THAMM Nicolle Disc Paper Final Draft 02072021 Cleared.docx

Tunisians and prevent irregular migration; and protect the rights of asylum seekers and foreign migrants. Similarly, in August 2017, Tunisia began the process of developing the National Employment Strategy (NES), which proposes an integrated approach to create jobs and mobilize all actors involved in the labour market.

April, 47.8% of employees received their wages, compared to 34.4% who did not, and 13.1% who received only part of their wages. In 2014, Tunisia signed a mobility partnership agreement with the EU and a number of EU member states (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Among other objectives, this partnership aims to improve the information available to qualified Tunisian citizens on employment, education and training opportunities offered in the EU, and also to facilitate the mutual recognition of professional and academic qualifications. In addition, it aims at a better integration of Tunisian nationals legally residing in the EU and migrants legally residing in Tunisia, and the mobilization of Tunisian communities abroad for the development of Tunisia. In recent years, emigration of Tunisian nationals has been accompanied by irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa and other North African countries (Libya, Algeria, Morocco) and the Middle East (Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees), partly also because of the lack of regular migration arrangements. 26 Due to its geographical location, Tunisia has become an important route for irregular migration to Europe, particularly to Italy. The recent creation of the National Migration Observatory illustrates Tunisia’s willingness to address the issue of migration in a comprehensive manner. IOM supports not only the Observatory, but also the Office des Tunisiens à l'étranger (OTE) and the Agence nationale de l'emploi et du travail indépendant (ANETI). In 2016, with ILO support, the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) adopted an action plan on the protection of migrant workers in Tunisia - particularly in Tunis, Sousse, Sfax and Medenine. The Stratégie nationale sur les migrations (SNM) was presented in July 2017 by the Ministry of Social Affairs in collaboration with ILO, IOM and other international partners. This strategy aims to: improve migration governance; defend the rights and interests of Tunisian migrants and strengthen their ties to Tunisia; enhance the contribution of migration to socioeconomic development at the local, regional, and national levels; promote regular migration of 26 Awad, I. and Selim, H. (2017). Labour Migration Governance in Times of Political Transition: A Comparative Analysis of Egypt and Tunisia, in Migration and Development, vol 6, 2017, issue 1. 27 World Bank – ILOSTAT – https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.MA.ZS?locations=EG& view=chart Box 2: Tunisia’s institutional efforts towards better migration governance

Egypt

Egypt has the largest population in the region, at 100.4 million, with approximately 34% young people below 15. 27 The demographic factor plays an essential role in the socioeconomic, employment and migration dynamics: from 2010 to 2015, the average annual population growth rate was estimated at 2.2% and the fertility rate at 3.4 children per woman. 28 Youth account for nearly 80% of the unemployed. As in the region as a whole, far fewer women than men participate in the labour force (23% versus 80%). The lack of decent work opportunities has forced some workers to accept precarious and poorly paid work, and others to leave their country in search of better opportunities abroad. Rapid population growth poses a significant challenge to the country's sustainable development. According to the World Bank, a series of positive and recent macroeconomic and structural reforms had succeeded in stabilizing the economy with improving fiscal and external accounts. However, ‘the adverse repercussions of the pandemic have since undermined this recent progress, shedding light on longstanding challenges (such as): sluggish private sector activity and job-creation, especially in the formal sector, underperforming non-oil exports and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), elevated government debt-to-GDP ratio (despite its significant reduction in recent years), below- potential revenue mobilization, and an unfavorable budget structure, with limited allocations to key sectors, such as health and education.’ 29 Given the uncertainties around vaccinations and possible new epidemic waves in region, key economic sectors (tourism, manufacturing, oil and gas extractives, as well as the Suez Canal) continue to be massively impacted by international travel bans, a low and unpredictable demand, and disruptions to national and international supply chains and trade.

28 Document d’action du Fonds fiduciaire d’urgence de l’Union européenne , Égypte 2017 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/action_document_egypt _action_fiche_20170523_en.pdf 29 Word Bank (2021) Egypt’s Economic Update, April 2021 - https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/9dbe40280b581a94ff950a11cab42 fb3-0280012021/original/4-mpo-sm21-egypt-egy-kcm2.pdf

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