IOM Central Asia
Operational Strategy
2011-2015
43
IOM Central Asia Operational Strategy 2011-2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IOM’s MISSION AND 12-POINT STRATEGIC FOCUS
IOM’s Strategic Focus
4
INTRODUCTION 7
IOM’s core competencies
Critical migration challenges in the region
Integrated Central Asia approach
CONTEXT 11
Political context
Economic context
Social context
Environmental context
MIGRATION TRENDS 15
GENERAL & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
THEMATIC AREAS 21
Migration & development
Counter-trafficking and assistance to migrants
Technical co-operation and border management
Operational movement
Emergency response and community stabilization
CROSS-CUTTING THEMES 37
Governance
Migrant rights
Civil society development
Gender
Health
EVALUATION MECHANISMS
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FOREWORD
We live in an age of unprecedented human mobility. Migration is considered
one of the defining global issues of the early twenty-first century, with more
and more people on the move today than at any other point in history.
In Central Asia, which has been a crossroads of goods and people from the
days of the Silk Road, hundreds of thousands of people move daily across the
international borders in search of employment and opportunity. Millions of
Central Asians work abroad and remit funds to their families. Over the last
decade, migration became a major contributor to development throughout
Central Asia, but also created many complex challenges for migrants, societies and governments alike, including but not limited to: increase in irregular
migration, trafficking and smuggling of human beings; population displacements as the result of conflict,
natural disasters, and economic crisis; security, law enforcement and public health issues; as well as difficulties of inter-state cooperation on migration issues.
IOM has been present in Central Asia since 1992, providing sustainable and collaborative solutions for
managing migration to all five region’s states through the network of IOM offices, IOM partner NGOs and
through regional information sharing and training.
IOM believes that migration is a potential catalyst for development and economic growth in Central Asia
and can play a key role in helping countries realize their development goals. In order to harness the positive
benefits of migration and reduce its negative impacts, IOM in Central Asia supports efforts of governments,
societies and migrants to promote humane and orderly migration, facilitate integration and uphold human
dignity and well-being of migrants, encourage social and economic development through migration, assist
in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management and advance the understanding
of migration issues.
The purpose of this Central Asia Operational Strategy is to outline IOM vision by identifying key challenges,
main thematic areas and specific programmatic solutions that are tailored to specifically address the migration dynamics in Central Asia. This document has been developed through a joint effort of IOM offices in
the region and taking into consideration individual migration challenges facing each of the IOM Member
States in Central Asia. This Operational Strategy for Central Asia for the period of 2011-2015 is based on
the IOM Strategy adopted by Member States in June 2007.
IOM remains committed to working with Central Asian governments, civil societies, NGOs, donors and other
relevant stakeholders to achieve the goal of Managing Migration for the Benefit of All.
Zlatko Zigic
IOM Coordinator for Central Asia
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IOM’s MISSION AND 12-POINT STRATEGIC FOCUS
IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly
migration benefits migrants and society. As the leading
international organization for migration, IOM acts with its
partners in the international community to:
• Assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management.
• Advance understanding of migration issues.
• Encourage social and economic development
through migration.
• Uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.
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IOM’s Strategic Focus
1. To provide secure, reliable, flexible and costeffective services for persons who require international migration assistance.
2. To enhance the humane and orderly management of migration and the effective respect for
the human rights of migrants in accordance
with international law.
3. To offer expert advice, research, technical cooperation and operational assistance to States,
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, in order to
build national capacities and facilitate international, regional and bilateral cooperation on migration matters.
4. To contribute to the economic and social development of States through research, dialogue,
design and implementation of migration-related programmes aimed at maximizing migration’s benefits.
5. To support States, migrants and communities
in addressing the challenges of irregular migration, including through research and analysis into root causes, sharing information and
spreading best practices, as well as facilitating
development-focused solutions.
6. To be a primary reference point for migration
information, research, best practices, data collection, compatibility and sharing.
7. To promote, facilitate and support regional and
global debate and dialogue on migration, including through the International Dialogue on
Migration, so as to advance understanding of
the opportunities and challenges it presents,
the identification and development of effective
policies for addressing those challenges and to
identify comprehensive approaches and measures for advancing international cooperation.
8. To assist States to facilitate the integration of
migrants in their new environment and to engage diasporas, including as development partners.
9. To participate in coordinated humanitarian responses in the context of inter-agency arrangements in this field and to provide migration
services in other emergency or post-crisis situations as appropriate and as relates to the needs
of individuals, thereby contributing to their protection.
10.To undertake programmes which facilitate the
voluntary return and reintegration of refugees,
displaced persons, migrants and other individuals in need of international migration services,
in cooperation with other relevant international
organizations as appropriate, and taking into
account the needs and concerns of local communities.
11.To assist States in the development and delivery
of programmes, studies and technical expertise
on combating migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, in particular women and children, in a manner consistent with international
law.
12.To support the efforts of States in the area of
labour migration, in particular short term movements, and other types of circular migration.
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INTRODUCTION
The strategic vision of IOM Central Asia is to
maximize the potential for migration to contribute to development and economic growth
in Central Asia. To achieve this vision and fulfill
IOM’s mandate to promote humane and orderly
migration management, the following objectives have been defined:
•
To improve understanding of migration among
governments, communities and employers.
•
To help establish efficient migration management systems and address issues surrounding
irregular migration.
•
To promote and protect the rights of migrants.
•
To contribute to poverty reduction in Central
Asia among migrants, home communities and
host communities.
•
To help create an enabling environment for decent labour, equal employment opportunities
and implementation of best practices.
•
To support community stabilization and migrant integration in conflict-prone areas.
•
To provide assistance to people on the move.
•
To address the many issues associated with human trafficking, including prevention of trafficking and protection of victims.
