wfn.org | MECC Organizes "Amman Process" Network Meeting

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The "Amman Process" network, initiated in 1996 between the MECC, Southern
European churches, the Churches¹ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)
and the World Council of Churches (WCC) to exchange information and
experiences on refugee and migration issues around the Mediterranean, held
its annual meeting in Amman, Jordan from September 15-18, 2005.
Representatives of churches, church-related and ecumenical networks from
Europe and the Middle East, CCME, UNHCR and the WCC/Middle East desk met to
discuss common refugee and migration issues, from their regional
perspectives and to evaluate their collaboration.

Migration, warehousing and trafficking in Europe and the Middle East were on
the agenda, the negative role played by the media in misinterpreting the
Middle East to the Western world as well as the failure of the ME Peace
Process. The meeting highlighted the restrictions of European migration
policies, increasingly reinforcing border control and shifting
responsibility for asylum and resettlement to countries outside Europe.

The evaluation of the "Amman Process" questioned the effectiveness of annual
meetings in fulfilling its aims and objectives. Discussions were followed by
recommendations which included, among others, the need for new
responsibilities, strategies, methodologies and mechanisms for a more
dynamic Process that is more inclusive and participatory in order to better
respond to the emerging problems of migration and policies. The "Amman
Process" should be translated to wider circles with an extended membership
within Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and communication should be
improved for a better exchange of information among network members. For
more information, kindly contact Ms. Seta Hadeshian at:
meccls@cyberia.net.lb

Middle East Council of Churches
Office of International Ecumenical Relations
P.O. Box 5376, Beirut, Lebanon

Guirgis Ibrahim Saleh, General Secretary
mecc@cyberia.net.lb or guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb

+961-1-353-938
http://www.mec-churches.org/