Azerbaijan
has been an IOM Member State
since 2001
Notification
on Extension
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES REQUEST FOR
QUOTATIONS (RFQ):
In the framework of
Integrated Rural Development Project for IDP Communities in Azerbaijan
through the Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System, the IOM invites
interested eligible Suppliers to submit Quotations.
To: All Relevant Companies
Project: Integrated Rural Development Project for IDP
Communities in Azerbaijan through the Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply
System
Ref. No.: RFQ-AZ-001/2019-KOICA
Date: 12.09.2019
Closing date of submission is September 26,
2019 at 17:00 (Baku time).
The IOM conducts training on combating violent extremism
On 5-6 September 2019, United Nations Migration Agency - International
Organization for Migration is holding 2-days training-seminar titled “Role
of media and internet in preventing violent extremism” in Baku.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev, Chief of Mission IOM
Azerbaijan in his opening remarks expressed his assurance that the training with the participation of various
government agencies, media representatives, civil society, as well as
representatives from educational institutions would contribute to the joint
efforts to prevent a violent extremism and radicalization and enhance their
knowledge and capacity for using strategic communication to prevent the
radicalization process among the vulnerable groups.
During the training, participants will
learn from the prominent experts how terrorist and radical groups use
various online tools to promote their propaganda and recruit vulnerable
people, how the online tools transform radical people into violent
extremists. The participants will be acquainted with the methods of
combating radical groups in the digital world, the strategies used to
prevent violent extremism, examples of using strategic communication to
prevent violent extremism.
This 2-days
training is organized within the Vulnerabilities’ (CRV) Activity, funded by
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and
implemented by IOM in close cooperation with the State Committee on
Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The study visit of the representatives of International
Organization for Migration (IOM) and 11 faculty members of Azerbaijan State
Agricultural University
The
study visit of the representatives of
International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 11 faculty members of
Azerbaijan State Agricultural University headed by Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev,
the Chief of Mission to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic facilitated by
IOM Azerbaijan in order to improve their knowledge of kahriz water supply
system and enable their learning from best practices of kahriz
rehabilitation and maintenance in Nakhchivan is underway.
The
study visit of 11 faculty members of Azerbaijan
State Agricultural University to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic
The study visit of 11 faculty
members of Azerbaijan State Agricultural University to the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic facilitated by IOM Azerbaijan in order to improve their
knowledge of kahriz water supply system and enable their learning from best
practices of kahriz rehabilitation and maintenance in Nakhchivan is
underway. Television of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan continues to
cover the visit.
IOM is carrying
out two cascade trainings for judges and lawyers
IOM Azerbaijan is
carrying out two cascade trainings, two days each (2 -3 September 2019
and 5-6 September 2019) in Baku to reach out to the larger audience of
judges and lawyers and capacitate them on the International Migration Law.
With the enhancement of the knowledge of higher number of the judges and
lawyers, the training will contribute to better application of the
international and European standards in the decisions and ruling in the
areas of migration and combating trafficking in person.
These cascade trainings are result of the
joint venture with the Justice Academy of the Ministry of Justice of
Azerbaijan and are part of the bigger project that contributed to
specialization of justice professionals through the development of a
training program and curricula, development of training materials, Training
of Trainers and cascade trainings.
The activities implemented are within the
project “Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking
in Persons Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in
Azerbaijan-Phase VI” funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S Department of State. IOM continues to assist
and support the government of Azerbaijan’s response in combating
trafficking in persons and consequently, transnational organized crime and
to improve protection mechanisms in providing vulnerable migrants as well
as victims and potential victims of trafficking with appropriate assistance
services.
IOM training
participants get acquainted with Nakhchivan kahrizes
Starting from 2
September, IOM facilitated a 3-day study visit to Nakhchivan for 11 faculty
members of Azerbaijan State Agricultural University (ASAU). The study visit
aimed at improving their knowledge of kahriz water supply system and
enabling their learning from best practices of kahriz rehabilitation and
maintenance in Nakhchivan. During the first day, the participants had a
meeting with Mr. Asker Askerov, Chairman of the State Committee for
Melioration and Water Management of the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic, and paid a visit to various
kahrizes in Kangarli Region. The study visit will be continued for the next
two days, including visits to Orbudad city which has abundant kahriz water
supply systems and rich kahriz history and culture as well as a visit to
Nakhchivan State University that has good experience in kahriz research and
course development.
The
representatives of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan visited the Ombudsman Office
On 26 July 2019,
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with
Elmira Suleymanova the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the
Republic of Azerbaijan.
The parties outlined a range of views of
future collaboration in terms of protection of the rights of migrants,
including illegal migrants as well as other topics related to current
situation of migrants at global and national contexts, new dynamics of
recent migration flows, legislative framework, issues of re-admission,
repatriation, application of innovative machinery to protect this category
of people from potential risks of exploitation and violence.
In the course of the meeting, the
Commissioner also gave broad information about her activity in protection
of migrants’ rights, including monitoring in capacity of the NHRI and
national preventive mechanism, work of the appointed special adviser on
refugees’, IDPs and migrants’ issues. She continued the ongoing discussion
about new national strategies and approaches related to effective
regulation of migration processes.
Gjorgjiev, in turn, spoke about recent IOM
projects, carried out in Azerbaijan, which focused on providing law firms
in regions with free legal consultation relevant to the concerned issue. In
relation to legal awareness, he pointed out the project implemented in
subways through educational leaflets as they aimed at raising awareness of more
people about human trafficking affected also migrants and
other vulnerable persons.
It was also considered important to take
socially oriented measures for creating favorable conditions in detention places
for illegal migrants, including improving conditions for medical care,
quality of nutrition, to increase the number of shelters, to provide
migrants with legal advice free of charge and to prepare specialized
modules promoting cultural and national values.
At the end of the meeting, the parties
noted that they are interested in mutual cooperation
on the issues raised during the meeting, and that the proposals made will
be taken into account in the future cooperation.
IOM ensures historical profession of
kankans will pass to the
next generations
On 30 August 2019,
IOM convened a 3-day Training of Trainers on Kahriz Construction and
Maintenance for 11 faculty members of Azerbaijan State Agricultural
University (ASAU) and five IOM staff members in Ganja. The training was
facilitated by two experts from International Centre on Qanats and Historic
Hydraulic Structures (ICQHS), a UNCESCO category II centre. Following the
training, ASAU faculty members and IOM will pay a study visit to Nakhchivan
from 2 to 4 September to improve their knowledge and learn best practices
of kahriz construction and maintenance.
Aiming
to enable ASAU faculty members to develop a kahriz engineering course as
part of the formal university curriculum, the capacity
building activities were supported by KOICA as part of the Integrated Rural
Development for IDP Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of
Kahriz Water Supply System. The project also focuses on improving the water
supply in rural areas of Aghdam, Aghjabadi, Barda, Fuzuli, Ganja, Gazakh,
Ghoranboy, Goygol, which are highly populated by internally displaced
person through the renovation of over 40 kahrizes – a man-made,
centuries-old, traditional water-supply system that does not need
electricity or fossil fuel to function.
IOM equips
population in Azerbaijan with the information on trafficking
IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Main
Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings currently carries out public campaign to raise awareness about human
trafficking at the local level, within the project “Enhancing
Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons Through
Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan-Phase VI” funded
by the U.S Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotic and Law
Enforcement Affairs (INL).
The awareness raising
campaign targets both vulnerable groups and the general
public in Azerbaijan in the sense that not only those at immediate
risk of trafficking will be targeted with direct preventative messages, but
also the general population.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev, IOM
Chief of Mission in Azerbaijan explained: “Through
such information campaigns, our mission seeks to equip the public with the
information they need to know about trafficking and access assistance when
necessary.”
Within
the
framework of combating trafficking in human beings, IOM and the Main
Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings designed a series of
promotional materials to raise awareness of this phenomenon in Azerbaijan.
These include brochure, leaflets, posters which are going to be widely
disseminated at the different events such as workshops, round tables,
border crossings, at airports, schools and other public places. Promotional
materials published within the campaign aim to raise public awareness about
trafficking, prevent vulnerable persons from becoming victims of
trafficking, and encourage people to report concerns to the specialized
police department by advertising the Main Department on Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings Helpline number.
In order to draw the attention of a wide audience to the phenomenon and its consequences, as well as to
increase knowledge and response from the targeted audience, a video clip and
articles presenting real stories of victims of trafficking were narrated.
The material produced in Azerbaijani and English languages will be
disseminated through online media channels.
Currently within the campaign large posters are displayed at underground railway
stations throughout the capital of Azerbaijan, illustrating different types
of exploitation, labour and sexual exploitation and the violence associated with them.
“The campaign which addresses both sexual and
labour exploitation as a prevalent form of modern day
slavery is a part of IOM’s ongoing initiative that aims to support
governments, civil society organizations, international organizations, and
the private sector to combat human trafficking in Azerbaijan,” said
Gjorgjiev. He added: “These types of information campaigns will
continuously be part of IOM Mission’s ongoing awareness raising initiatives
on combating human trafficking in the country.”
IOM Azerbaijan Completes Renovation works to the Shelter for
Victims of Trafficking and Domestic Violence
IOM Azerbaijan continues
provision of direct assistance for the victims of trafficking and
individuals vulnerable to trafficking and domestic violence accommodated in
the civil society organizations’ shelters by improving shelter facilities
standards. Repair and rehabilitation work included general maintenance,
installation of new sanitation facilities, installation of windows, and
doors. This is to contribute to the overall quality of the assistance
provided to the beneficiaries within the project “Enhancing Cooperation Measures
to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons Through Capacity Building and
Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan-Phase VI”. The project is funded by the
U.S Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotic and Law
Enforcement Affairs (INL).
Recently IOM Azerbaijan has completed
renovation to another shelter for victims of trafficking, individuals
vulnerable to trafficking and domestic violence located in Baku. By undertaking repair works, IOM has
already improved living conditions on some shelters in the capital and
regions of the country.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES NEW REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS (RFP):
In the Integrated
Rural Development for IDP Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization
of the Kahriz Water Supply System, the IOM invites
interested eligible Suppliers to submit Proposals for Development
of a Bilingual Atlas of Kahrizes in Azerbaijan
To:All concerned
Project :Integrated Rural Development for
IDP Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of the Kahriz Water
Supply System
Ref. No. :KOICA-AZ-001/2019
Date:21 August 2019
Closing date of submission is 17:00 AZT on 4 September 2019.
IOM
continues its efforts to increase employability skills of rural youth
Within the USAID
funded Public Action for Resilience (PAR) Activity IOM continues its
efforts to increase employability skills of rural youth and enhance their
access to labour market. To this purpose 106 selected youth from target
areas, namely Guba-Gusar-Khachmaz, Masalli-Lankaran-Astara and
Sheki-Balaken-Zagatala regions are provided with vocational skills training
via two modules. The Modul-1 is Professional Accountant and Tax Specialist
Course, whereas the Modul-2 offers European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Training. In
addition to core courses, both modules also include English Language and
Soft Skills training.
