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Mixed Migration
Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration
A 10-Point Plan of Action
Migrant is a wide-ranging term that covers people who move to a foreign country for a certain length of time - not to be confused with short-term visitors such as tourists and traders. People migrate for a variety of reasons.
Migrants are fundamentally different from refugees and, thus, are treated very differently under international law. Migrants, especially economic migrants, choose to move in order to improve their lives. Refugees are forced to flee to save their lives or preserve their freedom.
Migrants and refugees increasingly make use of the same routes and means of transport to get to an overseas destination. If people composing these mixed flows are unable to enter a particular state legally, they often employ the services of human smugglers and embark on dangerous sea or land voyages, which many do not survive.
To help states address mixed migration movements in a protection-sensitive way, UNHCR in 2006 launched a 10-Point Plan of Action on Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration. The plan sets out key areas where protection interventions are called for. Mixed migration movements are of concern mainly in the Mediterranean basin, the Gulf of Aden, Central America and the Caribbean, South-east Asia and the Balkans.
Mixed Migration General Documentation
- So Close yet so Far from Safety (2)
- So Close yet so Far from Safety (1)
- Achievements, Challenges and Lessons Learned from UNHCR's 10-Point Plan project
- Regional Conferences on Refugee Protection and International Migration in Central America, Western Africa, Eastern Africa and Asia - Selected Conference Materials
- UNHCR's 10-Point Plan in Central America, Western Africa, Eastern Africa and Southern Asia - a three-year project
Implementation of the 10-Point Plan in Different Regions
Regional Stakeholder Conferences
- Regional Conference on Refugee Protection and International Migration in Central Asia
(Almaty, Kazakhstan, 15-16 March 2011) - Regional Conference on Mixed Movements and Irregular Migration from the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region to Southern Africa
(Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, 6-7 September 2010) - Regional Conference on Refugee Protection and International Migration in the Americas: Protection Considerations in the Context of Mixed Migration
(San José, Costa Rica, 19-20 November 2009) - Regional Conference on "Refugee Protection and International Migration in the Gulf of Aden"
(Sana'a, Yemen, 19-20 May 2008) - Regional Conference on Refugee Protection and International Migration in West Africa
(Dakar, Senegal, 13-14 November 2008)
Expert Roundtables
- 10-Point Plan Expert Roundtable No.1: Controlling Borders while Ensuring Protection
(Geneva, Switzerland, 20-21 November 2008) - 10-Point Plan Expert Roundtable No.2: Different People, Different Needs
(Tunis, Tunisia, 6-8 July 2009) - 10-Point Plan Expert Roundtable No.3: The Return of Non-Refugees and Alternative Migration Options
(Geneva, Switzerland, November 30-December 1, 2009)
Stocking of the 10-Point Plan Project