Tackling illegal migration: objectives 2017 to 2018
Published 16 February 2018
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1. Overview
The UK’s overall goal is safe, legal and well-managed global migration, which brings equal value to destination countries and migrants. The FCO supports this through work to tackle illegal migration focussing on interventions in countries of origin and transit. This helps us to project our global influence to prevent conflict and promote global stability, as well as supporting all four of the UK’s objectives under the UK Aid Strategy as well as the National Security Strategy.
2. FCO objectives on illegal migration
The UK believes an international response to mass movements of refugees and migrants should be based on three key principles:
- migrants should seek protection in the first safe country they can reach
- adherence to legal frameworks that distinguish between refugees and economic migrants
- states should maintain the right to control their borders and accept returns of their nationals
3. Official Development Assistance and illegal migration
The UK Aid Strategy underlines the importance of tackling migration. Across the world, there are 65 million people who have been forcibly displaced. Instability, extremism and conflict have displaced millions of people and created a serious humanitarian challenge.
In addition to refugees and displaced people fleeing conflict and persecution, we are also seeing an unprecedented movement of people in search of greater economic opportunities through the same unmanaged channels. Illegal migration erodes public confidence, fuels international crime, damages economies, and leads to migrants being exploited, isolated and their human rights often abused or unprotected.
The FCO’s focus includes supporting the most vulnerable by tackling organised immigration crime and the root causes of migration by pursuing a more effective international response.
4. Illegal migration project objectives
This programme focuses on combating the root causes and drivers of illegal migration as well as the organised immigration crime groups that facilitate movement. The key workstreams under this programme concentrate efforts to:
- improve our understanding of the causes of migration to assist countries to tackle illegal migration
- increase economic opportunities and create job opportunities in source countries to improve economic growth, support job growth, retain home grown talent, and increase options for those at risk of illegal migration, including from Syria
- strengthen and improve capacity to tackle crime associated with illegal migration to prevent criminals exploiting those at risk of illegal migration