USAID and IOM are
interested in establishing collaboration with private sector under the
Activity to enhance the capacities of the rural youth in access to labour
market.To this purpose on August 17,
2019 Araz Eyyubov and Ramil Mammadli, representatives of Prosol Company,
one of the leading IT companies in Azerbaijan, delivered a motivational
session for 36 participants of the vocational skills training in Lankaran.
The presenters delivered a session entitled
‘How to become IT specialist’ and shared both the challenges and tips to
overcome them.The session was
followed by Q&A session, where the participants had a chance to address
the questions.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES REQUEST FOR
QUOTATIONS (RFQ):
In the framework of
Integrated Rural Development Project for IDP Communities in Azerbaijan
through the Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System, the IOM invites
interested eligible Suppliers to submit Quotations.
To: All Relevant Companies
Project: Integrated Rural Development Project for IDP
Communities in Azerbaijan through the Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply
System
Ref. No.: RFQ-AZ-001/2019-KOICA
Date: 01.08.2019
Closing date of submission is August 31,
2019 at 17:00 (Baku time).
Real stories
from the Victim of Trafficking and the Center for Rehabilitation and
Reintegration
July 30 - World Day against Trafficking in Persons
The story is told by
heroine Sevda (pseudonym). She is 43 years old.
Eight years ago, this young woman, who has a daughter, divorced her
husband. When she had financial problems, she received an advice from a
neighbor to visit compatriot living in Turkey. Unfortunately, by accepting
this advice, she became one of hundreds of women deceived by promises of
good job abroad. During conversation, Sevda said that when she left Baku,
she was promised that she would work as a babysitter or nurse in one of the
regions in Turkey. “There were several women with me. I wanted to find a
good job and make money. Upon arrival, they put us in a small room. The
woman who brought us there deceived me, saying that she was trying to find
a job for me. For this reason, she took my passport. But she sold me to a
man who had a gun. I was very scared. Within a month, he forced me to
provide sexual services to several men by threatening with his gun. Then
they took me to another house. I did not know that I had become a victim of
human trafficking, and I did not have the opportunity to fight or escape. I
experienced all kinds of physical and mental abuse from the men I was sold
to. Fortunately, the last person who bought me became my savior. He
understood my situation. According to Sevda, the man helped her to return
home. “After 10 days in the house of that man, I was able to get back my
passport and returned to Azerbaijan. In fact, it was a miracle, because I
had no hope of survival surrounded by armed men. I was told that if I did
not obey them, they could easily have killed me”.Read more…
The Canadian
Visa Application Center continues its work at the new address
The Canadian Visa
Application Center (CVAC) in Azerbaijan operated by the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with VFS Global and
authorized to provide administrative support services to visa applicants in
Azerbaijan continues its work at the new address - in the Yasamal District,
23, Izmir str., near the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It should be noted that
earlier the center was in the building of the Azerbaijan office of IOM.
CVAC
is the exclusive service provider for the Government of Canada, authorized
to accept applications in all temporary resident categories (visitor visas,
study and work permits) and travel document applications from Canada’s
permanent residents in Azerbaijan.
CVAC
is also authorized to provide administrative support services, such as; the
collection of visa applications, fees and return of passports in sealed
decision envelopes to applicants. CVAC can also assist in scheduling
interviews on behalf of the Canada visa office.
The
Visa Application Center can be reached on the following number
+994(012)538-57-44 or via e-mail: info.canbakiom@vfshelpline.com
What is trafficking in persons?
Trafficking
in persons – recruitment, obtaining, keeping, harboring, transporting, giving
or receipt of a person by means of threat or use of force, intimidation or
other means of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power
[influence] or a position of vulnerability, or by giving or receiving
payments or benefits, privileges or concessions to achieve the consent of a
person having control over another person, for purposes of exploitation; hashtag#EndHumanTrafficking
Human
exploitation – forced labor (servitude), sexual servitude, slavery,
practices similar to slavery and related conditions
of servitude, illicit removal of human organs and tissues, illicit conduct
of bio-medical research on a person, use of a woman as a surrogate mother,
recruitment for unlawful activities (including criminal activities), and
other forms of human exploitation. The consent of a victim of trafficking
in persons shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in the
article 1.0.1 have been used; Forced labor (service) – illicit coercion of
a person into performing certain labor (service); hashtag#EndHumanTrafficking
Sexual exploitation – coercion of a person into
prostitution, sexual servitude or production of pornographic materials, or
benefiting from the sexual activity of other individuals; Slavery – the
full or partial implementation of property rights with respect to an
individual;
"On this World Day
against Trafficking in Persons, let us reaffirm our commitment to stop
criminals from ruthlessly exploiting people for profit and to help victims
rebuild their lives."
Geneva—The images are
unforgettable. Desperate families in sweltering shipping containers and
rickety boats. Bodies washed up on shores and beaches following failed
voyages. Human beings scarred and broken from years of abuse and
exploitation.
Indeed, we are shattered by tales of
violence and predation by those willing to exploit the desperate for their
own personal gain. Our consciences are shaken with the realization that
children are at risk of irreparable damage—even death—simply because their
families are trying to improve their futures.
But today—this day when we observe
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons—is not a day to reflect on what we
feel about migrants who are victims of trafficking.
Rather it is a warning that yet another year has passed in which we can remind
ourselves that no matter how much good we can do, we still haven’t done
enough. It is time to end the trafficking of men, women and children across
the globe.
IOMworks tirelessly with
partners in government, civil society and the private sector to sweep away
bad practices in international labor recruiting. We fight to declare the
rights of migrants who cross borders to do those difficult jobs that go
unfilled in many prosperous countries, and see
that those rights are protected and defended.
But still it is not enough. We need
to go after the traffickers, too. And we must hold the governments of IOM’s
member states accountable when they fail to protect the traffickers’
victims.
Migration is increasingly seen as an
option to escape conflict, instability, food insecurity, natural disasters
and climate change, and we know that with large-scale movements of people,
the opportunities for criminal elements to rise and then expand to take
advantage of those on the move increase.
Nonetheless, this knowledge has not
yet resulted in sufficient action to arrest either
the drivers of unsafe migration or to address the protection and assistance
needs of migrants.
Nowadays, sadly, many governments
first go after the NGOs who rescue vulnerable migrants, instead of going
after the actual traffickers and smugglers themselves. It is unjust to
penalize rescuers—especially on bureaucratic grounds such as not having
proper docking permits, or operating without
jurisdiction at sea—but it is also ineffective, and wastes the resources of
both NGOs and the law enforcement agencies of these governments,
themselves.
Responding to these challenges will
require significant investment and international cooperation. But we cannot
ignore these challenges whilst at the same time hoping that the unsafe
migration and the migrant trafficking that follows will disappear of its
own accord.
As private citizens, we can speak
out against anti-migrant sentiment in both the public and private sphere,
sentiments that erode public empathy and which allow traffickers to operate
unchallenged and unpunished. We can demand accountability from leaders who
tolerate or encourage narratives that dehumanize migrants of all kinds.
As consumers, we can demand goods
and services produced without slavery or exploitation.
As leaders, we can reinvest in our
protection systems. This includes child protection systems, protection
systems for victims of domestic violence, and systems aimed at upholding
the rights of workers. We must ensure that these are in place and have sufficient resources to meet the needs of all vulnerable
people, including vulnerable migrants.
But we cannot do nothing and yet
still hope for change.
I understand that many people are
migrating not only to flee desperate situations, but also to fulfill their
own aspirations. I agree that governments have a legitimate interest in
securing their borders and managing migration flows. I am aware that,
oftentimes, governments must reach for a balance between the interests of
their citizens and the humanitarian needs of migrants which may not always
appear to align.
However, we all have an interest in
maintaining respect for human dignity and in upholding human rights.
Our humanity demands it.
Dünya İnsan
Alverinə qarşı Mübarizə Günü
Cenevrə - Şəkillər unudulmazdır. Havasız daşınma konteynrlərində
və sınıq-salxaq qayıqlarda yola çıxmış əlacsız ailələr. Uğursuz səyahətlərdən
sonra sahilə, çimərliklərə atılmış cəsədlər. İllərlə kodub rəhftardan və
istirmardan qorxan və sındırılmış insanlar. Həqiqətən də biz şəxsi mənfəətnə
görə çarəsizləri istismar etmək istəyənlər tərəfindən edilən şiddət və
yırtıcılıq halları haqda hekayələrdən sarsılmışıq. Bizim şürumuz çox zaman
ailələlərin yaxşı gələcəyi təmin etmək istəyindən uşaqlarında da
qarşısıalınmaz ziyan – hətta ölümlə üz-üzə qalması faktından sarsılır.
Dünya İnsan Alverinə qarşı Mübarizə Günü kimi qeyd etdiyimiz bu
gün insan alveri qurbanı olan miqrantlar haqqında düşüncələrimizi əks
etdirmək üçün bir gün deyil. Hər şeydən əvvəl bu nə qədər yaxşı işlər görməyimizdən
asılı olmayaraq bunun hələ də kifayyət etmədiyini özümüzə xatırlada biləcəyimiz
daha bir ilin ötüb keçməsi haqda xəbərdarlıqdır.
Dünyada kişi, qadın və uşaqların alverinə son qoymaq vaxtıdır.
IOM hökumətdə, vətəndaş cəmiyyəti və özəl sektorda olan tərəfdaşları ilə
yorulmadan beynəlxalq işə qəbulda mənfi təcrübədən yaxa qurtarmaq üçün
çalışır. Biz bir çox inkişaf etmiş olan ölkələrdə mövcud olan və yerlilər tərəfindən
icra olunmayan ağır işlərdə işləmək üçün sərhədləri keçən miqrantların
hüquqlarını bəyan edir və bu hüquqların qorunduğu və müdafiə olunduğunu təmin
etmək üçün mübarizə aparırıq.
Amma bu hələ də kifayət deyil. Biz də insan alverçilərini təqib
etməliyik. Biz insan alveri qurbanlarının müdafiə edə bilməyənBMqT-a üzv dövlətlərin hökumətlərini məsuliyyət
daşımsına nail olmalıyıq.
Miqrasiya getdikcə daha çox münaqişə, qeyri-sabitlik, ərzaq təhlükəsizliyinin
yoxluğu, təbii fəlakətlər və iqlim dəyişikliyindən qaçmaq üçün bir seçim
kimi qəbul edilir və biz bilirik ki, geniş miqyaslı insanların hərəkətləri
zamanı cinayətkar elementlər üçün fəaliyyətlərini genişləndirməklə
miqrantların vəziyyətindən istifadə etmək imkanları artır.
Buna baxmayaraq, əldə olan bu bilgilər təhlükəli miqrasiyanı təşkil
edənlərin həbsi və ya miqrantların müdafiəsinə və yardım ehtiyaclarına
cavab vermək baxımında kifayyət qədər tədbirlərin görülməsi ilə nəticələnməmişdir.
Hazırda çox təssüf ki, bir çox hökümətlər, ilk növbədə, həqiqi
insan alverçiləri və qaçaqmalçılarını hədəf seçmək əvəzinə müdafiəsiz
miqratnları xilas edən QHT-ləri təqib edirlər.
