagha
as the prime minister of a new parallel Government of National Stability (GNS), noting the failure of
the GNU to hold elections and arguing that its mandate had expired. The GNU Prime Minister Dbeibah
rejected the moves of the parliament and challenged the legitimacy of Bashagha, refusing to hand
over power until after a new government is democratically elected during elections that the GNU is
supposed to organise in June 2022. Bashagha's cabinet has since been sworn in and held its first
meeting on 21 April 2022, but has been unable to enter Tripoli, where Dbeibah continues to have
access to key financial institutions and enjoys the support of several armed factions.
In parallel, UN-led talks were hosted in Cairo mid-April3 with delegates of the HoR and the High Council
of State (HCS) with the view to reach consensus on a constitution to be put to a referendum before
the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections. The negotiations are ongoing with a 2nd round
of talks taking place in May 2022.
3.2. Current Situation in the Migration Sector
While Libya was once a major destination country for labour migrants due to its strong economy, the
situation has changed since the revolution in 2011. A large number of migrants have since used the
country as a transit point to Europe, though many have remained stranded or detained by the
authorities during their travels, leaving them trapped amid violence and instability. Moreover, the
increase in migration flows through Libya and the lack of government control over the past 10 years
have contributed to the prosperous operations of migrant smugglers and human traffickers, for whom
the trade and extortion of migrants has become a central source of income. The COVID-19 pandemic
deteriorated the dire situation of migrants in Libya, who suffer from the socio-economic
2 The LPDF consists of 75 members representing the main Libyan geographical, social, and political constituencies.
3 Developments in the political context after the reporting period.
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consequences, including among other, the loss of their livelihoods and other financial means (while
the unemployment rate is reported to have declined to 17%, the same level as measured in February
20204, financial issues are still identified as one of the three main difficulties faced by migrants). During
the latest data collection cycle from December to January 2022 (Round 40)5, the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) identified 635,051 migrants (from over 44 nationalities), a lower
number compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. They also identified 168,011 IDPs6 during the same
reporting period, which represents a continued decrease in the number of IDPs (47% reduction in the
number of IDPs in Libya since the October 2020 ceasefire when 316,415 persons were reported as
displaced) in parallel with an increase in the number of returnees. In turn, the UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) identified a total of 43.853 persons of concern7.
If the political and security situation in the country returns to stability with the prospect for economic
recovery, there could be the potential that Libya might again become an important labour destination.
However, given the limited application of the currently existing laws and regulations, certain
weaknesses of the legislative framework on migration in Libya, and the lack of effective migration
policies, there is no effective migration governance system in place to manage migration and allow
opportunities for regular migration. The lack of such a proper migration governance framework
contributes to allowing migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks in Libya to prosper,
creating incentives for such actors to continue to undermine the government's attempt to re-establish
rule of law and a governance system. Moreover, it prevents the establishment of a sustainable long
term approach to migration in Libya that ensures that the rights of migrants, displaced persons, and
refugees are respected, and that allows for addressing Libya's structural migration needs, including
on the labour market.
3.3. Operational Challenges and Solutions
The ceasefire in 2020, followed by the GNU as the interim government, contributed to an environment
of relative stability and security, which allowed for the scaling up of the ICMPD project team's
presence on the ground. In 2021, ICMPD opened an office in Palm City in Tripoli and recruited two
Libyan full-time staff, which allowed for an enhanced and more permanent presence of the project
team in the country. Furthermore, the improved security situation in the country allowed the project
team to scale up the frequency of missions to Libya and will continue to facilitate the organisation of
regular missions to the country with the view to efficiently organise activities on the ground and
maintain continuous engagement with the Libyan project counterparts.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with all the ongoing implications for travel, the project team
managed to organise successful consultations with all the relevant stakeholders, either via Zoom or in
person in Tripoli.
The overall climate of political instability and the structural changes in the Libyan MFA, including
with respect to inter-ministerial communication and decision-making, required ICMPD to adapt to a
new communication modality that resulted in general challenges for the project team and a slowing
down of operations. ICMPD has been informed that these challenges have proven to be a general
problem also for other missions, IOs, and INGOs operating in Libya, Nevertheless, despite the
4 OM Libya Migrants Report December 2021 - January 2022 (Round 40)
5
6
7 UNHCR Libya Update August 2022
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challenges, the project team managed to continue an inclusive and transparent engagement with the
stakeholders of the project, contributing to the maintenance of a positive and inclusive relationship
vis-à-vis the project stakeholders in Libya, which will bear fruit in the long-term and allow for an
implementation phase with activities that will yield positive and sustainable results. The efforts of the
project team were highlighted by the majority of the project stakeholders who welcomed the positive
and transparent engagement with ICMPD.
