Cairo, 26 August 2019 – Mission’89 and The International Organization for Migration (IOM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to kickstart their collaboration.

IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits both migrants and society and Mission’89 was set up to uphold the 1989 United Nations Rights of the Child, with the specific aim of ending trafficking of children in the name of sport.  

In that context, Mission'89 and IOM join forces in coordinating activities in Egypt, to share expertise and raise awareness amongst migrants on the issues related to human trafficking and sports.
This partnership follows the success of an event held in Cairo in cooperation with the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Egypt. Two football matches for 65 young migrants from various nationalities were organised to engage the community and raise their awareness on the dangers of human trafficking in football.

Lerina Bright, Mission’89 Executive Director said: “We are very excited about this partnership with IOM. Child trafficking in the name of sport is an issue we can no longer ignore. Let’s tackle it together so we can get back to celebrating the positive values of sport”.

The partnership involves community events for migrant youth in Egypt between the ages of 11 and 21 to give them the opportunity to participate in football matches and learn through interactive sessions, about children’s rights and human trafficking.

IOM Egypt’s Chief of Mission, Laurent De Boeck, said that: “Our campaign with Mission’89 is designed to combat trafficking in sports, informing young migrants about the dangers of trafficking in persons”.

The partnership supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Goal 10, Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.

For more information, please contact Omar Awwad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +20 1032 049 144; Email: oawwad@iom.int