Mobilizing Local Resources for Community Development in Sughd Region

In close cooperation with UNDP Communities Programme and German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) and as part of the comprehensive Rural Growth Programme (RGP), IOM is collaborating to implement migration-specific interventions in Sughd region of Tajikistan – one of the mostly populated area with intense labour migration.

The project intervention covers programmatic approach in 30 communities and will continue to build on the successes of the previous successful projects by:

• Providing remittance-receiving households the opportunity to enhance and prioritize the use of those remittances through capacitated local partners, who’ll provide specialized trainings
• Building the capacity of local government authorities in dealing with migration management, data compilation/analysis/sharing, creating employment opportunities through better referral and counselling
• Involvement of Diaspora communities to share skills for the development of communities
• Provision of counselling and referral services to potential migrants and local population through the Migrant Support Centres (MSC) and NGO partners
• Involving local, district and oblast authorities with migration functions in development planning at local level
• Advocating national level policies to enhance the benefit of migration
• Raising the awareness of population at large and potential migrants to be aware of their rights and responsibilities.

The above approach is realized through the following 4 components:

• Capacity building and information for potential migrants and their families on labour migration and remittances that will strengthen the information provision granted to labour migrants, through i) information provision to migrants and members of their families, and ii) building capacities of local formal structures, non-government organization, community resource centres and community-based organizations
• Facilitating the investment of remittances for development that will pave the way to prepare migrants to be able to productively use, save and invest their remittances to enhance their own development potential
• Counselling and referral services, pre-departure orientation and language courses for potential migrants that will mobilize the existing IRCLMs in Sughd to assist returnees, potential migrants and local population in the form of counselling and referral services, facilitate and capacitate cooperation of IRCLM with local governments through sharing experiences and training government counterparts in delivering sound information to potential migrants and prepare migrants to pursue their labour migration goals
• Capacity building for migration authorities at oblast and district levels that will foster capacitating district/oblast migration-led government structures and local authorities to be better informed about migration management to perceive labour migration trends, analyze and make decisions to effectively manage it