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IOM’S CORE COMPETENCIES
CRITICAL MIGRATION CHALLENGES IN THE REGION
IOM, in its position as a leading international agency with ability to draw together relevant stakeholders, aims to advance the understanding of migration
issues, encourage social and economic development
through migration and uphold the human dignity
and well-being of mobile populations.
Central Asia faces several critical issues in migration management. These issues reflect economic,
political and social tensions that exist throughout
the region. Crucial migration issues in Central Asia
include:
Facilitating migration management since its establishment in 1951, IOM’s experiences have resulted
in accumulated expertise in key areas. Such areas
include: providing resettlement and repatriation assistance to expatriates and internally or externally
displaced people during and after conflict situations; spearheading counter-trafficking initiatives
and providing training and technical assistance in
border management, identification systems and
travel documentation assistance. IOM has thus developed deep and diverse expertise in migration
management, and the area has become a comparative advantage of the organization. IOM has, over
the previous 60 years, had extensive experience of
the complex dynamic of migration, and has developed a holistic understanding not only of the phenomenon of migration, but also of the constantly
changing contexts in which migration taxes place.
Furthermore, as a reputable organization in migration issues, IOM’s network of co-operating partners
covers a wide range of stakeholders, including local and national governments, INGOs and NGOs,
regional bodies, donors, media and the private sector. IOM thus has the ability to tackle the migration
challenges of the 21st century and will continue to
be in the forefront of facilitating humane and orderly migration management.
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• Insufficient inter-state dialogue on migration issues and difficulties in harmonizing international, regional and national migration processes.
• Inadequate national and regional migration policies and an underdeveloped legislative framework.
• Poor co-ordination and data collection, leading
to inadequate understanding of the actual scope
of migration and irregular migration.
• Need for more understanding of migration issues among state agencies, as well as underdeveloped capacity to deal with migration and to
manage borders.
• Inadequate legal and social framework to protect migrants, particularly their human rights.
• Widespread labour and sexual exploitation of
migrants.
• Optimizing remittances, in a context where a
high proportion of many Central Asian countries’ GDP comes from migrants working in other
countries and governments lack the capacity to
mainstream migration into the development
agenda.
• Community stabilization and disaster risk reduction in an environment of political uncertainty
and disaster-prone geography.
INTEGRATED CENTRAL ASIA APPROACH
The five countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan –
are closely linked in terms of history and culture. Migration issues in these countries are therefore also
linked and share strong commonalities. In an effort
to address these issues, and to support economic
and political co-operation among the five Central
Asia states, IOM has recently adopted an area-based
approach to the five countries of Central Asia with a
co-ordination office in Astana, Kazakhstan.
To ensure coherence and long-term sustainable solutions, IOM has implemented a unified management approach to the Central Asian countries. This
approach has allowed IOM to increase the capacities of individual missions in terms of fundraising,
operability, accountability, transparency and professionalism. It also helps the Coordination Office to
manage and oversee programmes, enabling IOM to
increase its capacity in Central Asia while decreasing operational costs.
In Central Asia, IOM’s integrated approach has created a strong competitive advantage. This advantage arises from three factors. First, IOM’s unified
management system increases its capacity in the
region while decreasing operational costs, allowing efficient management and helping to ensure
maximum impact. Second, IOM has a strong focus
on teamwork. Not only do IOM missions within Central Asia work closely together on regional projects,
but there is also close co-operation with IOM missions outside the immediate cluster area, especially
with Russia. Finally, IOM’s long-standing presence in
the region has allowed it to develop wide expertise.
IOM has extensive knowledge about the programmatic, geo-political, cultural and socio-economic
dynamics of Central Asia.
IOM’s regional programming promotes improved
co-ordination and coherence on cross-border issues
and leverages the competitive advantage of IOM’s
field presence in all five Central Asian countries. In
addition, IOM’s regional programming allows it to
engage in close, co-ordinated co-operation with a
variety of governments and civil society organizations. This co-ordination has led to a strong track
record of delivering results.
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CONTEXT
POLITICAL CONTEXT
The Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – were created following the breakup of the Soviet Union in
1991. The states experienced widely divergent transitions to democracy: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan remained relatively stable whereas
the situation in Kyrgyzstan has deteriorated and Tajikistan experienced long-term instability following
the end of its civil war in 1997.
The Ferghana Valley remains a source of instability
within the region. This valley is a large, fertile and
densely-populated region divided between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Potential conflict
among ethnic, religious and political factions in
this region has roots in poverty, division of water
resources and ethnic tensions. If conflict does occur,
then refugees are likely to become an issue and protection of migrant rights may become more difficult.
Regional instability is also an important part of Central Asian political dynamics. The ongoing conflict in
Afghanistan spills over into Central Asia in several
ways. Refugees from Afghanistan often pass through
Central Asian countries, as do narcotics trafficking
routes, and extremist forces in Afghanistan have the
potential to affect political and security developments in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Significant governance challenges continue to exist in Central Asia. Corruption is widespread and
patronage systems dominate the allocation of local
resources. Elections are often deemed to be faulty
and ethnic minorities are at times excluded from local and national governments.
Political co-operation between and among Central
Asian states on migration issues remains insufficient. In the area of counter-trafficking, all five Central Asian states have signed the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. However, Kazakhstan
and the Russian Federation have not signed several
key conventions on the rights of labour migrants,
including the UN International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and
Members of Their Families (1990), and ILO Migrant
Workers Convention No. 143 (supplementary provisions). National laws and implementation mechanisms are not co-ordinated and several countries
are not acting in accordance with their international
obligations. In the area of labour migration, states
do not act in a streamlined fashion, individual states
have limited capacity and the legislative framework
needs significant improvement.
ECONOMIC CONTEXT
The collapse of the former Soviet Union led to increased poverty and a decline in living standards
across Central Asia. GDP per capita fell during the
1990s and is only now regaining the level it had
reached at the fall of the Soviet Union. The transition to a market economy was challenging and was
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complicated by high unemployment and the collapse of the manufacturing industry.
In recent years, GDP growth in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has occurred in large part
because of natural oil and gas reserves in these
countries. Despite the existence of natural resources
in some countries, all Central Asian countries still
face major challenges in developing their economic
fundamentals. Exports have slowed, due primarily
to the global economic crisis, and in some countries growth has been stagnant, partialy because of
a decline in aluminum and cotton prices. The IMF
has ranked both the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan
among the top 26 countries most at risk from the
global recession.
Poverty remains a serious issue in Central Asia. In
2009, the percentage of population living on less
than two dollars a day was 50% or greater in every Central Asian country except Kazakhstan. Poverty has a particularly strong effect on marginalized
groups, that is, women, children and the elderly.
High poverty and employment rates both act as
push factors for migrants in Central Asia.
A weak business environment compounds poverty
issues in Central Asia. Foreign direct investment remains low in many Central Asian countries, though
certain countries have received a boost due to investment in natural resources such as oil and gas.
The business environment remains difficult in all
Central Asian countries and corruption is a significant problem. In 2010, Transparency International
ranked Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan
within the top 15 most corrupt countries, with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan ranking 172 out 178,
and Kyrgyzstan ranking 164 out of 178. Tajikistan
ranked 154, and Kazakhstan ranked 105.
The high level of migration between Central Asian
countries and the Russian Federation is a significant
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economic issue. Remittances constitute more than
30% of GDP generation in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and more than 50% in Tajikistan. A remittancebased growth strategy remains vulnerable, especially in the context of Central Asia, where a lack of foreign direct investment means remittances are one
of very few means to stimulate economic growth.
SOCIAL CONTEXT
The social context in Central Asia has proven particularly difficult for marginalized groups, including
minorities, women, children, the elderly and those
who suffer from illness. A high proportion of people
in Central Asia suffer from poor living conditions
and little access to social services. Equally, the problems of irregular migration are quickly growing.
Poverty has a severe impact on marginalized groups.
For example, issues facing poor women include:
education enrolment rates; access to reproductive
health; gender disparities in wage levels and lack of
representation in government and authority structures. Women migrants face special issues including:
access to housing; lack of professional training; and
access to psychological support. In addition, women
may be less able to access informal networks that
can supply information about labour opportunities.
Similarly, the issue of child exploitation in Central
Asia deserves attention, since children are especially vulnerable to exploitation and suffer greatly from
its consequences.
Migration affects not only women who engage in
migration, but also those who remain at home. Migration of males has consequences for social structures in sending countries. In Central Asia, labour
migration of males has created a significant number
of female-headed households. These households
are more vulnerable to serious poverty and to social exclusion. Abandonment of families is a grow-
ing problem – men engage in labour migration but
do not return home, thus leaving their wives and
children in poverty and hardship.
Central Asian governments. This difficult context
acts as a push factor for migrants and also contributes to political instability.
Health issues pose a significant problem for migrants from Central Asian countries. The annual
numbers of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases are rising in several countries in Central Asia. According
to UNAIDS, “In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the
number of people living with HIV almost tripled
between 2000 and 2009. An estimated 1.4 million [1.3 million–1.6 million] people were living
with HIV in 2009 compared to 530,000 [470,000–
620,000] in 2000.” Most cases occur among injecting drug users, sex workers and their partners. The
trend of HIV infection among outgoing migrants is
increasing: Migrants contract HIV in receiving countries, and spread HIV when they return to their sending countries. The region also suffers from one of
the highest rates of multi-drug-resistant TB in the
world. This form of TB is difficult, expensive to treat
and prevalent in Central Asia. Migrants frequently
contract TB in their sending countries, and bring it
to receiving countries. In addition, polio, which has
been eradicated in much of the developed world,
is widespread in Tajikistan and threatens to spread
into neighboring Central Asian countries. If an outbreak occurs, the most vulnerable populations will
be marginalized groups in society, particularly migrants who lack access to information and health
care. While HIV/AIDS and TB are some of the most
prevalent diseases in Central Asia, a wide range of
infectious diseases is present in the area and migrants are particularly susceptible to many of these
diseases.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
Climate change has already had a significant impact
on Central Asia. One of the most dramatic consequences of climate change has been increasing desertification, demonstrated by the shrinking of the
Aral Sea as well as the rivers Amu Darya and Syr
Darya. Widespread salinization, inefficient water
management practices, land degradation, desertification and increasing aridity will be the consequences of climate change in Central Asia.
Central Asia has already experienced high degrees of
environmental migration. In 1996, about 100,000
people were displaced due to severe environmental
degradation in the Aral Sea. The problems in this region continued through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Environmental push factors combine with poverty
and ineffective governance to add to the vulnerability of local populations and the tendency to migrate.
A large proportion of the region’s population is living in areas at high risk of increased water stress
due to climate change. Population growth in hot
spots in each Central Asian country indicates that
almost all of the population in the region is living in
areas at risk of climate change impact. The impact
is almost entirely due to increased water stress as
a result of reduced rainfall and runoff. This difficult
environmental situation, combined with economic,
social and political pressures, is likely to lead to increased migration.
Minorities face difficulties in Central Asia. In the
densely-populated Ferghana Valley, high levels of
xenophobia toward ethnic minorities are prevalent
and inter-ethnic tensions are strong. The issue of
ethnic representation has been difficult for several
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MIGRATION TRENDS
Across Central Asia, people are engaged in a variety of movement – temporary, long term and permanent. A significant proportion of the population
engages in seasonal migration to either the Russian
Federation or Kazakhstan. Others are long-term
or permanent migrants. Kazakhstan acts as both
a sending and a receiving country: it receives migrants from other Central Asian countries, but it also
sends migrants to the Russian Federation. Moreover,
in Central Asia all countries experience a high level
of unregulated internal migration.
While a large proportion of migrants in Central Asia
are driven by labour factors, the nature of migration
is mixed and Central Asia also receives refugees and
asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Eastern China. Due to their (often irregular) status, migrants often face various kinds of human rights abuses such
as discrimination, denial of access to basic education, health services and decent working conditions.
Furthermore, corruption among law enforcement
officials, poverty, exploitation and separation from
their communities all contribute to marginalization
and high vulnerability of the migrant population.
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Key migration trends include:
• Large-scale labour migration. Up to 27% of the
population of Uzbekistan, 18% of the population of Tajikistan and 14% of the population of
Kyrgyzstan are labour migrants. Most labour migrants are men, and over 50% do menial work.
• Significant human trafficking issues. Internationally, most human trafficking takes place to
Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Turkey and
the Emirates but routes exist to China, Ukraine,
the Middle East and South East Asia. A high degree of internal human trafficking also exists
between Central Asian countries and within the
countries themselves. The vast majority of this
trafficking is labour trafficking.
• Change in migration patterns due to political
instability. Political instability exists in some
Central Asian countries, and is particularly noticeable in the Ferghana Valley. This, combined
with tribal and ethnic issues, changes migration
patterns.
• High degree of internal migration. Data about
internal migration is difficult to obtain, especially given the generally weak capacity of Central Asian governments in managing migration.
However, a high degree of internal migration
has been observed in all Central Asian countries.
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• Movement away from seasonal migration. Historically, migration in Central Asia had a strongly
seasonal nature. However, as a result of the economic crisis, seasonal employment is no longer
easily available. In order to compensate for loss
of income, migrants appear to be moving in
more chaotic patterns.
• Increasing migration for family reasons. Migrants move, not only for economic or political
reasons, but also to unify with their families and
communities. Such family-based migration has
been increasing in recent years.
• Increased ecological migration. Over the last
20 years, Central Asian countries experienced
higher-than-average changes in average temperatures and it is predicted that the effects of
climate change will be severe in this region. National environmental authorities predict an increase in natural disasters such as floods, landslides and mudslides. In addition, several manmade ecological disasters, such as toxic waste
from uranium mining, occurred in Central Asia
during the Soviet regime. These factors increase
both internal and external migration in the region.
GENERAL & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
IOM has strategic partnerships with a variety of
partners including governments, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs and the private sector.
IOM works closely with governments and other
partners in the international community to address
today’s many and complex migration challenges. On
a global level, to achieve this goal, IOM’s main financial resources come directly from governments. In
Central Asia, IOM has formed working relationships
with all governments. It is represented through field
offices in each country and engages in extensive
co-operation with the government on a variety of
projects.
IOM has a long-standing and intense working relationship with the United Nations at several levels.
There are three formal bases on which IOM’s overall
relationship with the UN are founded. The first is
IOM’s observer status in the UN General Assembly,
obtained in 1992; the second is IOM’s inclusion by
the General Assembly as a ‘standing invitee’ in the
Inter-Agency Standing Committee mechanism. The
third element is the Co-operation agreement between IOM and the UN, which provides a formal basis for a closer collaboration between the two secretariats. Also, the IOM has global co-operation agreements with the majority of UN agencies. In practical
terms, the increasing operational collaboration that
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has evolved over the past decade between IOM and
a broadening range of UN entities has also resulted
in inclusion of IOM in UN operations, including in
the UN Country Teams, in the UN Development Assistance Framework, and in the UN-organized Humanitarian Cluster System. In Central Asia, the IOM
has a strategic relationship with several UN agencies, including UN Women, UNHCR and UNDP.
Long-standing relationships also exist between the
IOM and other international and regional organizations. The IOM has a global relationship with the
World Bank, and this relationship is reflected in
World Bank funding of IOM Central Asian projects.
Strong collaboration also exists, on both the strategic and operational level, with the OSCE, particularly in the areas of migration data, border management and counter-trafficking. Globally, IOM offices
in Brussels, Vienna and New York ensure close coordination with a variety of international organizations. On a more regional level, IOM has strategic
long-term relationships with the Eurasian Economic
Community (EurAsEC), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) and Conference on Interaction
and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
The IOM works with these regional organizations
both through specific agreements and co-operative
working groups, and activities focus on harmoniza-
tion of legislation, inter-state policy dialogues and
migration statistics
Co-operation also occurs between IOM and a variety of NGOs. This co-operation occurs in many contexts and reflects the diverse relationship between
the two entities. NGOs might be collaborators with
IOM, service providers or project executors, donors,
beneficiaries of IOM technical co-operation, grant
recipients or service recipients. IOM and NGOs may
act as equal partners or complement each others’
activities. In Central Asia, IOM has developed longstanding relationships with many local NGOs and
has constructed a network of partners to allow maximum co-operation. IOM currently works with more
than 100 NGOs in the region, and NGOs are the
main vehicle of implementation for IOM activities.
The private sector has a significant and valuable
role to play in realizing the positive benefits of migration and minimizing its costs. IOM seeks to forge
partnerships with private sector actors focused on
areas and subjects of mutual interest and shared
values with full respect for each other’s resources,
expertise, knowledge and skills. Areas of collaboration can involve information exchanges, in-kind
support and direct financial support of projects.
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THEMATIC AREAS
IOM Central Asia has adopted a functional matrix approach. It is divided both by thematic areas and geographical sections. Activities in thematic areas occur
throughout all countries in Central Asia, and are managed by teams that span geographic areas. IOM Central Asia works within five functional areas:
1. Migration and Development.
2. Counter-Trafficking and Assistance to Migrants.
3. Technical Co-operation and Border Management.
4. Operational Movement.
5. Emergency Response and Community Stabilization.
Certain issues are cross-cutting, and are incorporated into every thematic area. Cross cutting issues
are: health, civil society development, migrant rights,
gender and governance.
