The United States of America has announced the allocation of $4.45 million in new funding to support Tunisia's efforts to provide emergency assistance to migrants. The funds will be used to support services provided to migrants, including life-saving assistance such as food, water, shelter and access to justice. The announcement was made during a regular meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Tuesday, attended by Charge d'Affaires Natasha Franceschi, Head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Mission in Tunisia Azzouz Samri, and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Marta Youth. This new funding, which Tunisia will receive through a U.S. grant to IOM, will help provide assistance and humanitarian services to migrants in vulnerable situations in Tunisia and support the Tunisian government's efforts to provide assistance to migrants and asylum seekers. The funding consists of two parts: the first is a US voluntary contribution of US$1 million in urgent response to an IOM emergency appeal. It will provide direct life-saving assistance to vulnerable migrants in Tunisia, including shelter and emergency health care, and facilitate the organisation's case management work in Tunisia. For the second part, the US government will provide $3.45 million to IOM to support the state's efforts to provide fair access to justice and to support Tunisia's efforts to harmonise its immigration laws with international standards. "No country alone can solve the problem of irregular migration, and that includes us in the United States," Charge d'Affaires Franceschi told the TAP news agency. She said governments, international institutions such as the International Organisation for Migration and civil society organisations such as the Tunisian Red Crescent Society should work together to protect the rights of migrants. "We must not forget that they are often the first to lend a helping hand," she stressed. "We appreciate the commitment of the Tunisian government to work with IOM and the Tunisian Red Crescent Society to manage migration in a humane manner that respects the rights and dignity of individuals," she added. "We look forward to further cooperation with the Tunisian authorities and key national and international partners to address the challenges and support vulnerable groups," said Azzouz Samri, Head of Mission, IOM Tunisia. "We will also continue to work with our partners to support more effective migration management policies that ensure the most vulnerable communities have access to basic services and more opportunities to improve their situation." The Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration Marta Youth noted that the new funding responds to the challenges of the current phase, describing the partnership with the United States of America as a comprehensive and long-term partnership. She expressed the hope that this latest assistance to Tunisia will boost the collective response to help reduce human suffering and save lives.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse