Main area: Migration
Theme: Addressing irregular migration – border management
Assessment: Non ODA-eligible
Provider country: Italy
Recipient country: Tunisia
Implementing agency: Ministry of Interior
Budget (EUR million): 12
Year(s): 2017
Purpose code: N/A
Case number: Migration / 6
Support to the coast guard
This project was funded through the Fund for Africa.
In 2017 the Italian Government established the “Fund for Africa”, with an allocation of EUR 200 million for 2017. The initiative aims at enhancing dialogue and co-operation with selected priority African countries in the migration field (in 2017: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia), through reinforcing partner countries’ capacities in migration management, fighting against trafficking of human beings and smuggling of migrants, providing protection for refugees and vulnerable people, and addressing the root causes of forced migration. The Fund was replenished in the following years and in 2020 it was extended to non-African countries. Most of projects are ODA-eligible and are implemented by the Italian Development Co-operation Agency (AICS), International Organisations such as IOM and UNHCR, and through contributions to the EU Trust Fund for Africa. However, some projects aim to intercept migrants and restrict migration to Europe and are non ODA-eligible.
The objective is to support the Tunisian Authorities in the fight against trafficking of human beings through capacity strengthening and provision of equipment and maintenance services of surveillance boats as requested by the Tunisian Authorities. Project’s activities include:
Provision of vehicles for surveillance of coastal areas;
Completion of the automatic fingerprint identification system;
Maintenance of 6 patrol boats and delivery of spare parts;
Provision of IT materials and tele-radio communications materials and equipment for sea and land patrolling to address trafficking and smuggling and for search and rescue operations at sea.
Strengthened capacities in migration and border management.
Improved and more efficient control of coastal areas to fight trafficking of human beings and for search and rescue activities at sea.
This activity is deemed non ODA-eligible. It consists in providing technical support to the coast guards and institutions responsible for border management through provision of equipment and materials for direct fight against migrant trafficking, with the main aim to intercept migrants and restrict migration to Europe. This is explicitly excluded from ODA (see Principle 6 and specific exclusions from ODA listed in Criterion 4).
The project does not pursue a primary developmental objective (Principles 1 and 3) although it is recognised that a more efficient migration management system will also benefit the recipient country and improve security. Regarding the search and rescue component of the project, Criterion 4 (note 5) notes that activities can be counted in ODA only when search and rescue is the main purpose of the patrol, which is not the case in this project.
This work was approved and declassified by the Development Assistance Committee’s Working Party on Development Finance Statistics.
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