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MIGRATION & DEVELOPMENT
focused solutions.
ISSUES
IOM’s history, as well as its mandate, confirms that
the organization is well-positioned to address labour migration issues in Central Asia. In Central Asia,
IOM has a well-established presence and a proactive
approach toward emerging migration issues. It has
demonstrated good relationships with stakeholders
at all levels, from policy makers to national governments to civil society to the private sector. In addition, it has proven ability to generate necessary expertise in a timely manner. These strengths enable
IOM to run a complex, multi-faceted programme to
address labour migration challenges on all levels.
Migration and development is a key priority for IOM
Central Asia, especially given the scale of labour migration in the region. Challenges in the area of migration and development include:
• Central Asian states have acceded to few international treaties which protect labour migrants.
Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation are
not parties to several key conventions on the
rights of labour migrants, including the UN International Convention on the Protection of the
Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of
Their Families, ILO Migrant Workers Convention
No. 143 (supplementary provisions).
• Insufficient national and regional legislation.
• Lack of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to
support orderly migration between countries, as
well as lack of inter-state co-operation.
• Lack of national capacity to understand and
benefit from the potential of migration.
• The customs union between Kazakhstan, the
Russian Federation and Belarus, associated with
EURASEC, creates both opportunities and challenges for migrants.
WHY IOM
Within the framework of its mandate, IOM has a
large role to play in supporting the efforts of states
to manage labour migration, in particular short term
movements and circular migration. IOM supports
states, migrants and communities in addressing
the challenges of irregular migration, both through
research and analysis of root causes and through
sharing information and spreading best practices.
As an organization, IOM specializes in development22
PRIORITIES
• To promote the socio-economic developments
of migrants, their families, their host communities and their sending communities.
• To encourage inter-state dialogue and harmonization of policies between labour receiving and
sending countries.
• To assist governments and society in recognizing and understanding the contributions of labour migrants.
• To work with governments to regularize labour
migration.
• To promote and protect the rights of labour migrants.
• To mainstream migration into the development
agenda at local, national and regional levels.
• To assist labour migrants throughout the migration cycle.
WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE
• Support will be provided to labour migration
policy and legislation to encourage regional
harmonization and dialogue.
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• Capacity to implement migration policy and
to institute migration legislation will be built
among government and civil society partners.
tion campaigns to help the wider community recognize the importance of migrants and their contributions to the community.
• Migrants’ and their families’ access to services
such as access to health care, social services and
vocational training will be improved.
A direct relationship exists between IOM and migrants. IOM promotes this relationship in many
ways: through hotlines, IOM provides advice to migrants and potential labour migrants; through NGO
partners, IOM provides a variety of services including
health, legal aid and protection of rights; through
Migrant Support Centres, IOM provides information
and counselling; and through informational campaigns the IOM reaches out to the broad community
of labour migrants.
• Direct assistance will be provided to labour migrants and their families.
• Rights of labour migrants and their families will
be promoted.
• Migrants and diasporas will receive support in
developing different options to optimize the use
of remittances.
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT
IOM will continue to work with a variety of stakeholders at the regional, national and grassroots level to achieve its objectives.
IOM will continue to work with government and regional stakeholders in Central Asia. The organization has worked with government ministries to help
develop strategic documents and road maps, and
this assistance has created a foundation for future
co-operation. On a regional level, IOM has engaged
in a long-term strategic partnership with EURASEC
to provide assistance in unification of labour migration legislation and drafting of model laws. This
long-term partnership will help to foster regional
dialogue on labour migration.
In Central Asia, IOM has a strong network of civil society and NGO partners. IOM has worked with these
local organizations for many years and has developed sustainable, long-term relationships. These
civil society organizations are crucial in helping
IOM provide direct assistance to labour migrants
and their families. In addition, IOM works closely
with NGOs and local partners to develop informa24
IOM will continue to work with diaspora communities in Central Asia and the Russian Federation. In
this geographical area, IOM will involve diasporas
in the promotion and protection of migrant rights
through both informational campaigns and the provision of legal support. Likewise, IOM will support
national governments in developing programmes to
encourage remittances from diaspora communities,
and to optimize the use of these remittances.
COUNTER-TRAFFICKING AND ASSISTANCE TO MIGRANTS
ISSUES
Human trafficking is a serious challenge for Central
Asia, and IOM plays a leading role in addressing the
many aspects of trafficking. Specific issues include:
• Scale of trafficking and exploitation. Human
trafficking is a huge challenge for Central Asia,
and it is estimated that over one million people
annually are either at risk or are victims of trafficking and exploitation inside the countries of
Central Asia and among their citizens abroad.
Likewise, it is estimated that almost 91% of cases of human trafficking involve labour exploitation. 62% of cases of human trafficking cases
occur within the boundaries of a state. Roughly
69% of victims of human trafficking are men.
• Migrant rights. Labour exploitation is a large and
growing issue in Central Asia. The exploitation
of migrant rights is commonplace, and victims
can be deprived of basic rights such as the right
to earn a wage and the right to free movement.
• Lack of government capacity to control global
trafficking in persons. While all Central Asian
governments have signed the UN Convention on
Trafficking, the states engage in little, if any, cooperation with each other to address trafficking
issues. In addition, internal government capacity
to control human trafficking may be weak, and
there may be weak or non-existent prosecution
of trafficking cases within the legal system.
WHY IOM
IOM’s mandate specifies the importance of promoting humane migration. In order to fulfill this mandate, it is IOMs responsibility to combat trafficking
in persons. In line with this responsibility, IOM has
adopted a strategic focus as follows: “To assist States
in the development and delivery of programmes,
studies and technical expertise on combating migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons … in a
manner consistent with international law.”
