Reintegration of Refused Asylum Seekers and Illegal Migrants Returning Voluntarily to Georgia - Prevention of Repeated Irregular Migration and Stabilization of Potential migrants (2003-2005)
The project aimed to contribute to the Czech and Georgian Governments’ efforts in addressing irregular migration from Georgia, through facilitating sustainable returns and sustainable reintegration of rejected asylum seekers and illegal migrants returning voluntarily from the Czech Republic to Georgia, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood of repeated irregular migration from Georgia.
The project included complexity of activities which contributed to prevention of (repeated) irregular migration, i.e. reintegration assistance to returning migrants and potential migrants in regions endangered by labour migration; information campaign in Georgia on risks of irregular migration and legal ways of migration and information campaign in the Czech Republic on voluntary returns and reintegration project; institutional support to Georgian Ministry of Labour and State Employment Agency through exchange of experience with the Czech counterparts.
Project scope:
1. Promotion of the project
The activities carried out within the project aimed to ensure information delivery to and resource utilisation, as available, of the respective government structures, NGO sector, training institutions, employers and small business associations, banks with micro-credit and leasing schemes for the start-up businesses, and international organizations implementing employment-generation projects country-wide (e.g. business-incubators project of UNDP).
2. Information campaigns
Information campaigns were conducted to increase the awareness of the population on the policies and procedures on visas, immigration, employment, asylum and return from the Czech Republic. Newsletter was developed and TV shows were organized to bring the attention of major stakeholders in the field of reintegration to the gaps and challenges in the employment and self-employment system in the country impeding successful reintegration of the caseload.
3. Job counselling, provision of wide range trainings, employment placement and assistance in small business development provided to returnees and potential migrants
Activities were concentrated on provision of job counselling, professional orientation, vocational, life-skill and on-the-job trainings and employment placement activities for each returnee and/or potential migrant. The assistance was individual, yet IOM concentrated also on the provision of targeted group courses and trainings.
4. Activities in the area of human resource development and enhancement of employment possibilities
The exploratory visit of two representatives from the State Employment Agency of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Protection (MOLHSP) was arranged by the offices of IOM Prague and Tbilisi. The purpose of the visit was to establish contacts with the Ministry of Labour of the Czech Republic, visit the employment service and National Vocational Institute of the CR in Prague in order to get familiar with the human resource development and job placement system there. As a follow up to this visit the expert from the National Vocational Institute of the Czech Republic was invited in November 2005 to Georgia to conduct a one day workshop, within the framework of the IOM Tbilisi co-organized “Adult Learners Week”. During the workshop, issues of vocational educational system linked to the job placement and European Qualification Framework were discussed.
The Project has a follow-up in 2006 when it is linked to EU funded programme AENEAS. In 2006, the core of activities lays in information campaign for South Caucasus countries and Georgia specifically and support to the labor market.