Xilaskarları cəzalandırmaq, xüsusilə bürokratik əsaslarla, məsələn,
sahilə yan alamaq üçün müvafiq icazələri olmadıqda və ya dənizdə
yurisdiksiyasız fəaliyyət göstərdikdə cəzalandırmaq ədalətsizdir. Belə ki,
bu həm səmərəsizdir, həm QHT-lərin, həm də hökümətin hüquq-mühafizə
orqanlarının resurslarının sərf edilməsidir.
Bu çağırışlara cavab vermək üçün iri həcmdə sərmayə və beynəlxalq
əməkdaşlıq tələb olunur. Lakin biz bu problemlərə etinasız yanaşa, eyni
zamanda təhlükəli miqrasiya və onu təqib edən miqrant alverinin öz-özünə
yox olacağıan ümid edə bilmərik.
Sıravi vətəndaş kimi biz həm ictimai, həm də özəl sferada
miqrantlar əlehinə olan fikirlərə, ictimai hüsn-rəğbəti pozan və insan alverçilərini maneəsiz
və cəzasız fəaliyyət göstərməsinə imkan verən əhval-ruhiyyəyə qarşı çıxış
edə bilərik. Biz hər cür miqrantları qeyri-insan formasında göstərən hekayələrə
qarşı dözümlülük göstərən və təşviq edən liderlərdən məsuliyyət tələb edə
bilərik.
İstehlakçı kimi biz qul əməyi və istismar olamadan istehsal edilən
məhsul və göstərilən xidmətlər tələb edə bilərik.
Liderlər qismində biz mühafizə sistemlərini bərpa edə bilərik. Bu
özündə uşaqların mühafizəsi sistemini, məişət zorakılığı qurbanlarının
mühafizə sistemini və işçilərin hüquqlarının mühafizə sistemini etiva edir.
Biz bütün bunların işlədiyinə və müdafiəsiz insanların, o cümlədən müdafiəsiz
migrantların ehityaclarını qarşılamaq üçün kifayyət qədər resursa malik
olduğumuza əmin olmalıyıq.
Amma biz heç bir şey edə bilmərik və hələ də vəziyyətin dəyişəcəyinə
ümid edirik.
Mən başa düşürəm ki, bir çox insanlar sadəcə ümidsiz vəziyyətləri
qaçmaq üçün deyil, həm də öz istəylərini yerinə yetirmək üçün köç edirlər.
Hökumətlərin sərhədlərinin mühafizəsinin təmin edilməsinə və miqrasiya
axınlarını idarə etməyə qanuni maraq göstərdiyini qəbul edirəm. Mən
anlayıram ki, hökumətlər öz vətəndaşlarının maraqları ilə həmişə
uyğunlaşmayan miqrantların humanitar ehtiyacları arasında bir tarazlığa
çatmalıdırlar.
Bununla belə, biz hamımız insan qüruruna hörmət və insan
hüquqlarının qorunmasında maraqlıyıq. Bizim insanlığımız bunu tələb edir.
The
representatives of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan visited the Cabinet of
Ministers
On 26 July 2019, Mr. Vladimir
Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with Mr. Ali Hasanov,
the Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Republican Commission on
International Humanitarian Aid.
During
the meeting, Gjorgjiev expressed his gratitude about the existing
cooperation between the IOM and the Government of Azerbaijan and stressed
his interest in working together on future projects. Gjorgjiev expressed
his appreciation to the Government of Azerbaijan for being one of the most
active members of the IOM and expressed his gratitude to the government for
its collaborative support for the IOM’s projects and effective cooperation.
Referring to the activities of the
IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Ali Hasanov said that the mission is
implementing various projects and programs that are priority for the
country in close cooperation with the Government of Azerbaijan. Hasanov
said the Government will support the Mission’s projects in the future as
well.
IOM is
continuing its efforts to deliver reintegration assistance to migrants who
voluntary returned to country of origin under the Assisted Voluntary Return
and Reintegration (AVRR) projects.
On 24 July 2019,
the representatives of IOM Azerbaijan visited Kamarly village of Oghuz
district in order to delivery reintegration
assistance to returnees from the Netherlands within its AVRR projects. In scope of this project, family has
procured 10 cattle for establishment of income generating activity with the
support of IOM.
IOM Azerbaijan currently provides its assistance
activities for the returnees from Switzerland, the Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands,
Turkey and Latvia. The allocated reintegration budgets can be used to
establish a business, invest into an already existing business, and receive
education, as well as for temporary accommodation.
IOM conducts vocational trainings for young people in the
region
The mission of the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) to Azerbaijan is working on
raising youth's vocational skills within the framework of the USAID-funded ‘Public Action for Resilience (PAR)
Activity’ project. Since June, a total of 106 young people have been selected for vocational trainings in Guba,
Zagatala and Lankaran districts. In the trainings that will continue until
September, young people are involved in the module training they
choose. Module-1 is a professional accounting and tax specialist training
program, and module-2 is ECDL training (the European Computer Driving
License). In addition, both modules includes
English language, as well as CV writing, job recruitment and interview
skills trainings.
106 young people
were selected for vocational trainings among those who applied from
Guba-Gusar-Khachmaz, Shaki-Balakan-Zagatala and Masalli-Lankaran-Astara
districts according to the project geographical coverage.
Media coverage of vocational
trainings held in regions
IOM teams up with Azeri Academia to Study Ancient Water Supply
Systems
Ganja, Azerbaijan - The lack of
sustainable water supplies has always been a factor in human migration. As
the climate changes, this phenomenon has become even more significant, and
now IOM in Azerbaijan is embarking on a study of some of humanity’s oldest
and most efficient water supply systems.
The
study focuses on the kahriz - a man-made,
centuries-old, gravity-fed traditional water-supply system that does not
need electricity or fossil fuel to function. This method – very much alive
in Azerbaijan and the surrounding region - ensures the access to
water for current and future generations and
contributes to local communities’ quality of life.
A
Project Implementation Agreement on the establishment of Kahriz Research
and Information Centre and kahriz engineering course was signed last week
in Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second city, between
IOM Chief of Mission Vladimir Gjorgjiev, and Ibrahim Jafarov, rector of
Azerbaijan State Agricultural University (ASAU).
The
Kahriz Research and Information Centre will be a unique facility for
collecting, researching and disseminating information and knowledge on
kahriz systems. ASAU faculty members will receive training on kahriz
engineering and develop a training curriculum jointly with IOM.
“We
are already implementing a project to renovate 40 kahrizes in selected
regions of Azerbaijan close to IDPs communities, but we want to ensure sustainability
of this process so that collected experience and knowledge will pass to the
next generations,” said Vladimir
Gjorgjiyev.
For
ASAU, Mr Jafarov, Rector noted that the university has “all the necessary capacity,
both human and facility resources for implementing this project to a high
level, and we believe that this partnership will open new research
perspectives to sustainability of kahriz engineering.”
The project is financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency
(KOICA), and focuses on improving the water supply in rural areas through
the renovation of over 40 kahriz systems in areas which have a high number
of internally displaced persons. In addition to renovating the kahrizes,
the project includes components of local capacity building,
irrigation improvement, support for IDPs’ small business start-ups, among
others.
Media coverage of Project Implementation
Agreement between IOM and ASAU
On 11 July 2019,
the representatives of International Organization for Migration (IOM) headed
by Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of Mission, had a cooperation meeting with
the representatives of Lankaran State University (LSU) represented by Idrak
Asgerov, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Learning Technologies, Kamran
Kazomov, Vice-Rector for Social Affairs and Zaur Mammadov, Head of
International Relations Department. The prospects for possible cooperation
within the framework of IOM projects were discussed at the meeting. IOM and
LSU representatives agreed to hold new
meetings to discuss further partnership and co-operation of both sides in
terms of increasing sustainability and transferring knowledge and skills
for future career opportunities for young people, including university
students.
The
representatives of IOM visited Masalli district
On 11 July 2019,
the representatives of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan headed by Vladimir
Gjorgjiev, the Chief of Mission, visited Masalli district to monitor small
businesses supported within the Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities
(CRV) Activity project implemented by IOM jointly with the State Committee
on Religious Associations with a financial support from USAID Azerbaijan.
During the site visit to Masalli district
the representatives of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan met the beneficiaries of
the project, Benare Hajiyeva resident of Bina-Khojavar village, who has a home-based tailoring business. The other
site visits were to hair-dressing business, owned by Dadashovs’ family andfurnuture workshop
belonged to Mammad Teymurlu located also in Bina-Khojavar village. The visit proved
that the businesses of the beneficiaries are developing successfully
and they are already thinking about expanding their activities.
The aim of the CRV is to prevent the
transformation of selected population groups into projected migration,
human trafficking, labor exploitation, forced labor, and the transformation
of victims into violent extremism and radicalization, and to increase their
resilience to different socio-economic challenges.
UN
representatives met IDPs
On July 9 2019, Vladimir Gjorgjiev, Head of the Mission of
the International Organization for Migration in Azerbaijan, together with
heads of other United Nation’s local offices in the country and government
representatives took part in the event entitled “One day with internally
displaced persons: No one is left without attention” organized by the State
Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the
Shikharh settlement for IDPs located in the Tartar district. During the
visit, the UN Youth Advisory Council conducted a training for young IDPs on
sustainable development goals. At the end of the event, UN representatives
visited the village of Beimsarov in the Tartar district, where they met
with IDPs who settled here.
The representatives
of the IOM Mission in Azerbaijan visited the Victim Assistance Centre
On
3 July 2019, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief and Ms. Marija Nikolovska, Programme Officer of
the IOM Mission in Azerbaijan met with Ms. Habiba Garibova, the Director of
the
Victim Assistance Centre (VAC) under the Ministry of Labor and Social
Protection of Population.
Mr. Vladimir
Gjorgjiev expressed his
appreciation for the Victim Assistance Center's fruithfull coopeation with
IOM in capacity building and raising awareness to the potential and
identified victims of trafficking (VoTs). Mr. Valdimir Gjorgiev further
emphasised the importance of continuation of the cooperation in future to
benefit those in need.
Ms. Habiba Garibova
gave a brief overview of the about the Center’ s capacity and operations.
VAC have been operational for 14 years and have been supporting
victims of trafficking and victims of domestic violence. “Beneficiaries are
offered a wide range of comprehensive services including medical,
psychosocial, legal, educational, training and assistance in finding
employment” said Garibova.
Ms. Garibova informed the meeting of the
ongoing construction of the new VAC
building in the Zabrat settlement aiming at increasing of the VAC’s
operational activities. The new VAC will become operational in 2020.
Ms. Marija Nikolovska said that VAC’s capacity building and awreness raising
activities held in regions throughout Azerbaijan are of great importance
towards overall objective in countering human trafficking and assisting
victims of trafficking.
The parties agreed to continue with regular meetigns and future
cooperation.
Media coverage
of the meeting at the Victim Assistance Centre
In the framework of Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, the IOM
invites interested eligible Suppliers to submit Quotations for the supply
and delivery of fruit dryer machine (with natural gas)
(in two languages –
English and Azerbaijani)
To:All
concerned
Project :Community
Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)
Ref. No. :CRV-002/2019
Date:25 June 2019
Closing
date of submission is July 8, 2019 at 18:00 (Baku time).
