About us

Challenges and achievements

Tajikistan has a poor, rural and landlocked economy endowed with young and mobile population. It is isolated in a geo-political context that undermines regional integration. The combination of these factors including poverty, isolation and mobile manpower suggest that the spell of Tajikistan’s equitable well-being will depend on its ability to foster secure movement of human and trade resources in and out of the country to promote sustainable development.

Tajikistan, given its isolation, has very few immigrants. However, with one in every four households having family members regularly seeking jobs abroad, Tajik migrant workers, if prepared and informed on realities of foreign employment, have the potential of learning and acquiring invaluable experiences and bring back money and ideas that can act as the driving force for change and economic development. Based on present political commitment for reform, governmental institutions and unrealistic and regulatory frameworks vulnerable to corruption and meant to inspect the entry and exit of human resources can be overhauled and replaced by a secure simple and flexible set-up enabling Tajikistan to make the most of migration flows.

Continued analysis of migration challenges through research publications and debates and promotion of partnerships between government educational institutions, private sector, media and civil society to enhance migrants’ capacity, and leveraging of good migration management at the government level will therefore constitute the basis of IOM’s in-country operations from 2004 to 2006. This framework strategy will include the following programme interventions: (1) enhancing awareness and skills of labour migrants in compliance with migration and employment laws and labour market demands of transit and destination countries; (2) developing a proactive policy and institutional framework to promote regular foreign employment; (3) reforming border management; (4) enhancing capacity of law enforcement and judges to investigate, prosecute and judge human traffickers and protect their victims (5) stimulating the investment of migrant remittances into the development of small businesses; (6) mitigation of migration induced by natural disasters in a mountain country particularly vulnerable to seismic hazards; (7) research on migration trends; (8) in cooperation with UNHCR voluntary repatriation and resettlement services for Afghan refugees and stranded migrants.

See the project overview for more information about IOM Dushanbe's projects.

Achievements

2004-2008

Movements: In cooperation with UNHCR and concerned receiving countries, IOM organized resettlement of over 3000 Afghan refugees to Canada, Norway and United States. Starting from 2007 IOM is performing courier services to the Canadian Embassy in Moscow in visa application processes. This service eased visa application processes for Tajik citizens in terms of economizing time and financial resources.

Border Management: IOM enhanced border management through supporting Government of Tajikistan in equipping its airport with inclusive passport readers, computers, computerized program of Automated Working Place of “Border Control” and other appliances. Training Center for Border Guards was opened in Khorog to train 120 border guard employees per year and Bratstvo border checkpoint was reconstructed and furnished with up-to-date equipment.

Migration development: A comprehensive program of enhancing labour migrants remittances was developed by IOM based on pilot experience in Southern part of Tajikistan. To date IOM is successfully implementing its model of attracting labour migrants remittances in Zerafshan, Rasht Valleys and Khatlon province. IOM produced quality educational materials to help labour migrants rationally utilize resources earned abroad and also help communities maintain or build their local infrastructure. Hundreds of labour migrants injected remittances to create small and medium enterprises, cooperative businesses and hundreds of small-scale infrastructure projects were realized by labour migrants financial contribution.

Labour migration: The IOM managed IRCLM was established in Dushanbe to counsel potential labour migrants about rules and realities of labour migration abroad. In addition, in 2008, branches of Information Resource Center for Labour Migrants were opened in Khujand, Ayni, Hissor, Kulob and Rasht to distribute fresh information, brochures, booklets and leaflets in the concerned area of operation. Workshops and trainings are organized to involve government structures and entities to pay particular attention to migration priorities.

Counter trafficking: IOM managed to open a shelter for minors in Khujand and shelter for human trafficking victims in Dushanbe to render reintegration and protection services and assisted over 40 victims of human trafficking. In 2008 the first of its kind in Central Asia Counter Trafficking Centre was opened at the law faculty of the Tajik State National University to train qualified law specialists and Counter Trafficking Center was opened at the Ministry if Interior to identify, prosecute and punish traffickers. All of the progress activities are realized in the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the IOM and Government of Tajikistan to combat human trafficking.

2000- 2003

Reintegration: in the framework of IOM’s Entrepreneurship for Peace Programme for potentially destabilizing individuals referred by communities, IOM identified and assisted over 1500 potentially destabilizing returnees, ex-combatants, ex-detainees, IDPs and unemployed youth throughout the country, and provided them professional counseling, profiling assistance through aptitude tests and interviews, referral services to vocational training, small business training, loans and advisory services.

Movements: IOM, in cooperation with UNHCR organized logistics of the voluntary repatriation of over 10 000 Afghan refugees since Spring 2002. Likewise IOM organized the transportation for resettlement to Canada, and Norway of 210 Afghan refugees. Finally between 2000 and 2002, IOM organized the repatriation to Tajikistan of 59 Tajik repatriates from Turkmenistan and 256 repatriates from Pakistan.

Border management: IOM has undertaken a comprehensive border management assessment, supported the Government in undertaking crititcal institutional reforms in the field of border management, opened and fully equipped a Training Centre for Border Guards, and supported over 400 border guards officials in document inspection through training and study programmes in Tajikistan and abroad.

Labour migration: IOM has actively stimulated the study, analysis, debate and policy design in the field of labour migration, organizing numerous conferences, workshops and seminars in the capital and regions and supported the drafting of labour migration legislation and policy. To enhance the awareness of labour migrants on how to prepare for travel and labour abroad, IOM has produced and distributed over a million brochures, created documentaries, and supported theatre play performances in Dushanbe and regions.

Counter trafficking: on the basis of findings from an IOM study that unveiled the situation on human trafficking from Tajikistan, IOM supported a network of NGOs to conduct a nationwide information campaign to raise awareness among potential victims and operate hotlines. While building on the Government’s recognition of the problem, IOM has supported the Government in drafting a new law on combating human trafficking. Moreover the IOM office in Dushanbe assisted some 20 victims of trafficking in returning or reintegrating them and protecting them from further harassment.

1992-1999

Two years after independence from the former Soviet Union, Tajikistan became an observer state of the IOM (in Autumn 1992) and immediately after IOM opened a representation in Dushanbe to begin its country operations.

Throughout the Tajik civil war that lead to the displacement of over 700 000 persons, IOM Dushanbe provided instrumental assistance to both migrants and Government Officials to facilitate the return of refugees and other displaced populations. In recognition of IOM’s contribution, Tajikistan requested and became a full member State of the IOM on 29 November 1994.

In the framework of a programme for capacity building in emergency preparedness in 1994 to 1996, IOM trained officials throughout the country to mitigate potential for population displacement.

From 1995 to 1997 IOM continued its return programmes and organizes the orderly return of 3623 IDPs from Badakhshan to Khatlon and Dushanbe. Likewise from 1998 to 2000 IOM organized the orderly return of 4874 returnees from Turkmenistan.

In November 1996 after a national workshop and sustained advocacy, the Government of Tajikistan established a State Migration Service and later an Inter-departmental Commission for Migration Management to more effectively manage the return of displaced populations. Likewise at the occasion of several round table discussions IOM instigated and advised the Government to adopt a migration policy in 1998, and a law on migration in 1999.

In October 1997 IOM organized a regional conference on the impact of Lake Sarez flooding into valleys throughout the region in case of a critical earthquake. The dialogue was conducive to related emergency preparedness programmes by other competent field actors.