One of the other main challenges that the project team faced during the first year of the project was
the rotation of staff in the MFA, which impacted the continuity of the project implementation
between past and current projects. It required the project team to invest significant time in explaining
the background of ICMPD and the previous work that has been done, including during the last EU-
funded "Strategic and Institutional Management of Migration in Libya" project, to the new
counterparts in order to re-establish the trustworthy relations between ICMPD and the Libyan
partners. Numerous consultations and meetings with the Libyan stakeholders therefore had to be
organised over an extended period of time, thereby slowing down the consultation process, which
eventually took more time than initially planned for. Also particularly relevant for ICMPD were the
multiple changes of the direct Focal Point for ICMPD in the Libyan MFA. While rotation of staff was a
foreseeable factor, the degree of change of priorities and general approach to international
cooperation was unexpected. The change of government that occurred between the project design
phase and the start of the project in April 2021 seems to have also contributed to this change of
approach. However, the project team managed to establish positive relations with the newly
appointed staff, including the ICMPD Focal Point, which contributed to overall positive communication
between ICMPD and the Libyan counterparts.
The postponement of the 1st Operational Steering Committee (OSC)8 meeting also represented a
significant obstacle, which resulted in the delay in the start of the implementation of project activities.
The 1st OSC meeting, initially planned to be organised in September 2021, was postponed for a number
of reasons:
While the Libyan stakeholders expressed a general positive interest to start the project and
highlighted the positive collaboration with ICMPD in the past, the consultations were
prolonged due to extended waiting times for feedback from the Libyan partners. This also
resulted in a number of requests by several of the Libyan stakeholders to amend and/or add
a number of activities to the proposed implementation phase work plan with the view to
address some of the specific needs and priorities of the relevant institutions. Specifically, the
Diplomatic Institute (DI) and the Ministry of State for Migration Affairs (MSMA) shared a
number of concrete suggestions for specific activities, which were received during the 2nd half
of November 2021. ICMPD took these recommendations into careful consideration and swiftly
shared an updated work plan with the Libyan stakeholders, thereby ensuring national
ownership, which inevitably led to some delays in the finalisation and approval of the final
work plan, which had to be re-verified by the Libyan partners;
After the extensive period of consultations, ICMPD was informed by the MFA at the end of
2021 that the majority of the institutions (MSMA, Mol, NTBSM, and the MFA incl. the DI)
8 The aim of the 1st Operational Steering Committee is to jointly validate the activities of the project in the Implementation
Phase Work Plan, officially allowing for the start of project implementation.
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shared their approval of the project9, but the MFA was still waiting (at the time of writing this
report) for official communication from the Minister of Justice regarding the approval of the
project, notably with respect to the activities focusing on migration legislation. Following an
official Note Verbale from the MFA in March 202210, in which the MFA proposed to suspend
the implementation of activities related to migration legislation (Activity Strand 3), ICMPD
agreed to temporarily put on hold these activities. Subsequently, official communication was
received from the MFA via Note Verbale proposing the organisation of the first OSC meeting
on 31 May 202211. ICMPD accepted the proposal to hold the OSC meeting on 31 May 2022 via
Note Verbale to the Libyan MFA;
Generally, the structural challenges as regards inter-ministerial communication and decision
making between the Libyan MFA vis-à-vis the other project stakeholders (e.g. it was agreed
with the MFA that all official communication with the other project stakeholders needs to be
transmitted via official channels through the MFA), contributed to slower coordination.