In the framework of Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, the IOM
invites interested eligible Suppliers to submit Quotations for the supply
and delivery of Potato harvesting unit
(in two languages – English and
Azerbaijani)
To:All
concerned
Project :Community
Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)
Ref. No. :CRV-003/2019
Date:25 June 2019
Closing
date of submission is July 8, 2019 at 18:00 (Baku time).
IT and dancing
rooms were given to the disposal of Balaken youth
IOM Azerbaijan
continues to support Youth Houses within the ‘Public Action for Resilience
(PAR) Activity’ funded by The United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) Azerbaijan and implemented by IOM Azerbaijan in close
cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan since
September 2018. The aim of PAR activity is to strengthen local resilience
to different types of existing socio-economic challenges.
On 28 June 2019, an opening ceremony of an
IT Room and a Dancing Room at the Youth House was held in Balaken district.
Along with USAID representative Emin Mammadli, and IOM representative the
small-scale event was attended by Ms Nazakat Rustamova, Deputy of Executive
Power Office of Balaken
district, Mr Rasim Pachalov, Head of Balaken Youth and Sport Department
attended the opening ceremony, and Mr Taleh Shahverdiyev, Head of Balaken Youth House.
Within the PAR Activity IT Room was
overhauled thoroughly and equipped with a set of IT equipment (PCs, smart
board, projector etc.) designed for learning process of up to fifteen
students; in turn, Dancing Room was established with necessary accessories
as big glasses, handrails etc. Both IT Room and Dancing Room is already
operational given to the disposal of Balaken youth.
Media coverage
of an opening ceremony of an IT Room and a Dancing Room at Balaken Youth
House
On June 28 2019, Vladimir
Gjorgjiev, Chief of the International Organization for Migration Mission to
Azerbaijan attended the ceremony of awarding certificates for graduates of
the sixth-month Azerbaijani language course organized for the migrants
living in the Azerbaijan in the headquarter of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent
Society (AzRCS).
It should be noted that the Az.RCS has been providing free
language courses for migrants from foreign countries living in Azerbaijan
since 2013.
Fatal Journeys
4: Lack of Data on Missing Migrant Children Leads to Gaps in
Protection
A new
report from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Global
Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) highlights the need for better data
on migrant deaths and disappearances, particularly those of missing migrant
children.
This year’s Fatal Journeys 4 report focuses on the theme of
missing migrant children, given the growing number embarking on dangerous
migrant journeys. According to IOM data, nearly 1,600 children – an average
of almost one every day – were reported dead or missing between 2014 and
2018, though many more go unrecorded.
IOM and KOICA
visit to monitor the Kahriz renovation progress
IOM
Mission to Azerbaijan is implementing “Integrated Rural Development for Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of
the Kahriz Water Supply System” project, financed by the Korea
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Recently the representatives of
IOM and KOICA have visited to Banovshalar
IDP Settlement located in Agdam district to
monitor the Kahriz renovation progress. They had a meeting with community members of Banovshalar IDP
Settlement who are the potential beneficiaries of Kahriz rehabilitation in
Aghdam district.
The four-year project aims
to provide safe and consistent water supplies for over 8,000 families in
eight districts through the renovation of 40 kahrizes – a traditional,
sustainable water supply system.
Media coverage of IOM, KOICA visit to monitor the
Kahriz renovation progress
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES TWO NEW REQUESTS FOR QUOTATIONS
(RFQ):
In the framework of Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, the IOM
invites interested eligible Suppliers to submit Quotations for the supply
and delivery of fruit dryer machine (with natural gas)
(in two languages – English and
Azerbaijani)
To:All concerned
Project :Community
Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)
Ref. No. :CRV-002/2019
Date:25 June 2019
Closing date of submission is July 1, 2019 at 18:00
(Baku time).
In the framework of Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, the IOM
invites interested eligible Suppliers to submit Quotations for the supply
and delivery of Potato harvesting unit
(in two languages –
English and Azerbaijani)
To:All concerned
Project :Community
Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)
Ref. No. :CRV-003/2019
Date:25 June 2019
Closing date of submission is July 1, 2019 at 18:00
(Baku time).
Access to free legal assistance in four regional ASAN service
hubs
UN Migration
Agency, International Organization for Migration is implementing the Rule
of Law Project with the financial support from the US
State Department. The project is supporting the efforts for increasing the
access of population to professional legal services. With the same purpose
the Project initiated the operation of Legal Aid Centers in four regional
hubs of Azerbaijan. The initiative was supported by the Ministry of
Justice, Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan and ASAN Service. As a result of close cooperation among the agencies the
Legal aid Centers were opened in Barda, Gabala, Imishli and Masalli ASAN
Service centers since February 2019.
By the end of May the Centers recieved 806
people in 1249 cases approaching the centers with various types of
legal problems. 36% of the applicants were females and 33 % of cases were
the issues under the court jurisdiction. The legal cases analysis in the
first three months show that the 24% of assisted cases are related with
bank loans, 16% were property related matters, 15% family issues, 10 %
labor and social protection. In addition to these legal cases the other
applications covered various areas such as inheritance, migration law, tax
law, communal services, citizenship and registration, and the criminal and
administrative cases.
The applicants demonstrate
great satisfaction from the services which were carried free of charge. As
of the Project’s objectives the amount spent for administrative and court
proceedings were also reimbursed to the applicants. The services continue
to be implemented successfully.
The representatives
of the IOM Mission to Azerbaijan visited the State Oil Fund
On 19 June 2019,
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with Shahmar Movsumov, CEO of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Introducing himself Mr.
Gjorgjiev gave valuable information to Shahmar Movsumov about IOM history,
principles, its global and local projects, achievements, and role of the
IOM Azerbaijan in country level affairs, international and regional
migration processes. Mr. Gjorgjiev expressed the interest in future
cooperation with the State Oil Fund in arears of mutual interests.
The
sides exchanged views on the issues of mutual interest as well as the prospects of the cooperation.
Media Coverage of the meeting with
CEO of Oil Fond
The representatives
of the IOM Mission to Azerbaijan visited the Ministry of Education
On 18 June 2019,
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with Jeyhun Bayramov, the Minister of Education.
Mr.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev spoke about the general outcomes of Mission’s projects
in Azerbaijan and expressed
the interest of the organization in cooperation with the Ministry in the
framework of projects implemented in the country.
During
the meeting the current cooperation relations between the Ministry of
Education and the IOM Mission and their prospects of further development
were discussed.
Media Coverage of the meeting with
Ministry of Education
IOM Azerbaijan organizes a training on creating models on
assistance to the minors experienced violence
On 12-14 June 2019,
International Organization for Migration Mission to Azerbaijan organized
tree-day training on Creating models on assistance to the minors
experienced violence within the counter-trafficking in person’s component
of the Community Resilience to
Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity. This project is implemented by IOM
Azerbaijan jointly with the Government of Azerbaijan and civil society
organizations with a financial support from USAID Azerbaijan. The three-day
training was attended by staff members of the shelters run civil society
organizations, as well as employees of the Victim Assistance Centre under
the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population. The training
will cover topics on the improvement of the services provided to the
vulnerable children at the shelters and centers, the possible ways of
development the existing reintegration assistance, as well as existing
practices in other countries.
CRV
project aims to reduce the vulnerabilities of the population, in particular, youth and women by enhancing their
resilience, assisting them to start income generation activities and by the
promotion of multi-stakeholder dialogue among public sector, civil society,
academia and the private sector on preventing vulnerabilities.
Media coverage of a training on creating models on assistance
to the minors experienced violence
Services: Mapping Locations,
Conducting Technical Assessments and Developing a Bilingual Atlas of
Kahrizes across Azerbaijan
Further
cooperation between IOM Azerbaijan and the State Customs Committee was
discussed
On 13 June 2019,
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with
Safar Mehdiyev, Chairman of the Customs Committee. The meeting took place
at the Heyder Aliyev Center during the Information Technologies and
Technological Innovations Conference organized by the World Customs
Organization.
The Chairman of the State Customs Committee
informed about the measures taken to improve the business environment,
entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan, simplify and accelerate international
trade, as well as the establishment of a more efficient and transparent
customs business, which plays an important role in shaping the country's
economy. Mehdiyev said that currently there are effective cooperation
relations among customs bodies, migration and border services of Azerbaijan
and it gives positive results in the fight against illegal migration.
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev spoke about the
general outcomes of Mission’s projects in Azerbaijan and noted the
importance of customs authorities' participation in projects aimed at
strengthening migration and border management potential, adding that it
would create conditions for further expansion of mutual exchange of
experience. The sides exchanged views on the issues of mutual interest and
came to the agreement to establish a working group to work on the future
initiatives.
Media Coverage of the meeting with Chairman of
Customs Committee
The IOM
Azerbaijan experience working in partnership with relevant Government
institutions and partners to improve the border management system
Information
Technology & Innovation were on the agenda at the World Customs
Organization IT&TI Conference held in Azerbaijan on 12-14 June. For the
first time, the WCO has merged its two major public-private sector events
that contribute to the shaping of Customs technology-related initiatives,
namely the Information Technology (IT) Conference & Exhibition and the
Technology & Innovation (TI) Forum, into one major event - the WCO
IT/TI Conference and Exhibition.
The chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan
Vladimir Gjorgjiev participated as a speaker in the plenary session “Smart airports for seamless travel” alongside
with Felipe Mendes Moraes, Fiscal Auditor of Brazilian Federal Revenue
Service, Falah Al Sammak, Senior Manager of Dubai Customs at Airport
Terminal 2, David Coyles, Counsellor Customs of Australian Embassy in
Brussels, Timothy Norton, Global Market Director, Ports & Borders,
Smiths Detection. The main question of the discussion was that - are
Customs and border agencies making full use of new technologies and other
developments that can speed up the movement of passengers?
During the plenary session, moderated by
Milena Budimirovic from World Customs Organization, Chief of Mission
Vladimir Gjorgjiev
emphasized that since it is the experience, the skillful use of new technologies
that allow us to cope with the increasing level of passengers’ traffic IOM continuously assists the government of Azerbaijan
with capacity building, networking, research and awareness raising
activities. In his speech he highlighted key areas where IOM
collaborates with the government.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev noted that IOM supports inter-institutional cooperation by
bringing together border and migration agencies in the training activities
and workshops, improving their language skills and providing them new tools
in line with the international and EU standards. “IOM supported software
and hardware development and procurement for the State Migration Service,
State Border Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Justice Academy of the
Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan,” said Gjorgjiev.
Talking about the legislation the Chief of Mission noted that IOM tries to eliminate disparities in
the local legislation with international standards. “For example, the “Comparative review of customs-related legislation of the EU and
the Republic of Azerbaijan”, developed by an IOM expert assisted the State
Customs Committee to finalize the procedure for “Customs Clearance of Goods
and Means of Transport by Physical Persons at the Customs Border.”
According to him, a comprehensive
information and awareness, which has become the main goal of one of the IOM local projects, is of great importance in this
area. “IOM, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
State Migration Service and ASAN Service developed a comprehensive
information campaign to raise awareness among the population of the
country, Azerbaijani migrant communities abroad and foreigners coming to
Azerbaijan about safe, regular and orderly migration, about smooth mobility
of people, including visa regulations, migration procedures and new services available at
Azerbaijani diplomatic representations in the European Union.”