IOM has been working on the problem of human
trafficking in Central Asia since 1998. IOM was the
first organization to raise this pressing issue and direct the attention of Central Asian governments to
the illegal exportation of their citizens abroad for
the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation. Over
the last ten years, IOM, in support of the international drive to fight human trafficking, has implemented numerous projects aimed at the prevention
of human trafficking, protection of victims of trafficking, prosecution of recruiters and traffickers and
development of regional co-operation among the
countries of Central Asia.
PRIORITIES
• Adopting a human-rights-based approach to the
issues of trafficking and exploitation.
• Promoting the physical, mental and social wellbeing of the individual and his or her community.
• Establishing sustainability through institutional
capacity building of governments and civil society.
WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE
• Fight against exploitation of migrants in all its
forms, especially severe human rights violations,
together with governments and civil society.
• Capacities of partners in government and civil
society will be strengthened, and high operational standards will be set.
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• Protection will be provided to trafficked men,
women and children, and they will be given the
means for empowerment.
tion activities. IOM Central Asia’s activities in this
area have assisted more than 5,000 beneficiaries
since 2003.
• The issues of trafficking and exploitation will be
raised and explained to the public to ensure understanding and awareness.
• Justice will be brought to trafficked persons
through national prosecution mechanisms.
IOM will continue to organize targeted programs to
strengthen the capacity of migration services, law
enforcement agencies and the judiciary. These programs will focus on improving professional training,
material and technical resources to facilitate detection and resolution of crimes associated with human trafficking. The development of the capacity to
prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking crimes
is another area of focus for IOM. Also, IOM will organize capacity building programs for NGOs in Central
Asian countries working in the area of combating
human trafficking and offering assistance to victims,
including effective interactions among NGOs with
state entities and local communities.
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT
IOM will continue to strengthen regional co-operation and develop co-ordinated actions in the fight
against trafficking and exploitation. It will use its
relationships with the government and other partners to improve the legislative framework regulating labour migration and fighting human trafficking.
A central part of achieving goals in trafficking involves collecting adequate information. IOM will
conduct studies and develop methodological guidelines to obtain a broader and more detailed set of
data about trafficking and exploitation, including
deriving quantitative data on the scale of human
trafficking.
IOM will continue to implement programs in partnership with NGOs to improve awareness of the
public about the negative consequences of irregular labour migration, labour exploitation and human
trafficking.
Current programs of safe repatriation, rehabilitation
and reintegration of victims of human trafficking
will be continued and further developed. IOM works
with crisis centers, shelters for victims, children’s
shelters and hotlines, and supports infrastructure
for victims and groups at risk. Informational, legal,
psychosocial and other types of assistance form a
key part of IOM Central Asia’s Trafficking & Exploita-
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TECHNICAL CO-OPERATION AND BORDER MANAGEMENT
ISSUES
Technical co-operation and border management issues play a large role in the wider migration picture
in Central Asia. Specific issues include:
• Ineffective legislative and policy base for migration management exacerbated by limited
knowledge base of migration and border authorities on contemporary border systems and
procedures, due to Central Asia’s history: borders
were implemented in the region only after the
fall of the Soviet Union.
• Inadequate ability of governments to administer
and manage migration processes at operational
level as well as widespread corruption.
• Unreliable migration and border data systems
and information base both at national and regional levels.
• Non-visa regimes among most of the countries
of the region are not supported with relevant
capacities of national governments to accurately document, enumerate, develop and manage
migration processes.
• Lack of cross-border cooperation and exchange
of migration data between the countries.
• Weak border control permits drug trafficking
from Afghanistan and increases the threat associated with terrorism.
• Poor infrastructure at several border points.
WHY IOM
The link between migration and border management is strong since international migration, by
definition, involves crossing state borders. To ensure
that migration occurs in a humane and orderly fashion, IOM maintains a strong focus on helping states
to manage their borders. IOM is mandated to assist
member States in the development and delivery of
technical expertise on combating migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, in particular women
and children. It is committed to fulfilling its mandate in a manner consistent with international law
and to support states, migrants and communities in
addressing the challenges of irregular migration. Of
IOM’s 12 points of strategic focus, 6 mention either
technical co-operation or operational assistance.
IOM is committed, as an organization, to developing
and rendering to states expertise in technical and
operational aspects of migration and border management.
IOM has been running technical co-operation programmes in Central Asian countries since 1996,
assisting the governments and border authorities
in particular in addressing operational challenges.
IOM’s operational expertise and technical focus in
this field, both in the region and globally, enables
the provision of support to governments in a timely
manner. IOM’s strong technical focus is of primary
relevance to IOM’s modus operandi.
PRIORITIES
• Promoting and facilitating legal movement of
people and goods across the borders while deterring illegal border operations and irregular
migration.
• Promoting trans-border cooperation between
the countries of the region including Afghanistan.
• Supporting governments in building effective
border and migration management systems
through technical cooperation for capacity
building.
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• Addressing migration challenges and associated
security concerns in the region by regularizing
border management services in accordance with
best international practices, calling for a balance between control and facilitation of border
crossings.
• Building national capacities for effective migration data collection and sharing.
WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE
• Policy, legislation and administrative structures
for migration and border management will be
improved. The system will promote and protect
human rights of migrants while ensuring sovereign rights of states to protect their borders.
• Government capacities, both institutional and
operational, to deal with labour migration,
counter trafficking, drug trafficking, smuggling
and the threat of terrorism will be strengthened.
• Border and migration information systems will
be strengthened and supported with relevant
procedures and technical capacities for secure
issuance and handling of identity and travel
documents.
• Communication and co-operation between different state agencies and between partners in
different countries will improve.
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT
IOM will continue to help Central Asian governments and target stakeholder groups develop their
capacity in the key topics under this programmatic
area. Such capacity building will take the form of
expertise, equipment and infrastructure improvement support. Activities will include assistance in
the development and upgrading of manuals on border procedures, assessment of passport and visa systems, border crossing points and training services
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and construction and refurbishment of training facilities, border crossing points and training facilities.
