The International Organization on Migration/The UN Agency on Migration held a press briefing on December 22, Thursday, 2016 at IOM Sub-regional Coordination Office for Central Asia in Almaty to discuss on migration trends and developments in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

During the briefing IOM representatives have provided journalists with the main areas of IOM activities related to  Labor Migration, Irregular Migration, Migrants Rights, Trafficking in Persons as well as on how migration issues are reflected in national and UN strategic  development documents such as Nurly Zhol, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Partnership Framework for Development of Kazakhstan, 2016-2020.

Special attention was given to the distinguishing between “Irregular” and “Illegal” migration that was thoroughly studied in “Mapping on Irregular Migration in Central Asia 2014” report funded by the IOM Development Fund.

Participants were briefed on various activities held within the framework of the IOM program “Addressing Mixed Migration flows in Central Asia through capacity building” funded by the Government of the United States (BPRM-PIM) such as the Senior Officials Meeting of the Almaty Process, capacity building workshops, direct assistance to vulnerable migrants and Migration Crisis Operational Framework (MCOF) for Central Asia. Quarterly journalist  briefings are  part of awareness raising campaign planned for 2016-2017 under BPRM and USAID DAR projects.

IOM has also presented the results of recently launched IOM and Library of the First President of Kazakhstan (Nazarbayev Center) Regional Field Assessment in Central Asia 2016 on “Migrant Vulnerabilities and Integration Needs in Central Asia: Root causes, social and economic impact of return migration” that was made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of  “Dignity and Rights” program. Participants of the briefing were informed on the impact of the Russian Federation policy in introducing re-entry bans to migrant workers from Central Asia and the socioeconomic impact of the precarious position of Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek migrant workers. The assessment relies on a combination of interviews with government and non-government stakeholders, international and national experts and migrants, and it points to some specific vulnerabilities that affect certain categories of migrants, taking into account the deterioration of their legal, economic and social status. Finally, it relates these vulnerabilities to the potential for social and ideological radicalization, outlining a number of scenarios that could come into being should the vulnerability factors remain unaddressed. The main speakers were:

Mr. Dejan Keserovic – Chief of Mission for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and Coordinator for Central Asia, International Organization for Migration(IOM)/The UN Agency, Sub regional Coordination office for Central Asia;

Mrs. Tatiana Hadjiemmanuel – Head of IOM Almaty office and Deputy Coordinator for Central Asia,  International Organization for Migration(IOM)/The UN Agency, Sub regional Coordination office for Central Asia;

Mrs. Aliya Alikova, - National Officer, International Organization for Migration (IOM)/The UN Agency, Sub regional Coordination office for Central Asia.

The meeting was attended by independent journalists as well as from  www.exclusive.kz;www.caravan.kzwww.abctv.kz