Almaty – International Organization for Migration/The UN Migration Agency, Sub Regional Coordination Office for Central Asia, is organizing a Regional training for partner NGOs on “Providing Direct Assistance to Vulnerable Migrants in Central Asia” on September 6 – 8, 2017 in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan.

IOM Sub-Regional Coordination Office for Central Asia will gather for this training IOM partner NGOs engaged in migrants’ rights protection, Employment Centers, local  authorities as well as direct beneficiaries of the programs and migrant community leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. IOM experts and staff from the regional missions responsible for providing direct assistance and protection to migrants and from IOM Headquarters, Geneva and IOM Turkey will conduct sessions and coordinate interactive group exercises of the training.

The regional NGO training aims to build capacity of the partner NGOs in understanding vulnerabilities of Central Asian migrants and their immediate/integration/reintegration needs as well as in providing direct assistance to vulnerable migrants both in the countries of destination and origin in a manner that compliments national capacities.

Specifically, this training will provide an overview of the dynamics of human mobility in other contexts and of labor migration within and out of Central Asia, demonstrating multiple consequences of the current economic downturn and application of re-entry bans in Russia and its impact on Central Asia. It will also identify migrants’ vulnerabilities and their immediate and integration/re-integration needs in the Central Asian region; discuss current legal obligations (international, intraregional and national) for vulnerable categories of migrants; map available services, systems and other stakeholders in place to address the needs of the different identified categories of vulnerable migrants. This discussion will be placed in the larger context of human mobility, particularly Turkey’s experience in integration of Syrian refugees and IOM’s framework of vulnerability and integrated approach to reintegration of migrants(IOM HQ). Moreover, participating NGOs will present and share their experience and knowledge about Central Asian migrants’ needs and contribute to IOM’s understanding and future programmatic planning and approach to addressing vulnerabilities of migrants. They will also get familiarized with existing IOM’s programs and other stakeholders’ services dedicated to addressing needs of vulnerable migrants in the region and receive detailed guidelines for identification of vulnerable migrants and for providing direct assistance to them both in the countries of destination and origin. Finally yet importantly, direct beneficiaries of IOM’s programs will share their experiences and provide their inputs to the discussions on migrants’ vulnerabilities, needs and services.

The training is organized within USAID Project “Dignity and Rights” implemented by International Organization for Migration in Central Asia and the project ”Addressing Migration Movements  through Capacity Building in Central Asia” Phase III  funded by the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Government of the United States (PRM-PIM USA). Both programs support “direct assistance to vulnerable migrants” in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The sessions dedicated to vulnerabilities and integration/reintegration needs of Central Asian migrants are based on findings and recommendations of IOM’s regional assessments on Migrant Vulnerabilities and Integration Needs in Central Asia conducted in 2016 and 2017.

The workshop will take place at the Conference Hall “Saltanat” of Grand Tien Shan, 115, Bogenbay Batyr Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan on 6 – 8 September 2017.

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For additional information, you can contact IOM Sub-regional coordination office for Central Asia at: +77272582240 (ext. 104) or iomalmaty@iom.int