Raoul Mosconi, president of the Cefa non-profit organization, analyzes the phenomenon of Tunisian migrants, whose number is among the highest among those recorded in landings in Italy: the country is going through a serious economic crisis, an innovative and far-sighted approach is needed
Giulia Mutti and Alessandro Guarasci – Vatican City
Wars, climate change, economic crises and precarious situations push millions of people to seek a future far from their country. This is the case of thousands of migrants from Bangladesh, Syria, Egypt and especially Tunisia, which is currently facing a profound crisis. The Maghreb has always been a place of arrival for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, but if at the time many stopped “in Libya, Morocco and Tunisia because they found work, today, with this economic crisis they move towards the Mediterranean”, he explains Raoul Mosconipresident of Cefa – the seed of solidarity, a non-profit organization that has been working to overcome hunger and poverty for 50 years, promoting sustainable projects for the most disadvantaged communities in the world so that they achieve food self-sufficiency and respect for fundamental rights.
The Tunisia case
“Tunisia is the country of the Arab Spring and represented – underlines Mosconi – a great hope for a better future for many people. However, it is currently facing a serious economic crisis and is a starving country especially for young people.” For this reason, when countries implement international migration policies, “indicators and evaluation tools that are attentive to people’s needs” are needed, he adds. “We would need – he comments – a growth plan that especially favors young people”.
Listen to the interview with Raoul Mosconi
The Mattei plan for Africa
Regarding the plan of the Italian government in cooperation with African states to limit departures and arrivals on the coasts of Italy, Mosconi says he is “very pessimistic about the fact that a great plan, with great objectives” then has “a innovative and non-predatory, result indicators that are reduced to minimum objectives such as reducing landings”. He observes that what is needed is a “more far-sighted proposal that looks to a future of economic and social development in the countries of departure.
The role of Cephas
The Cefa non-profit organization, explains its president, “has been operating in Tunisia for almost twenty years in projects aimed at creating jobs and promoting development in start-ups with companies, but also to encourage the assisted accompaniment of migrants on their return”. This means that Cefa also works for those who would like to return to their country and works “so that these people are able to find the conditions to stay – he concludes – trying to raise the country’s Gross Domestic Product and increase the employment opportunities of young people”.