In conclusion Gjorgjiev emphasized that IOM intends to support the Government of
Azerbaijan in enhancing the national capacities related to passenger data
collection and processing. “The initiative aims to support policy dialogue,
legislative review, IT improvements, international cooperation and
understanding of best practices in implementing ICAO standards.”
The three-day conference and exhibition provided a
platform that brought together key partners from Customs administrations,
relevant agencies and ministries, the private sector, regional economic
communities, international organizations, development partners and academia
and offered ample opportunities for networking and receiving more detailed
information about the latest technological solutions available on the
market.
Closure of “Enhancement of
National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan (ENCT)” project
On 12 June 2019,
the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission to Azerbaijan
held a closing conference of the EU-funded project “Enhancement of National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking
in Azerbaijan (ENCT)”,
the project also co-funded by the IOM
Development Fund. The closing conference gathered project
beneficiaries, stakeholders, officials from the ministries and diplomatic
corps.
Representatives of the State Migration
Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Justice Academy of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan, UN Resident Coordinator
and theChief
of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan delivered speeches highlighting the
contribution of the ENCT project and its effectiveness
incountering human trafficking and
protecting victims of human trafficking in Azerbaijan.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Gulam Ishaqzai, Head of
the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Kestutis Yankauskas and Chief
of the IOM Mission to Azerbaijan Vladimir Gjorgijev reitererated the
support and active participationof
the Government of Azerbaijan in this project coordination and
implementation. It was noted that Azerbaijan ratified the relevant
conventions and protocols of the UN and Council of Europe and is fulfilling
its international commitments in the fight against human trafficking.
Azerbaijan, in line with these commitments, is also very active in
implementation of itcomprehensive
counter trafficking legislation and criminal prosecution of the trafficking
crime.
The representatives of beneficiary organizations of the project – Mr. Heydar Heydarov, Chief of the Main
Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
of Ministry of Internal Affairs, Police
General-Major,Mr. Parviz Musayev
Deputy Head of State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr.
Alimirzamin Askarov, Head of Department on Humanitarian and Social Issues
of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Elchin Khalafov, Acting rector of
Justice Academy of Ministry of Justice in their speeches apprreciated IOM
work in this feild and outlined project's contribution to the effective fight
against human trafficking in Azerbaijan and the protection of human
trafficking victims in the country.
Head of Immigration and Border Management
Unit of the IOM, Ms. Meltem Ersan provided an extensive information on the
achievements and contribution of the ENCT project which has the following
specific objectives:
-To assist in enhancement of the capacity of the
criminal prosecution authorities to better prosecute Trafficking in Human
Beings (THB) cases and protect the rights of victims and potential victims
of human trafficking;
-To strengthen the National Referral Mechanism
(NRM) through interagency coordination at different levels and building
capacity of relevant stakeholders;
-To enhance regional and international
cooperation and partnerships to fight against human trafficking and
protection of VoTs.
Summarizing the results of the project, Vladimir Gjorgjiev said that today in the countering trafficking of human beings, three
important factors should be taken into consideration. First one is the
methods of criminal groups and trafficking regime is constantly changing,
and new criminal strategies are created. This means that the methods of
addressing such crimes should be regularly updated; secondly, theoretical
knowledge, training materials, manuals need to be applied to practice and
updated in accordance with evolving of the crime. Thirdly, the Government
of Azerbaijan continuous work on improving themethods to fighting traffickers , will
ultimately turn the country into a leader in this area and in the region,
from whom other regional countries can not only learn, but also adopt the
best practice.
Certificated of Appreciation were presented
to the participants of the project at the end of the event.
Since
November 2016, International Organization for Migration’s Mission to
Azerbaijan has been implementing Enhancement of National Capacities to
Combat Human Trafficking (ENCT) project in Azerbaijan. The project
supported the Government of Azerbaijan in combating human trafficking and
consequently transnational organized crime by applying a comprehensive,
holistic and multidisciplinary approach. The action focused on the specific
competencies and needs of Government agencies, in coordination with whom
the project has been designed and is implemented in partnerships. The
overall objective of this 32-month project was to strengthen the capacity
of the Government of Azerbaijan in effectively countering the human
trafficking and protecting victims of human trafficking.
Media coverage
of the closing conference of ENCT project
The Chief of IOM
Mission meets the first Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
On 11 June 2019, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the
Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with Mr. Vilayat Eyvazov, the
National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the first
Deputy Minister of Internal affairs, the police lieutenant-general.
Introducing himself Mr. Gjorgjiev expressed
his satisfaction with the cooperation between the two organizations and
interest in continuing to collaborate within the new projects. He said that
the Ministry of Internal affairs is one of the most important partner of IOM Azerbaijan and the associates of the special police authority actively participated
in workshops, conferences and trainings conducted by Mission in order to
increase the capacities in the field of trafficking in human beings, forced
labor and provision of assistance to the victims.
Mr. Vilayat Eyvazov expressed a deep gratitude to the guest for close assistance in implementation of state
policy in this important field, and for the cooperation relationships being
of great benefit for common work.
During the meeting opportunities for
cooperation, proposals for new projects were discussed.
Media coverage
of the visit to Ministry of İnternal Affairs
Workshop on Labour Migration Governance
& Protection of Migrant Workers
On 11-12 June 2019,
the IOM Mission to Azerbaijan organized a two-day workshop on Labour
Migration Governance and Protection of Migrant Workers with the
participation of representatives from the national institutions, civil
society organizations and private sector. The workshop was organized in the
framework of the project ‘Enhancing Cooperation
Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity
Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan (ECMCT) – Phase VI’ funded
by the US Department of State - Bureau of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs (INL).
Opening speeches were provided
by Mr.
William Solley, Political Officer at US Embassy to Azerbaijan, Mr.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan, and Mr.
Fuad Jabbarov, Head
of Labour Migration Sector of the Department of Employment Policy of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of
Population.
The workshop provided
international and national participants, relevant officials from state bodies of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, and active in the field with the opportunity to discuss and exchange experiences, approaches
and broaden their knowledge on
labour migration governance and protection of migrant workers.
Topics discussed at the
workshop included government, private sector, and recruitment industries interests,
priorities and concerns in developing Labour Migration Policies and
Programmes; Trade Unions role in
protection migrant workers’ rights;Corporate
Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery & Trafficking; Improvement of
Worker Complaints Mechanisms; Addressing Risks &
Challenges in the Recruitment Process etc.Using
a wide variety of examples of government programmes and policies for managing
economic migration, the workshop highlighted issues relating to labour
supply and demand matching, sector development, international cooperation,
as well as protection of migrant workers´ rights throughout the labour
migration process and eliminated labour exploitation.
ECMCT– Phase VI contributesto international efforts in preventing human
trafficking in persons by raising awareness of migrant workers of their
rights and by highlighting measures they can take to prevent putting
themselves in a position where they are vulnerable to labor exploitation,
thereby reducing their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation.
Media coverage
of Workshop on
Labour Migration Governance & Protection of Migrant Workers
The representatives of the IOM Mission
in Azerbaijan visited the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan
On
10 June 2019, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to
Azerbaijan met with Mr. Sattar Mohbaliyev,
the Chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan.
Introducing himself Mr. Gjorgjiev expressed his
satisfaction with the cooperation between the two organizations and
interest in continuing to collaborate within the new projects.
For his part, Mr. Sattar Mohbaliyev gave valuable information about a history of
the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, the largest public organization in the
country, its local and international projects, achievements, and role of
the organization in protecting workers rights.
Mr. Mohbaliyev said that a working group was set up at their organization on the
work with migrant workers. The main purpose of the working group is to
inform, explain the rights to migrant workers, support and help them.
During the meeting opportunities for cooperation,
proposals for new projects were discussed.
Coverage of the
meeting at the Confederation of Trade Unions
Official visit
to the project partners in the Regional Legal Aid Center in Masalli
On 3 June 2019,
within the framework of “E-Learning Solutions to Support Justice Academy of
the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan Phase II”, project implemented
by IOM Azerbaijan with the Azerbaijan Bar Association and financed by U.S.
Department of State (INL), an official visit was organized to the Regional Legal Aid Center
based at Masalli ASAN Service.
The visitors had a chance to see the ASAN service
operation and to monitor the work of the Legal Aid Center.The victors received brief information
from the consultants working in the center about the positive progress
achieved for the period starting from
February. During the discussions, it was mentioned by the consultant
lawyers that the existence of such a center is giving positive results and
the level of quality of service that individuals are receiving is
encouraging sign and have prompted a significant interest. Thus, a huge
gratitude is expressed by the individuals receiving the free legal service
in this Center.
Furthermore,
as a part of the project activities, visitors witnessed the beneficiaries
getting reimbursements for the costs incurred during the court
proceedings.These beneficiaries are
individuals who received legal assistance during the last month. The
activity was successfully carried out and beneficiaries showed their
appreciation for the service provided.
Workshop on the
role of diplomatic missions in combating human trafficking
On 31 May 2019,
IOM Mission to Azerbaijan organized EU-funded workshop on the role of
diplomatic missions in combating human trafficking in collaboration
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The
event was heldwithin the framework of the project Enhancement of
National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan (ENCT) funded
by the European Union and co-funded by IOM Development Fund.
The workshop provided national
and international participants, relevant
officials from diplomatic representations, including embassies of EU Member
States, as well as Embassies of Moldova, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine in
Baku, international organizations and relevant state bodies of the Republic
of Azerbaijan active in the field with the
opportunity to exchange experiences, approaches and skills on combating human
trafficking at both local and international levels.
Opening speeches were provided
by Mr. Kestutis Jankauskas, the Head of the Delegation of the European
Union to Azerbaijan, Ambassador, Mr. Heydar Heydarov, the Chief of the
Main Department on Combating Human Trafficking of Ministry of Internal
Affairs, Mr. Faig Baghirov, the Head of Consular Department, Ambassador
and Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to
Azerbaijan.
Heydar Heydarov in his
speech touched upon measures taken within the Government of Azerbaijan –
Ministry of Internal Affairs to combat human trafficking and provided the
recent statistics on human trafficking cases. Mr. Heydarov noted that
during past last 5 years in Azerbaijan the operation of the international criminal network was prevented, 2
organized groups and 58 criminal groups were neutralized. 312 out of 356
victims of human traffickers were placed in a safe shelter, and each of
them received one-time allowance, and 280 victims received aid from the Aid
Foundation.
Topics discussed at the
workshop included challenges
and best practices in coordination among relevant state agencies on
exchange of information on Trafficking in Human Beings (THB); Awareness
raising on THB in diplomatic representations in Azerbaijan; The role of Embassies in
providing first-hand assistance to Victims of Trafficking in the country of
destination, and current consular assistance and support in the field of
THB.
The workshop also covered such topics as
information exchange and assistance provision to victims of trafficking,
the diplomatic missions’ expertise in this regard, the paramount importance
of effective communication and teamwork between the states, initiatives
taken in ensuring effective implementation of 4Ps (prevention, protection,
prosecution and partnership) in the field.
It should be
mentioned that the overall objective of the ENCT project
is to strengthen the capacity of the government of Azerbaijan in
effectively countering the human trafficking and protecting victims of
trafficking.
