KHOROG, July 16, 2010, Asia-Plus — Chief of the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Mission in Tajikistan, Mr. Zeynal Hajiyev, arrived in Khorog, Gorno Badakhshan yesterday for a working visit.
In Khorog, he attended a scientific-practical seminar on impacts of labor migrants’ remittances on living standards in Tajikistan under the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis. The seminar was organized by IOM’s Mission.
The main objective of the seminar is in discussing the situation regarding use of labor migrants’ remittances, solutions to socioeconomic problems, and development of mechanisms of tackling problems facing labor migrants at various official and unofficial levels.
Mr. Hajiyev also held a meeting with representatives from the Khorog Civil Society Support Center, Kalam. Problems of labor migration in the region and ways of seeking solutions to the problems were a major topic of the meeting.
Migrant remittances benefit all sectors of society and can have a potentially high development impact especially on poor households. In Tajikistan, remittances could well be one of the most equitable and sustainable engines of the country’s economy, provided migrant households are enabled to capitalize on remittances to create small businesses. IOM is building the capacity of migrant households and local authority and civil society actors to capitalize and promote the investment of migrant remittances for the development of viable and alternative small businesses in rural areas.
IOM Dushanbe activities cover the following areas: capacity building in migration management; information and skills for labor migrants; enhancing border management; combating human trafficking; migration health; remittances for development; preparing communities against seismic hazard and displacements; assisted voluntary movement services; and research and debate on migration trends and policy.
