Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt - CCCPA took part in the 'Second African Union Regional Conference on Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the Horn of Africa', on 13 and 14 September 2015. The AU-HOA initiative, known as the Khartoum Process, was launched in 2014, in Khartoum, Sudan, in response to the rise of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in the region.

The Regional Conference comes in the context of preparing the groundwork for a global summit on migration to take place in Valletta on 11 and 12 November 2015. The Summit will discuss migration issues and will be attended by major stakeholders. Much of the discussion will focus on providing assistance to partner countries, strengthening international cooperation, and better targeting of available resources.

CCCPA Deputy Director, Counselor Hatem Elatawy gave a short presentation about the Center’s training activities on combating human trafficking, illegal immigration and border issues. The Center has been a leading player in regional efforts to improve knowledge and build capacity on combating human trafficking in Africa. As of August 2014, six training courses have been organized on this issue, using a comprehensive training manual that was formulated by CCCPA experts. To date, 132 military and civil servants from 15 countries in the North Africa and Horn of Africa regions have been trained.

CCCPA efforts in this regard fall under the context of Egypt’s efforts to deal with trafficking and smuggling within a comprehensive and balanced approach. In addition to security measures, Egypt believes that there is a need for facilitating regulated migration, as well as supporting sustainable development efforts in source and transit countries in Africa. From an Egyptian point of view, it is equally important to acknowledge that migration is also linked to the problems of unresolved conflicts throughout Africa as well as terrorism and arms trade.

The Center is preparing to launch a new project, targeting 600 military and civil servants responsible for dealing with human trafficking in the North Africa and Horn of Africa regions over the coming 3 years. Training courses will provide basic skills, including identifying, approaching and interacting with victims; conducting preliminary investigations based on evidence and testimonies of victims; undertaking preventive measures and designing national action plans. The nature, process, routes and forms of trafficking and migrant movements in Africa will also be covered, in addition to the international and regional legal instruments in place (UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, the UNHCR 10 point action plan).