The representatives of the IOM Mission to Azerbaijan visited the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High
Technologies
On 31 May 2019, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev,
the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with Mr. Ramin Guluzade,
the Minister of Transport, Communications and High
Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Mr. Gjorgjiev gave valuable information to
the Minister about IOM history, principles, its local
projects, achievements, role of the IOM Azerbaijan in country level
affairs, international and regional migration processes. Mr. Gjorgjiev
expressed the interest of the organization in cooperation with the Ministry
in the framework of projects implemented in the country.
For his part, Mr. Ramin Guluzade talked about the
local and international projects implemented by the Ministry in Azerbaijan.
Further both sides exchanged views and
information on the application of strategic priorities and innovations
within the framework of mutual cooperation
between the IOM and the Ministry, as well as on the maintenance of the
relevant cooperation.
Media coverage of meeting at the Ministry of Communication
The representatives of the IOM Mission in Azerbaijan visited the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources
On 30 May 2019, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev,
the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met with Mr. Mukhtar Babayev,
the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic
of Azerbaijan.
Introducing
himself Mr. Gjorgjiev expressed the
interest of the organization in cooperation with the Ministry in the
framework of projects implemented in the country. He said that IOM pays a special attention to echology because the complex
relationship that exists between the environment, climate change, and
migration. He also
informed the Minister about IOM’s important Kahriz project funded by KOICA,
within which 40 kahrizes, environmentally friendly traditional
water-supply systems will be rehabilitated
in different
regions of Azerbaijan.
In this context Mr. Gjorgjiev told about
the recent field visit to regions during which he and UN Resident
Coordinator visited the Chakil Kahriz located in the Naftalan region,
Kahriz that was reconstructed by the IOM Mission in Azerbaijan 9 years ago.
“Using this environmentally sustainable water source, the local community
was able to plant around 20,000 threes over the period of 9 years in
Naftalan and surrounding area,” said Gjorgjiev. Chakil Kahriz continues to provide substantial
source of water for Naftalan region.
For his part, Mr. Mukhtar Babayev expressed interest
in cooperation with IOM, noting that within the framework of this
cooperation they are ready to share their available data on environment and
climate trends of the country.
During the
meeting opportunities for cooperation, proposals for new projects were
discussed.
IOM Azerbaijan office hosted the new
members of UNYAC
On 29 May 2019, Vladimir
Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan met and greeted the
members of UN Youth Advisory Council (UNYAC) headed by Kiyoun Kim, the
program officer of UN Volunteers pogramme, at Mission’s office. Mr. Gjorgjiev gave
valuable information to the guests about IOM history,
principles, its global and local projects, role of the IOM in
international, regional, and country level affairs, achievements,
international and regional migration processes.
The young members of UNYAC showed great interest in the locally
implemented projects of IOM Azerbaijan Mission such us legislation
development, border management, prevention of irregular migration,
community development, return and reintegration of migrants, movement
assistance, rehabilitation of subterranean
water systems called “Chaheriz”, and etc. They also had a chance to meet
Mission’s staff who are involved in direct implementation of these projects.
At the end of the visit the guests have an
opportunity to ask questions regarding the IOM local office mission and Mr.
Vladimir Gjorgjiyev and staff members answered to their questions.
The main aim of
UN Youth Advisory Council is to strengthen UN capacity to engage young people in
the design, implementation and review of the UN supported youth policies
and programmes at a country level benefiting from their view, insights, and
ideas.
Services: Mapping Locations,
Conducting Technical Assessments and Developing a Bilingual Atlas of
Kahrizes across Azerbaijan
Access to free
legal assistance in four regional ASAN service hubs
UN Migration
Agency, International Organization for Migration is implementing the Rule
of Law Project with the financial support from the US
State Department. The project is supporting the efforts for increasing the
access of population to professional legal services. With the same purpose
the Project initiated the operation of Legal Aid Centers in four regional
hubs of Azerbaijan. The initiative was supported by the Ministry of
Justice, Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan and ASAN Service. As a result of close cooperation among the agencies the
Legal aid Centers were opened in Barda, Gabala, Imishli and Masalli ASAN
Service centers since February 2019. By the end of April the Centers recieved 466
people in 909 cases approaching the centers with
various types of legal problems. 46% of the applicants were females and 34
% of cases were the issues under the court jurisdiction. The legal cases
analysis in the first three months show that the 24 % of assisted cases are
related with bank loans, 16 % were property related matters, 15 % family
issues, 10 % labor and social protection. In addition to these legal cases
the other applications covered various areas such as inheritance, migration
law, tax law, communal services, citizenship and registration, and the
criminal and administrative cases. The applicants demonstrate great
satisfaction from the services which were carried free of charge. As of the
Project’s objectives the amount spent for administrative and court
proceedings were also reimbursed to the applicants. The services continue
to be implemented successfully.
IOM Azerbaijan
facilitates a study visit to Lithuania for Azerbaijanian Officials
IOM facilitated a
four-day (13-17/5) study visit to Lithuania, for eleven Azerbaijan
Government officials with technical and logistical support by IOM
Azerbaijan and IOM Vilnius Office under the framework of the project
“Enhancement of National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in
Azerbaijan (ENCT)”, funded by European Union and co-funded by IOM
Development Fund.
The
objective of the study visit is to familiarize Azerbaijan representatives
from Justice Academy of Ministry of Justice, Head Department on Combating
Trafficking of Human Beings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as
judges from capital and regional appeal courts, prosecutors from General
Prosecutors Office with Lithuanian institutions that implement counter
trafficking policies, national referral mechanism, coordination with
relevant agencies, and with nonprofit organizations active in the
field,to effectively prevent and
combat human trafficking in Azerbaijan.
During
the study visit the delegation visited the Lithuanian Prosecutor‘s
Office, Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Supreme Court of
Lithuania, Vilnius Crisis Centre, National Committee for Combating Human
Trafficking, Lithuania Police department, State Labour Inspectorate, Center
Against Human Trafficking and Exploitation, Association Men’s Crisis Center
located in Kaunas, Kaunas City Municipality and Interdisciplinary Group for
Combating Human Trafficking.
The study visit is not only a good
opportunity to learn best practices and further apply them at the
Azerbaijan national level, but also to establish positive working contacts
with the Lithuania official and civil society representatives.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES NEW REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS (RFQ):
Notification on Extension
In the framework of Community Resilience to
Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, the IOM invites interested eligible
Suppliers to submit Quotations for the supply and delivery of refrigerator
and butter separator machine
Now
the closing date of submission is May 21, 2019 at 18:00 (Baku
time).
The chief of IOM
Mission meets the chairman of the State Committee
On May 13, 2019 Mr.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM
Mission to Azerbaijan met with Mr. Rovshan Rzayev, the chairman of the
Azerbaijan State Committee for Refugees and IDPs.
Mr. Gjorgjiev, provided
information about the project Kahriz that is implemented by IOM in
Azerbaijan in which IDPs are part of the project beneficiaries. Mr. Gjorgjiev said that there are two new
projects proposals in the pipeline submitted for approval, which are related to assistance to vulnerable population includingIDPs .
He said IOM mission would like to further expand cooperation with the State
institutions including State Committee within these projects and look
forward for positive collaboration.
The chairman of the State Committee
informed Mr. Gjorgjiev about the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the humanitarian problems caused by it. It
was stated that the conflict forced 1 million 200 thousand refugees and the
internally displaced person to leave their homes and because of that
conflict the country faced serious problems. As he noted the scale of work
done by government in Azerbaijan to improve the living conditions and
material security of refugees and internally displaced persons is vast.
The chairman of the State Committee also
spoke about the activities of international organizations on humanitarian
assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons in the country. Mr.
Rzayev emphasized the importance of the projects implemented by IOM in this
direction and expressed his gratitude.
During the meeting opportunities for cooperation, proposals
for new projects were discussed.
The UN
International Organization for Migration continues to rehabilitate ancient
water wells “Kahrizes” in Azerbaijan regions
UN Resident
Coordinator Mr. Ghulam Isaczai and Chief of the International Organization for Migration
Mission to Azerbaijan Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev went to filed visits to
Naftalan and Agjabadi districts. They visited the Chakil Kahriz located in
the Naftalan region and reconstructed by the IOM Mission (with funds
provided by KOICA) in Azerbaijan 9 years ago. Guests met the IOM's
engineers and kankans (rehabilitation workers) and received information on
the role of the Chakil kahriz in water supply for surrounding area and the
agricultural lands. This kahriz plays a vital role in supplying domestic
and irrigation water to 1,527 families (about 8,400 individuals) out of the
total of 12,218 residents. Because of this
environmentally sustainable water source, the local community planted
around 20,000 threes over the period of 9 years in Naftalan and surrounding
area.
During their visit to Agjabadi, UN
officials met with Mr. Shahin Mammadov, Head of the executive power of the
region. Mr. Shahin Mammadov underlined the importance of the new IOM's
project for the local population, which is financed by Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA). In Agjabadi district IOM is planning to restore
one kahriz in the territory of Husuli village. This village is with
population of 4837 individuals (1029 households) and 141 individuals (46
households) IDPs live in the village. Visitors visited the area where the
kahriz is located and met with the villagers. Head of village municipality
Ms. Keklik Ahmedova noted that the villagers are facing an acute shortage
of water and even sometimes lost their crops, and ready to assist in
realization of this importantcommunity project.
UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Ghulam Isaczai
stressed the importance of protecting the kahriz by local people and
promised that he would come to the opening ceremony of Husulu kahriz.
Media coverage
of field trip to Naftalan, Agcabedi
Students
discovers International Organization for Migration in Azerbaijan
On 6 May 2019 Mr.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of UN IOM Mission in Azerbaijan had a brief presention to 30 students
within the framework of the project “Discover the UN by learning it”, which
was organized by Azerbaijan Student Organizations’ Union (ASYOU) with
financial support of the Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
In his presentation Mr. Gjorgjiev gave
valuable information to the students about IOM history, principles, its
global projects, role of the IOM in international, regional, and country
level affairs, achievements, international and reginal migration processes,
and the value of the migrants potentials and their
contribution to the society. The
students showed
great interest in the locally implemented projects of IOM Azerbaijan
Mission such us legislation development, border management, prevention of
irregular migration, community development, return and reintegration of
migrants, movement assistance, rehabilitation of subterranean water systems
called “Chaheriz”, and etc.
At the end of the presentation Mr. Vladimir
Gjorgjiyev answered the participants questions.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES NEW REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS (RFQ):
In the framework of Community Resilience to
Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, the IOM invites interested eligible
Suppliers to submit Quotations for the supply and delivery of refrigerator
and butter separator machine
Closing
date of submission is May 14, 2019 at 18:00 (Baku time).
IOM Azerbaijan
organizes a two-day comprehensive workshop
on International Migration Law
On 30 April-1 May 2019IOM
organized a two-day workshop on
International Migration Law (IML) in Baku, Azerbaijan. This event is
held in the framework of the ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively
Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity Building and Technical
Assistance in Azerbaijan (ECMCT) – Phase VI’, project implemented by IOM
Azerbaijan in cooperation with the relevant state institutions of the
Republic of Azerbaijan. The project is funded by the US Department of State
- Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
Mr. Elchin Khalafov, the Rector of Justice
Academy, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, Chief of Mission IOM Azerbaijan and Ms.
