EUAA (formerly EASO)- Niger

Timeframe: TBC

Stage: Planning

Regions: Europe | West and Central Africa

Contributors: EU Member States | International Organisations | States

Who are involved:

European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) /formerly EASO | Ministry of Interior (MoI), General Directorate of the Civil Registry, Migration and Refugees (DGEC-MR)

EUAA's (formerly EASO) GRF Asylum Offer:

Within the framework of EU’s pledge of support to the GFR/ACSG, we stand ready as a possible partner in ACSG.

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Niger's GRF Asylum Commitment:

Epicentre of mixed movements in West Africa and located on the edge of conflicts which have a lasting effect on neighbouring populations, Niger is committed to a generous policy of welcoming refugees despite a complex security context. Significant efforts have been made in the area of reception and asylum: the establishment of a national asylum and refugee status determination system; adoption of the ETM mechanism; strengthening of the capacity of agents and members of the National Eligibility Commission (CNE) and the Appeal Committee (CRG). However, difficulties persist due to the incomplete reform of the normative and procedural framework for asylum. Under the auspices of the Asylum Capacity Support Group (ACSG), Niger is determined to reform its asylum system to strengthen its quality and efficiency. The main lines of the reform are in particular: making the CRG an appeal authority independent of the first instance; develop appropriate methods of simplified or accelerated processing of asylum applications. The revision of the legal and normative framework will enable the country to raise to the level of international standards so as to guarantee the effectiveness of international protection.

View full pledge >

Summary of Support

In Niger, past initiatives conducted by the Government with the support of UNHCR resulted into the commitment to reform the Asylum framework. Under the auspices of the Asylum Capacity Support Group (ACSG), Niger is determined to strengthen the quality and efficiency of its Asylum and Reception system.

EUAA (formerly EASO) and the Government of Niger have agreed to develop a pilot bilateral cooperation to enhance asylum and reception capacity in Niger. The project will be implemented in a complementary fashion to EUAA’s regional pilot project under the regional development and protection programme (RDPP) for North Africa (NA) and under the framework of the Asylum Capacity Support Group (ACSG) Mechanism.

The specific support to be provided under the project is still under discussion but will focus on identified unmet needs including within the reception system. EUAA and Niger see this pilot project as an opportunity to continue promoting and enhancing asylum and reception-related matters in Niger.

The activities to be implemented as part of the EUAA/Niger partnership are expected to commence early 2022. The precise activities, when finalized, will be available on this page.