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In the framework of the Khartoum Process, Senior Officials' Meetings are the main fora for policy dialogue, offering a unique opportunity for Members to exchange views on the progress made individually and jointly and the way forward in achieving the aims of the Process. 

The most recent Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) took place in Asmara on 7^th March 2019 and marked the beginning of the Eritrean Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process. The chairmanship of the Process is ensured on an alternating basis from among African and European participating States. With Italy as the outgoing Chair, Eritrea took up this role for the year of 2019.

The purpose of the SOM was to update the participants on the developments within the Khartoum Process, to present the work plan for 2019, and to discuss governance matters, as well as to launch the preparations for the update of the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP), as agreed during the JVAP SOM in Addis Ababa (November 2018). Additionally, this meeting resulted in a decision to embark on a multiannual planning process, to ensure the sustainability of the Dialogue and continuity between the various Chairmanships.

The SOM was preceded by a Steering Committee Meeting on the 6^th March.

The Regional Training on Countering Trafficking in Human Beings was a two-day event elaborated and implemented as a means of delivering on the commitments made under the Italian Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process. The programme represented a first-of-a-kind activity in the framework of the Khartoum Process and was designed in consultation with the host country and based on the inputs provided by KP national focal points by means of a pre-training needs assessment, to ensure a tailored-fit content that addresses national and regional priorities in the fight against trafficking in human beings.

The event gathered over 40 participants from Khartoum Process member states and regional organisations such as IGAD, as well as representatives of international organisations such as IOM, UNDP, and UNCHR.

On the 14^th and 15^th of November 2018, around 280 Senior Officials from across Europe and Africa met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The participants met to follow up on both the conclusions established during the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Malta last year, and the progress made under the five domains of the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP), adopted at the Migration Summit in Malta in 2015.

images/jvap/Infographic/JVAP-Infographic_New_EN.pdfThe Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP) was adopted at the Valletta Summit on Migration in 2015 by the partners of the Rabat Process and the Khartoum Process. This infographic highlights the progress that has since been achieved by the involved stakeholders. The infographic provides up-to-date insights into the JVAP Database, which contains information about projects and policies in Africa and Europe, addressing the five thematic domains of the JVAP.

Resources:

File
JVAP-Infographic_New_EN.pdf.pdf

Between 18-19 September 2018, Sweden, together with Kenya as co-host, hosted the Thematic Meeting on the Protection of Women and Girls on the Move from Africa to Europe. 

The 2017 Thematic Meeting on International Protection and Asylum in Berlin, Germany, explored the issue of protection challenges of populations on the move, with the conclusions of the meeting highlighting the need for further concerted action to address the specific protection challenges faced by migrant and refugee women and girls. Earlier this year, at the Thematic Meeting on Awareness-Raising Campaigns in The Hague, The Netherlands, delegates examined how sharing information with refugees and migrants can help reduce risks and facilitate access to services.

On 10^th - 11^th July 2018, the Khartoum Process (EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative) convened a Thematic Meeting on Law Enforcement and Capacity Building, which was hosted and chaired by Egypt and co-chaired by Italy. During the Meeting, the delegates shared their knowledge, experience and good practices pertaining to law enforcement responses to human trafficking, international police cooperation and investigation, as well as capacity building. To address these important issues, the first day of the meeting was dedicated to targeted presentations of good practices in the area of capacity building, international cooperation and law enforcement.

Following the Thematic Meeting on Awareness Raising Campaigns, hosted by The Netherlands between the 19th-20th of June, a series of videos have been produced to capture some of the content of the meeting. A number of speakers present at the meeting have agreed to summarise their views in a short video format. 

In this first video of the series, Bram Frouws, Head of Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), talks about Mixed Migration trends in the Horn of Africa with focus on Eastern & Southern routes, and shares some thoughts & findings on risks, drivers, decision making, information sources and risk awareness.

The rest of the series will be made available in the Media section of the Khartoum Process website here.

Within the framework of the Khartoum Process, a Thematic Meeting on Awareness Raising Campaigns was organised on 19 – 20 June, in The Hague, Netherlands. The meeting, hosted by The Netherlands and co-hosted by Ethiopia, brought together representatives of Khartoum Process Member States as well as a wide range of practitioners working with INGOs, NGOs and social enterprises active in the field of migration management. The meeting was centered on the issues of impact and effectiveness of awareness raising campaigns and how do awareness raising campaigns fit in the broader context of policy coherence and whole of government approach to managing migration in countries of origin, transit, and destination.