Christine Singh, a Political Specialist of USA Embassy delivered opening
remarks.
Mr. Khalafov appreciated the IOM’s
contribution to the formation of a comprehensive legal basis for combating
trafficking of human being in the country, noting through the organization’s projects staff of trainers for local
judges and attorneys were formed.
Ms. Christine Singh said that United States pays great importance to
cooperation with the local government institutions of Azerbaijan which
occupies a very important geographical and political location at the
intersection of east and west, and overall objective of this project is to
assist the government in developing migration policies and legislation that
conform to International Migration Law (IML) in order to manage migration
and combat human trafficking more effectively and in a manner consistent
with international law.
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev said
that IOM carries
out training and capacity building workshops on broadermigration legislation aiming at
supporting effectiveness of the local legislation and bringing it more in
line with international standards. In his speech he focused on the rights of migrants and responsibilities
of governments. “Laws were created by human beings and are implemented by
human beings. Let’s not forget that migrants are also humans and the same
legal standards should apply for them,” said Gjorgjiev.
In total 30 representatives of the Ministry
of Justice, Justice Academy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of
Internal Affairs, State Migration Service, Bar Association, State Committee
on Affairs with Diaspora along with 10 judges, attorneys, foreign experts
with the experience in the considered field are presented at the workshop
which covers the topics such as the international legal norms in regulating
migration, set of international rules and principles governing the movement
of people between states and the legal status of migrants in host states.
The workshop provides a forum for relevant state agency representatives to
discuss and broaden their
knowledge and network in the international migration law.
ECMCT project seeks to continue to assist
the government of Azerbaijan’s response in combating trafficking in persons
and consequently, transnational organized crime and to improve protection
mechanisms in providing vulnerable migrants as well as victims/potential
victims of trafficking with appropriate assistance services. ECMCT – Phase
VI will contribute to the enhancement of judicial capacity to provide
better protection of and assistance to migrants through the development and
institutionalization of the International Migration Law course programme
within the Justice Academy of the Ministry of Justice.
Media Coverage
of IOM Azerbaijan Mission Workshop on IML
29
April, 2019 the International Organization for Migration Mission in
Azerbaijan conducted a workshop on combating human trafficking for 20 labor
inspectors from State Labor Inspectorate Service under the Ministry of
Labor and Social Protection of Population. The event was held within the framework of the project
Enhancement of National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in
Azerbaijan (ENCT) funded by the European Union and co-funded by IOM
Development Fund.
The workshop kicked off with a
welcoming speech by Ms. Simona Gatti, Minister Counsellor of the EU
Delegation to Azerbaijan and Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of
IOM’s Mission in Azerbaijan.
Ms. Simona Gatti welcomed the
participants and highlighted the role and commitment of the European Union
in fighting trafficking in human beings.
Vladimir Gjorgjiev
expressed his assurance that the workshop would contribute to the work
of the labor inspectors and enhance their capacity in line with the
strategy of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership in
countering human trafficking.
“This is a very important topic
for the labor inspectors to enhance their capacities specially during their
visits to the private and public companies, specifically in area of
recognizing the right labor documentation, correct labor experience and
expertise, as well to recognize for dignified and healthy working
conditions free of any labor harassment, that in same time guarantees fair
wages and salaries paid on time. Besides this the inspectors’ work is
considered as an activity that in same time combines prevention with
prosecution, and these two heavily contributes to implementation to the above
mentioned strategy countering human trafficking” said Gjorgjiev.
The overall objective of the
project ENCT is to strengthen the capacity of the Government of Azerbaijan
in effectively countering the human trafficking and protecting victims of
human trafficking.
Media Coverage of the workshop for
labor inspectors
Elimination of Malaria is possible…. but only when human
mobility is considered
Geneva – Human mobility
is a major social determinant of health that can increase malaria-related
illness and deaths for migrants and host communities, especially along
migration corridors. With close to one in every seven individuals on the
move globally, populations traveling from an area with high malaria burden
can potentially re-introduce malaria into low-transmission or malaria-free
areas. The combination of social and economic inequalities and
discriminatory policies in all sectors, such as health, immigration, labor
and social protection, often limit migrants’ access to appropriate malaria
prevention, diagnostics, treatment and care services. This perpetuates the
disease cycle among migrants and host communities.
In 2017, malaria was one of the leading
causes of death due to communicable disease worldwide; there were an
estimated 219 million new cases and 435,000 deaths. It is key to understand
migrant mobility patterns and associated malaria risk factors to improve
migration outcomes, and reduce vulnerability in migrants’ living, working
and transit conditions, which increase their likelihood of contracting
malaria.
Malaria
can only be eliminated when evidence-based operational approaches have been
identified to reach migrant populations, improve vector control and ensure
migrants' access to malaria services, while promoting surveillance,
referrals and treatment between national health systems.
Migrants urgently need to be included in
global, national and local prevention and control strategies to support the
elimination of malaria, following the spirit of Sustainable Development
targets that aim for Universal Health Coverage, and in line with the
objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration,
and Resolution 70.15 of the World Health Assembly on Promoting the health
of refugees and migrants (2017).
IOM currently
supports malaria programming across many countries, often through the
support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In Yemen,
Thailand and Somalia, IOM has implemented multi-pronged evidence-based
public health strategies, including interventions around vector control,
distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLIN) and
behavior change communication campaigns to raise awareness around
prevention and encourage treatment seeking behaviors, including drug
compliance.
In Paraguay, a
country now certified by WHO as free of Malaria (2018), IOM supported the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in strengthening the National
Strategy for the Prevention of the Reintroduction of Malaria, placing an
emphasis on disease prevention, identification of potential cases, accurate
diagnosis, treatment as well as the empowerment of resources and skills in
the 18 health regions of the country.
The
elimination of malaria will require a universal approach of strengthening
community responses that understand the determinants of migrants’ health
and build on sustainable and mobility competent health systems that address
the many challenges of malaria control in an increasingly interconnected
world.
Read stories about
IOM’s work with malaria-affected migrant communitieshere.
IOM Azerbaijan first
publication - “TERRA Toolkit: Community Approach to Radicalization”
IOM Azerbaijan has
launched its first publication, “TERRA Toolkit: Community Approach to
Radicalization”, devoted to different issues of preventing violent
extremism and radicalization as a part of USAID funded Community Resilience
to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity, jointly implemented with the State
Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
Toolkit takes a preventative approach towards radicalization leading to
terrorism and it proposes a community approach designed to address and halt
the progress of an individual through the possible radicalization process.
It values the community approach as a starting point and is primarily meant
to support existing or new networks of teachers, social workers, law
enforcement, religious leaders, and local and national policy makers on
exchanging information on young people or for example on people in a
troubled neighborhood. It also informs journalists and policy makers on
influences they may have on background factors of radicalization. The Azeri
version can be found here.
The
English version of the Toolkit was developed by TERRA project, a European
network-based prevention and learning program, supported by the European
Commission DG Home Affairs. The English version can be found in TERRA
project's website: http://www.terra-net.eu/index.php
IOM facilitates
a study tour to Austria for Azerbaijanian Officials
IOM facilitated a
four-day (14-19/4) study tour to Vienne, Austria, for eleven government
officials headed by Mr. Elchin Khalafov, the Rector of Justice Academy with technical and logistical support by IOM Azerbaijan
and IOM/RO Vienna
under the framework of the project “Enhancement of National Capacities to
Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan (ENCT)” funded by European Union and
co-funded by IOM Development Fund. The objective of the study tour is to
familiarize representatives from Justice Academy of Ministry of Justice,
Main Department on Combating Trafficking of Human Beings of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, as well as judges from regional appeal courts,
prosecutors form General Prosecutors Office with the implementation of
International and European standards in judicial decisions, protection of
victims of trafficking, analysis of legal framework as well as prosecution
of Trafficking in Human Beings cases in Austria along with the procedures
and rulings in the area of combating human trafficking. On 15 April the delegation had meetings at Ministry of
Foreign Affairs with Ambassador
Petra Schneebauer, National Coordinator on
Combating Trafficking in Human Beings as well as Public Prosecutors, Dr.
Maria-Luise Nittel and Dr. Ursula Schrall-Kropiunig at the General
Prosecutors office.The Austrian colleagues shared with Azerbaijan
delegates their experience and best practices, approaches and new
tendencies in the sphere of counter-trafficking, touching upon national
referral mechanism, procedures of VoTs’ assistance provision. During
the study tour the delegation will also visit Drehscheibe Crisis Center for
Unaccompanied Foreign Minors of the City of Vienna, Intervention Center for
Trafficked Women, Provincial Criminal Court Vienna, Criminal Intelligence
Service Austria. The study tour is not only
a good opportunity to learn best practices and further apply them at the
national level where possible but to establish working contacts with the
Austria colleagues.
Media coverage of the four-day (14-19/4) study tour to Vienne,
Austria, for eleven government officials
The representatives IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan has visited the Azerbaijan State Agricultural University
Ganja, Azerbaijan. On 10 April
2019, the representatives of International Organization for Migration
(IOM) headed by Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of Mission, had a
cooperation meeting with the representatives of Azerbaijan State
Agricultural University (ASAU) represented by Mr. Ibrahim Jafarov, Rector
of the University. The meeting is intended to discuss a
possible partnership between the organization and the university under
the KOICA-funded project ‘Integrated Rural Development for IDP
Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply
System’. With the efforts on promoting sustainability and continuation of
passing the skills and knowledge gained through the implementation of the
afore-mentioned project, IOM and ASAU discussed envisioned partnership
and action points of both parties.
Media coverage
of the visit of representatives IOM Mission in Azerbaijan to the
Azerbaijan State Agricultural University
Goranboy-Ganja, Azerbaijan. As part of the
KOICA-funded project ‘Integrated Rural Development for IDP Communities in
Azerbaijan through Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System,’ IOM
trained a total of 40 kankans (artisans who construct and rehabilitate
kahrizes, a traditional, sustainable water supply system) on “Safety
during Kahriz Rehabilitation”, “First Aid”, and “Awareness Raising on
Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).” The first
training, focused on safety measures during Kahriz rehabilitation
process, was delivered by the Senior Engineers of IOM holding long-term
expertise on kahriz systems. Through the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society,
IOM also facilitated the First Aid training, which enriched the overall
training with practical tips for first aid. Awareness Raising on PSEA was
also delivered by the IOM staff to communicate the ethical behaviour
values on PSEA to the participants.
Media coverage
of the training for kankans within the KOICA-funded project ‘Integrated
Rural Development for IDP Communities in Azerbaijan through
Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System’
IOM holds a
training workshop for officials on the
prevention of violent extremism and radicalization
On
11-12 April 2019, IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized a training workshop
for officials of the related government agencies, representatives from
civil society and academia with the aim to increase a knowledge and
skills on various topics in the field of violent extremism and
radicalisation. The training was held in the framework of the USAID
funded project “Community
Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)”
implemented by the IOM Mission in Azerbaijan in close cooperation with the State
Committee for Work with Religious Organizations of the Republic of
Azerbaijan (SCWRA).
