Enhancing the Capacities of Libya to Address Challenges posed by the Smuggling of Migrants on Unseaworthy and Overloaded Vessels

The movement of refugees and migrants by dangerous means across the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe continues to exact a devastating toll on human life. The ever-increasing need to come to the aid of migrants attempting to make the journey in unseaworthy and overloaded vessels has significantly depleted the already inadequate resources of the Libyan Naval Coast Guard (NCG) and has severely diminished their ability to respond to these emergencies.

This project aims to:

• Enhance the capacities, in terms of both skills and equipment, of the Libyan Naval Coast Guard and the Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM) to assist migrants who have got into difficulties while attempting to cross the Mediterranean by being able to perform more effective Search and Rescue operations.

• Increase the amount of information available to migrants about the real risks and dangers of undertaking an irregular journey across the Mediterranean Sea and strengthen the capacity of the border authorities to more effectively counter the smuggling of human beings through entering into direct dialogue with local communities and civil society organizations.