Italy’s comprehensive approach to migration and development in the Horn of Africa is implemented through whole-of-government co‑ordination and strategic partnerships to strengthen the delivery of humanitarian assistance, expand legal pathways, enhance protection and invest in resilience and early warning systems. These efforts require political leadership and continued multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure policy coherence and sustainable impact.
Italy’s integrated approach to migration and development in the Horn of Africa
Abstract
Migration is increasingly central to Italy’s economic strategy, as new policies seek to meet labour needs while responding to political pressures. Defining a comprehensive approach to migration and development remains challenging at the national level, particularly in complex contexts such as the Horn of Africa – a region of origin, transit and refuge, with significant circular mobility. In 2025, Ethiopia alone hosted more than 1.1 million refugees from neighbouring countries and has about 2.4 million internally displaced persons.
Italy’s migration policy blends tighter border controls with expanded legal pathways and efforts to address root causes through development co-operation. Central to Italy’s migration and development approach is the Rome Process, a framework designed to enhance co-operation between European and African countries, which focuses on prevention, combating irregular flows, and managing legal migration channels. Italy has developed the following structured approach to integrating migration and development across its policies and operations:
A comprehensive framework with strategic objectives. Italy’s 2023 migration-development nexus guidelines, unique among DAC members, focus on strengthening migration governance, boosting the development impact of legal migration, mainstreaming migration across policies and ensuring protection for vulnerable people, alongside an overarching commitment to responsible, informed narratives to communicate about migrants, refugees and mobility in ways that are fact-based, balanced and socially conscious.
A whole-of-government institutional engagement. Italy’s comprehensive approach mobilises the Ministry of the Interior (migration governance), the Ministry of Labour (labour flows and training programmes) and the Ministry of Education and Merit (language and skills development). The Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation ensure strategic direction and alignment of efforts.
A multi-stakeholder approach in partner countries. Alongside Italian public administration, private-sector partners and the European Union also play an active role. In partner countries and regions such as the Horn of Africa, Italy adopts a multi-stakeholder approach, collaborating with civil society organisations (CSOs), research institutions, multilateral agencies, international organisations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and local authorities. These partnerships support humanitarian responses, resilience building and livelihood opportunities for migrants, refugees and host communities.
Italy is still working to integrate migration and forced displacement as cross-cutting issues in development co-operation, but several results already stand out in the Horn of Africa:
Improving humanitarian assistance and investing in early warning systems. In Ethiopia, Italy has worked with other development partners to improve humanitarian assistance by advocating for flexible administrative measures to scale up operations. Through collaboration with the CIMA Research Foundation and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Italy has invested in advanced early warning systems to anticipate flood-induced displacement across Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.
Protecting the most vulnerable while strengthening livelihoods and resilience. Long-standing partnerships with CSOs have strengthened protection for vulnerable groups, such as internally displaced people, refugees and at-risk youth, by improving access to education, livelihoods and civil documentation. Italy also supports entrepreneurship and post-conflict recovery in Tigray (Ethiopia) and contributes to climate-resilient water infrastructure via the Rome Process/Mattei Plan Financing Facility with the African Development Bank.
Supporting regular migration pathways and labour mobility. Italy is advocating at the European Union level to ease restrictive visa measures in place since April 2025 which limit multiple-entry Schengen visas for Ethiopians and extend processing times. Italy also supports scholarships at 37 Italian universities for refugee students via University Corridors for Refugees (UNICORE 7.0). In 2024, Italy funded a project with UNHCR under the Global Sponsorship Fund to expand access to labour-mobility pathways in Egypt, Ethiopia and Uganda. Ethiopia is also included in Italy’s 2026-2028 Flow Decree, which sets annual quotas for legal labour migration as well as a 2025 bilateral Memorandum of Understanding which provides dedicated quotas and labour-matching mechanisms.
Strong political leadership reinforces a clear policy vision. Italy’s foreign policy and development co-operation balance stricter border controls with efforts to expand legal migration channels and address root causes. Italy’s Law 125/2014 on development co‑operation and related guidance align migration policy and development objectives within a human rights-based, standards-driven framework. Lessons learned also highlight the need to recognise policy‑coherence trade‑offs, which are not always straightforward.
A whole-of-government effort, coupled with active engagement of sub-national entities, is key to transforming priorities into practice. Co-ordination across government is a strong indicator of Italy’s commitment to policy coherence for sustainable development. Regional and local governments in Italy also have a vital role in supporting the integration of migrants.
The migration-development approach works in part because it builds on what Italy was already doing. Italy’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (AICS) continues its work in basic services and job creation, while Climate Fund loans expand climate-resilience investments and humanitarian assistance.
Clear benefits are to be had from the private sector’s investment in the migration-development nexus. For example, EU Talent Partnerships in Egypt’s marble and leather industries have enabled Italian industries to increase the supply of qualified workers and create shared benefits for the local economy.
Awareness-raising campaigns need to evolve. While evidence on the effectiveness of risk-focused messaging alone remains mixed, pairing such information with clear, accessible guidance on regular pathways appears to better support informed decision making among potential migrants and local communities.
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UNHCR (2025), Operational Data Portal – Ethiopia https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/eth.
IOM (2023), Community Conversations: The Impact of Awareness-raising Forums on Migration Attitudes in Ethiopia, https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/community-conversations-impact-awareness-raising-forums-migration-attitudes-ethiopia.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation (2023), Guidelines on the Migration-Development Nexus, Department for Development Co-operation, https://www.esteri.it/en/politica-estera-e-cooperazione-allo-sviluppo/cooperaz_sviluppo/documenti-e-approfondimenti/.
University Corridors for Refugees, https://universitycorridors.unhcr.it/ (accessed on 18 February 2026).
OECD (forthcoming), OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews: Italy 2026, OECD Publishing, Paris.
OECD (2025), International Migration Outlook 2025, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ae26c893-en.
OECD (2025), OECD Employment Outlook 2025: Italy, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-employment-outlook-2025-country-notes_f91531f7-en/italy_7e806b33-en.html.
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https://doi.org/10.1787/81982370-en.
To learn more about Italy’s development co-operation, see:
OECD, Italy, Development Co-operation Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/development-co-operation-profiles_04b376d7-en/italy_53431c59-en.html.
More In Practice examples from Italy are available on Development Co-operation TIPs • Tools Insights Practices.
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Photo © Annalisa Vandelli, School groups from the Tigray attend a performance developed under a programme of the Italian development co-operation on the journey of irregular migrants, Ethiopia, 2017.
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