Research and advocacy will play an important role
in the Technical Co-operation and Border Management programme area. IOM will conduct research
and publish papers on the topics of border management, irregular migration, smuggling and readmission. It will use published papers as talking points
to hold national dialogues among key policy makers
and regional dialogues among relevant government
officials, with an eye to contributing to the development of a sound migration governance system in
the region.
IOM will further advocate for the introduction of
best practices into Central Asian migration and border management systems, and promotion of intraservice, inter-agency coordination and cooperation,
both at national and regional levels.
OPERATIONAL MOVEMENT
PRIORITIES
ISSUES
• Provide assistance to receiving states in implementing refugee and migrant programmes.
The Operational Movement programme is driven
by a high degree of forced migration in the Central
Asian region. Issues include:
• Providing operational assistance to various categories of migrants, including internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, stranded migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking and smuggling.
• Support the rights of migrants who are admitted
into the operational movement programme.
• Work with other organizations, including strategic partners such as UNHCR and ICRC to implement operational movement programmes.
• Conduct health assessments of migrants entering into relocation programmes.
• Co-ordinating operational assistance among
states with different regulations and migration
priorities.
• Provide migrants with pre- and post-departure
assistance.
•
WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE
Providing pre-departure consular assistance to
migrants so that they can receive travel, visa and
immigration documents.
WHY IOM
IOM was established to assist people moving back to
their homes after WWII. Therefore, IOM’s core mandate has origins in the resettlement and movement
of people through borders. From the outset, IOM’s
key task has been to assist in meeting the growing
operational challenges associated with migration,
to provide secure, reliable, flexible and cost-effective services for persons who require international
migration assistance and to undertake programmes
which facilitate the voluntary return and reintegration of refugees, displaced persons, migrants and
other individuals in need of international migration
services.
• States will continue to be assisted in processing
migrants subject to admission programmes.
• Packages of resettlement services will continue
to be provided for admitted migrants in accordance with existing legislation and procedures.
• Authorized pre-consular services will continue
to be provided on behalf of States as designated
by the immigration authorities of these states.
• Assistance will continue to be provided for voluntary return and reintegration of migrants to,
from and through Central Asia.
• Migrants in need will be provided with visa and
consular assistance.
• Migrants in resettlement programmes will receive health assessments.
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HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT
IOM, with long experience in operational movement, has developed expertise in the many aspects
of resettlement. IOM staff is skilled in conducting
operational movement, and local IOM offices have
practical, long-standing relationships with designated medical practitioners, other IOM offices, consular offices of participating governments and major
airline carriers.
The assistance IOM provides to migrants in the predeparture stage is significant. In close co-ordination
with migration authorities in both sending and receiving countries, IOM will continue to organize predeparture consular assistance, travel documents
and cultural orientation. In addition, IOM will provide any necessary technical, logistical and procedural assistance to migrants.
Assisted Voluntary Return is another facet of IOM’s
activities in operational movement. IOM will continuet to assist with voluntary return of stranded migrants to and from the Central Asian republics. Voluntary return is done only at the written consent of
the migrants who cannot be subject to deportation.
Voluntary return can be facilitated only to homeland
destinations.
In all of its operational movement activities, IOM will
continue to work closely with sending and receiving
countries as well as the migrants themselves.
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EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND COMMUNITY STABILIZATION
ISSUES
Most Central Asian countries are susceptible both
to natural and man-made disasters. Environmental
issues are prevalent in the region, and political instability is a long-standing challenge in the region.
Specific issues include:
• Political instability in several countries creates
increased likelihood of violent conflict. This instability is heightened by insurgencies.
• Religious radicalization has increased in Central
Asia.
• Inadequate systems of managing natural resources cause shortages, and this in turn stimulates conflict.
• Governments lack the capacity or the willpower
to address sources of conflict and to stabilize
vulnerable communities.
• The population of Central Asia is highly susceptible to conflict due to poor socio-economic conditions, widespread corruption, tension between
ethnic groups and little access to services.
PRIORITIES
IOM’s priorities for emergency response and community stabilization are:
• To support stabilization by developing and implementing measures to improve social cohesion between different ethnic groups, including
information counseling and referral services.
• To improve socio-economic opportunities for
populations who are vulnerable to conflict including stateless people, minority ethnic groups
and youth.
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• To encourage disaster risk reduction activities
which will minimize environmental risk and associated emergency migration.
• To improve national capacities to prevent, mitigate and respond to natural or man-made emergencies.
• To be fully involved in preparedness activities
and in the humanitarian cluster system and to
actively work with other organizations to provide assistance to migrants and refugees in case
of a humanitarian emergency.
WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE
IOM Central Asia will build its emergency and postconflict programme to include community stabilization and disaster risk reduction activities. Its specific
goals are as follows:
• Social cohesion among different ethnic groups
will be improved by establishing tolerance and
conflict resolution programmes.
• Socio-economic opportunities for vulnerable
populations will be provided by implementing
vocational training and income generation activities.
• Information and employment counseling and referral services will be established to address the
root causes of conflict and reduce the likelihood
that the population will participate in conflict.
• Disaster risk reduction will be encouraged, specifically through trainings of local authorities
and distributing information among the wider
population.
• IOM will prepare for humanitarian emergencies,
and in the case of such an emergency, will participate in the Shelter, Protection, Early Recovery and Camp Co-ordination and Management
clusters.
HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT
IOM will work to improve social cohesion in a variety of different ways. It will address social cohesion among children by developing and implementing school programmes that support tolerance and
conflict resolution. It will also work with local governments, schools and NGO partners to implement
these programmes. The programmes will include:
exchange programmes between schools in different
regions, as well as interaction activities between
mono-ethnic and multi-ethnic schools and opportunities for interaction between schools and communities. IOM will work with the broader community to
establish social cohesion through a variety of grassroots activities.