The political and security developments may pose challenges for the overall engagement on the
ground in Tripoli in the future. In order to avoid and/or mitigate these potential risks, the project team
will continue to closely monitor the latest political and security developments on the ground and
respond according to the context. Potential challenges for the upcoming period might include:
Depending on the outcome of the first OSC meeting, the project team might experience
certain challenges regarding the implementation of activities focusing on migration legislation
given the seemingly general concern among the Libyan stakeholders at the political level to
work on this topic, despite the communicated interest and willingness of technical staff. While
the activities focusing on migration legislation have temporarily been put on hold, in case the
approval of the MoJ is not received within the agreed upon timeframe, ICMPD might be
required to refocus some of the activities on a different topic. Nevertheless, the issue is
planned to be discussed during the first OSC meeting with the view to find a solution and/or
a procedure for a future decision on the question of these activities;
Given the important delay in calling for the first OSC meeting, the swift implementation of
project activities will be highly dependent on very rapid procedures with regards to the
confirmation from the Libyan partners (incl. training content approval, participant
nomination etc.). If this constitutes a challenge, it is very likely that the remaining time of the
project implementation phase might be insufficient for the rollout of all planned activities;
The perceived general cautiousness among the Libyan stakeholders vis-à-vis the engagement
of international partners, which ICMPD has approached by investing significant time and
effort in building positive relations of trust, might potentially result in some challenges in the
future;
The potential changes in the political and security situation following the tensions between
the GNU and the GNS might pose concrete challenges for the continuation of engagement on
the ground in Tripoli if the security situation rapidly deteriorates, including the ability to
continue frequent missions to Tripoli as well as to organise in-person activities in Libya;
Depending on how the COVID-19 pandemic develops, this might pose challenges for
organising in-person activities and meetings.
9 ICMPD was informed via bilateral exchange with the ICMPD Focal Point in the MFA that the mentioned institutions
shared their official approval of the project.
10 Note Verbale received on 22 March 2022.
11 Note Verbale received after the reporting period on 26 April 2022
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4. Results
4.1. Inception Phase
The inception phase of the action was originally planned as a three-month period from April-June
2021, with the view to achieving the following objectives as outlined in the Contribution Agreement
Annex I "Description of the Action":
Consult project stakeholders and design all the final activities jointly with the stakeholders;
Set-up of project team and project implementation tools (incl. recruitment, development of
communication and visibility plan, conflict sensitivity assessment and recommendations,
monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, etc.).
As a result of a number of challenges (see section 3.3) faced during the course of the project, among
other due to the rotation of staff in the Libyan MFA and the postponement of the 1st OSC meeting -
which constitutes the final step of the inception process - the consultations with the project
stakeholders were extended to ensure that the needs and recommendations of the Libyan project
stakeholders were fully considered in the final design of the project activities. While the consultations
were lengthy and took longer than intended, they were essential for ensuring Libyan ownership and
that the activities respond to the Libyan needs and priorities, which will contribute to a successful and
sustainable implementation of the action with a long-lasting impact. Table 1 provides an overview of
the objectives and the results achieved during the consultation phase of the project12. The activities
completed will ensure that ICMPD is ready to start the successful implementation of the project
activities as soon as the Implementation Phase Work Plan is officially approved by the project
stakeholders.
In addition to the tangible results outlined in Table 1, an important success achieved by ICMPD during
the reporting period was the maintenance of a positive and inclusive relationship vis-à-vis the
project stakeholders in Libya. As a result of the rotation of staff among the direct project counterparts
(notably in the MFA), in combination with the challenges experienced due to the political situation in
Libya, ICMPD was required to (re)build its positive relations with the Libyan interlocutors. As such,
ICMPD spent important time meeting with the new counterparts and presenting the work of ICMPD
(incl. the work achieved during the previous EU-funded "Strategic and Institutional Management of
Migration in Libya" project) which contributed to building a relationship of trust that was necessary
for ensuring a positive cooperation with the Libyan stakeholders.
Table 1 Objectives and results achieved during inception phase of the project
Objective Result
Consult project stakeholders (a total of 34 consultations with Libyan stakeholders
undertaken) with the view to design activities that respond to the need and
Achieved
priorities of the Libyan stakeholders. This will contribute to enhanced national
ownership of the project and an action that will have a long-term positive impact.
Pending approval of
Finalise design of all the final activities jointly with the stakeholders (incl.
project activities during
Implementation Phase Work Plan).
1st OSC meeting
Set-up project team: recruitment of Libya and Tunisia-based staff (Associate
Achieved
Project Officers and Project Assistants).
12 See the Inception Report in Annex 10 of the project for more details on the specific activities.
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