In the area of community stabilization, IOM will develop information counseling and referral services
(ICRS). This system has been implemented by IOM
in a wide range of countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and the Balkans. ICRS works with
local communities, governments, education centres
and those vulnerable to conflict to improve vocational training and income generation activities.
Originally developed in the context of disarmament,
demobilization and re-integration, the ICRS programme can also be used to address the underlying
sources of conflict in vulnerable areas such as the
Ferghana Valley. By addressing underlying sources
of conflict through programmes such as ICRS, IOM
can also provide a seamless transition between
post-conflict activities and migration and development programmes.
disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. The growth in community stabilization
programmes will be achieved through collaboration
with local ministries, vocational training schools,
NGOs and communities. Focus will be placed on
employment and income generation. Employment
counseling and referral will be a crucial part of all
projects in community stabilization and livelihoods.
IOM will work in the field of disaster risk reduction
with vulnerable populations and local authorities. It
will work closely with a variety of partners, including
local governments and civil society stakeholders.
IOM will conduct information campaigns through a
variety of media outlets to inform the general population about how to protect against disasters and
how to reduce disaster risk. It will also work to build
the capacity of local governments and authorities
through training programmes and assistance in infrastructure projects. IOM will also strengthen the
capacity of communities to cope with natural disasters and conflicts through training and education
about management of emergency situations.
In addition to the ICRS system, IOM Central Asia will
concentrate on vocational training and income generation activities. IOM Central Asia’s programme in
this area will be based on the extensive experience
gained in vocational training and income generation through counter-trafficking programmes and
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CROSS-CUTTING THEMES
GOVERNANCE
Governance issues are widespread throughout Central Asia. Most Central Asian countries have only limited experience with democracy, and the new states
have low levels of accountability and transparency.
Corruption is a significant problem, with most Central Asian countries falling among 25 most corrupt
countries in the world, according to Transparency International. Civil society is relatively weak in Central
Asia and generally few administrative reforms and
modernization has taken place. In order to combat
corruption and improve the quality of governance in
Central Asia, IOM Central Asia has identified governance as a cross-cutting theme and will address this
issue in all programmatic areas.
MIGRANT RIGHTS
Over 60% of migrants from Central Asia work without complete documentation, and their irregular
status puts them at risk of being victims of human
rights abuses. More than 60% of employment agreements in receiving countries are brokered without
a contract, leaving migrants highly vulnerable to
abuse both in their place of work and in wider society. 44% of all migrants live in adverse conditions
at their place of work, and over half are not paid
according to their agreements with their employers.
Human rights violations are particularly evident in
the field of child labour. Confirmed reports on slave
child labour in tobacco and cotton plantations have
also been confirmed throughout Central Asia. Outside work, migrants are vulnerable to corruption
among the police department and the justice system, as well as to extortion by landlords and humiliation by community members. IOM Central Asia
works in every programmatic area on protecting and
promoting the human rights of migrants, who are
especially vulnerable to abuse.
CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT
Civil society in Central Asia is relatively weak. NGOs
can play a significant role in all areas of migration,
particularly in advocacy and in provision of services to migrants. IOM works, throughout all of its
programme areas, to increase the capacity of civil
societies. IOM has developed a network of partner
NGOs, with whom the organization has long-term,
sustainable relationships, and in which IOM has
invested significantly. Capacity-building activities
have been conducted with these NGOs, and future
activities and projects are planned. It is anticipated
that IOM’s current activities with its NGO network
will allow local NGOs to take on an increasingly
larger role in advocating for the rights of migrants
and establishing counter-trafficking and assistance
to migrant services.
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GENDER
HEALTH
Women are particularly vulnerable throughout the
migration process. Women who migrate are less
likely to have access to services including in the
health, legal, professional and educational areas.
They are also less likely to be protected through
informal networks. In addition, labour migration
among males increases the proportion of womenheaded households and the proportion of dependent wives in Central Asia. The increase in womenheaded households is likely to be accompanied by
an increase in poverty and social exclusion. The increase in dependent wives causes increased vulnerability for women and their children. Such changes
may have important consequences for social structures in Central Asia. IOM’s programmes are gendermainstreamed, and include components designed
to improve the situation of women migrants, women victims of trafficking and exploitation and also
women in the families of labour migrants.
Access to health services can be particularly difficult
for migrants. In Central Asia, a range of health issues pose difficulties for migrants. One of the most
serious issues is HIV/AIDS – the annual numbers of
newly reported HIV/AIDS cases are rising in several
Central Asian countries. Among migrants, there is
a high rate of HIV infection in receiving countries,
and migrants who have contracted HIV can spread
the disease once they return to their sending countries. In addition, Central Asia experiences one of
the highest rates of multi-drug-resistant TB in the
world. Migrants often contract multi-drug-resistant
TB in sending countries. The vulnerability of migrant
populations, especially labour migrants and victims
of trafficking and exploitation, to health risks is serious. If migrants fall sick, they have limited access
to health services. Throughout its programmatic
areas, IOM and its partners, including governments
and NGOs, try to improve migrants’ access to health
services.
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EVALUATION MECHANISMS
Evaluation in IOM is one of the functions of the
Office of the Inspector General (OID) that also covers Audit, Inspection and Monitoring. Evaluation is
an important management tool and is an integral
part of IOM’s core functions. The mainstreaming of
evaluation results in IOM’s work is essential. Evaluation is now well-established in IOM and increasing emphasis is being placed on it. The Inspector
General reports directly to the Director General, who
endorses the conclusions and recommendations of
the evaluations performed by OIG.
IOM welcomes not only internal, but also external
evaluations. Donors, governments and other parties
have conducted extensive evaluation of IOM projects, both in Central Asia and elsewhere. IOM looks
forward to engaging in a continual monitoring and
evaluation process with its stakeholders.
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