The
training is based on the “TerRa
Toolkit: Community Approach to Radicalisation", which has been
recently translated into Azerbaijani and published by IOM within the CRV
project. Ms. Magda Rooze and Ms. Holly Young, co-authors of the TerRa
Toolkit, facilitated the training attended by the participants working
with vulnerable individuals or groups at risk of radicalisation to ensure
that they are well equipped to detect and to respond to signs of
potential or imminent violent extremism and radicalisation. The training
course aimed to raise awareness and understanding of the process of
radicalisation in general and in the context of Azerbaijan, help
practitioners recognize the signs of indicators of radicalisation
displayed by vulnerable individuals at risk, share the experience of
family members of radicalized persons, empower practitioners with the
knowledge they need to prevent radicalization.
Media coverage
of the training workshop for officials in the framework of the project
“Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)”
International workshop gathers the prosecution authorities
to share experiences, approaches and best practices in prosecuting cases
of human trafficking
On
3-4 April 2019, a
two-day international workshop on “Role of the Criminal Prosecution
Authorities in Combating Human Trafficking”is
organized in Baku. The event is held within the framework of the project
Enhancement of National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in
Azerbaijan (ENCT) funded by the European Union and co-funded by IOM
Development Fund. The International workshop will provide 45 national and international
participants experts from
Eastern Partnership countries with the opportunity to exchange
experiences, approaches and best practices on prosecution of Trafficking
in Human Beings cases as well as challenges from the different
perspectives of countries of origin, destination and transit, and to
learn from EU experts including those of the European Court of Human
Rights case-law analysis, and methodologies. Furthermore, the workshop
aims to contribute to the establishment of a network between participants
to nurture international cooperation and exchange of information in
combating human trafficking.Mr. Heydar Heydarov, the
Chief of the Main Department on Combating Human Trafficking of Ministry
of Interior, Mr. Elchin Khalafov, the Rector of Justice Academy, Ms.
Simona Gatti, Minister Counsellor of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan and
Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM’s Mission in Azerbaijan attended
the opening of the event Mr. Heydar Heydarov in his speech touched upon
measures taken within the Government of Azerbaijan – Ministry of Internal
Affairs to combat human trafficking and provided the recent statistics on
human trafficking cases. Mr. Heydarov noted that from 2005 to date in
Azerbaijan there are 1413 trafficking in human beings crimes
registered, 919 victims of trafficking are identified and 550 traffickers
are prosecuted. He emphasized the importance of such an international
event in enhancing the existing cooperation relations between the
countries in combating human trafficking.Ms. Simona Gatti, Minister
Counsellor of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan highlighted the role and
commitment of the European Union in fighting trafficking in human
beings. Ms. Gatti appreciated the efforts of Azerbaijani government
that has taken important measures in the area of combating human
trafficking and pointed out the fields that require further assistance
and improvements, particularly from prosecution
authorities. Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, Chief of IOM’s Mission in Azerbaijan
said that the international workshop is part of the ENCT Project, which
aim is to assist the Government of Azerbaijan’s response to human
trafficking through capacity building to support the interpretation and
application of legal provisions related to combating human trafficking,
human rights and fundamental freedoms in line with European Law and
international standards.He expressed his assurance that the two-day
workshop, with the participation of high-level international experts,
would contribute to the work of the criminal prosecution authorities and
enhance their capacity in line with the strategy of prevention,
protection, prosecution and partnership in countering human trafficking.
It should mentioned that the overall objective of the project is to
strengthen the capacity of the Government of Azerbaijan in effectively
countering the human trafficking and protecting victims of human
trafficking.
Media coverage
of the two-day international workshop on “Role of the Criminal
Prosecution Authorities in Combating Human Trafficking”
IOM supporting
the justice sector reforms in Azerbaijan
Starting since September 2017 IOM
Azerbaijan is implementing the second phase of Rule of Law Project being
funded by US Department of State - Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) focusing on development of
e-Learning solutions for the Justice Academy where the judges and lawyers
get trained. Within the Project the IOM has developed Training Program on
Case law of European Court of Human Rights which aimed to provide
information on the ECHR, its standards and issues relevant to the work of
the target profession and encourage the development of skills, and the
formulation and application of policies, necessary to transform that
information into practical professional behaviour. Based on this Program IOM, in cooperation with the Justice
Academy and Bar Association of Azerbaijan, conducted four-day Training of
Trainers for lawyers on European Court of Human
Rights (ECtHR) Case Law with participation of
12 trainer Lawyers where along with Ms Gasimova, expert on ECtHR case
law,Ms. Kristina Touzenis, head
of IOM’s of International Migration Law (Unit (IML) also took a session
on human rights of migrants with the coverage of International Migration
Law. The ToT was followed by four cascade trainings in Ganja, Sheki,
Khachmaz and Lankaran conducted together with ToT participants and
lecturers of Justice Academy. The cascade trainings covered 42 lawyers
from the four regions.
In line
with the same project’s objectives IOM Azerbaijan increased the
capacities of the Justice Academy on Countering Money Laundering via
developing full-fledged course program on specific subject. The course
program contains comprehensive Handbook and Curriculum complemented by
Training materials. The course program will be used for the training
purposes of judges, candidate judges, lawyers and prosecutors at the
Justice Academy. For supporting the further application of the Course
Program IOM Azerbaijan organized Training of Trainers on Countering Money
Laundering with the participation of Justice Academy lecturers, judges
and lawyers where an international expert, Mr. Geert Delrue and expert of
Financial Markets Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan Mr. Araz Abbasov
took the sessions. E-learning platform for the Justice Academy of the
Ministry of Justice was established by IOM Azerbaijan within the
framework of “E-Learning
Solutions to Support Justice Academy of the Ministry of Justice of the
Republic of Azerbaijan – Phase I” Project and was continued in the
subsequent phase of the project. As a part of the project, for the sake
of the useful utilization of the online platform, educational videos are
being uploaded along with the materials related to each of the videos
made. It is planned to cover topics such as Application Procedures to the
ECtHR, Interpretation to various sections of ECHR, International
Migration Law, State Authority in relation to Migration and limitations set by
IML, State Sovereignty and Freedom of Movement as a right, Asylum Seekers, Forced Migrants, Refugees, Rights of Migrant
Children, Women Migrants, Definition and Characteristics of Human
Trafficking, Specifications of Trafficking of Children, International
Legal Enforcement on Human Trafficking as well as Definition and
Typologies of Money Laundering. The videos will be played by lecturers
from the Justice Academy of the Ministry of Justice and guest lecturers
invited from other institutions such as Financial Market Supervisory
Authority, Ombudsman’s Office, Baku State University and attorneys. The
participation of non-Academy experts will boost the level of knowledge
that is supposed to be given as the audience could be introduced to
approaches supported by other institutions and individuals
IOM held workshop on inclusiveness, diversity, tolerance
and violent extremism and radicalization
On 27-28 February
2019 IOM organized workshop on inclusive society, diversity and tolerance
as ways to prevent violent extremism and radicalization within Community
Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity funded by USAID. The
workshop was facilitated by the Kofi Annan Foundation’s initiative
Extremely Together Young Leaders, Ali Abbas Zaidi and Mimoun Berrissoun
from Pakistan and Germany. The (22) participants of the first day were
mainly from public service and civil society, whereas the second workshop
consisted of (24) participants
with academia and civil society background.The objective of the workshop
was for participants to become familiarized with the concept of
group-focused enmity and extremism in general. For a better understanding
of extremist phenomena, the participants were lectured on similarities
between different extremist groups e.g. intolerance, hatred and violence.
Furthermore, the intention was for participants to gain an awareness of
stereotypes and prejudices, open-minded perception of others, empathy
towards “radicalized” victims, and explore practical ideas for the implementation
of a culture of tolerance and diversity.
IOM continues to
engage vulnerable communities in business development activities
International
Organization for Migration (IOM) continues its engagement with vulnerable
communities to support income-generating initiatives in target areas.
Next round of small business training took place in Guba and Masalli in
February, 2019 within the Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV)
Activity funded by USAID/Azerbaijan and implemented by IOM. Around eighty
members of local communities representing different vulnerable
communities in Guba-Gusar-Khachmaz and Masalli-Lankaran-Astara
regions participated in the training. At the end of training, after
productive discussions held and counselling provided by the professional
trainer, the participants submitted their plans on micro business
activities. 16 (25%) plans, out of 65 submitted ones, were initiated by
female beneficiaries, who were interested and keen to establish their own
businesses. The submitted plans represent different business areas
ranging from livestock (cattle/sheep-breeding), bee-keeping and
small-scale production (like, making furniture) to service sectors
(barber shop, tailoring etc.). After evaluation the selected successful
business plans will be awarded financial support by IOM.
IOM held training for youth on
preventing violent extremism and radicalization
Since September 2018 the IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan has been implementing the project titled “Public Action for
Resilience (PAR) Activity” funded by USAID. The Activity aims to support
local communities and increase their resilience to violent extremism and
radicalization, which considers delivering capacity building training for
Youth Houses (YH) staff members. To this purpose between 24-28 December
2018, in close collaboration with the State Committee on Religious
Associations and Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, IOM organized three training-seminars titled
“Introduction to PVE for Youth and Youth Workers”. The seminars were
designed for YH staff members and youth workers held in YH operational in
target areas, namely in Binagadi (Baku), Sumgayit and Balaken. 89 youth
workers in total attended the seminars and the number of female participants
constituted 51% of the overall attendees. Through participation the youth
workers increased their awareness on working with youth vulnerable to or
at possible risk of violent extremism and radicalization.
IOM engages vulnerable communities in business development
activities
The
UN Migration Agency – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Mission in Azerbaijan implements Community Resilience to
Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity jointly with the State Committee on
Religious Associations with a financial support from USAID Azerbaijan
since September 2017. As a part of the CRV Activity IOM organized 3-day
micro-small business training in Zagatala between 12-14 December 2018 to
support income-generating initiatives of the members of target
communities in the region. In total 29 beneficiaries attended the
training, where the participants were from Zagatala (Zagatala city and
Pashan, Sumayli, Gandakh, Yala, Yengiyan, Mukhakh and Chokak villages)
and Balakan (Balakan city, and
Hanifa, Adkilsa villages). 7 (24%) out of 29 attendees were female. At
the end of the training 14 business plans in total were submitted by 16
beneficiaries, where three of them preferred to submit a single joint
business plan. These plans represent different business areas ranging
from livestock (cattle/sheep-breeding) and small-scale production (like,
homemade dried fruits) to service sectors (hairdressing, etc.). After
evaluation of the submitted business plans the selected ones will be
awarded financial support by IOM. This kind of training will also be
conducted in Masalli-Lenkeran and Guba-Khachmaz regions that are included
in project’s geographical coverage.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES
NEW TENDER:
Notification
on Extension
To whom it may concern
IOM Mission in the Republic of
Azerbaijan hereby extends the time limit for the submission of the
below indicated tenders by 1 week. Now the closing date of
submission is March 4, 2019 at 17:00 (Baku time).
Within the ‘Public Action for
Resilience (PAR)’ Activity funded by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), IOM Azerbaijani invites Service
Providers to provide Technical and Financial Proposal for the tender
on Provision of trainings of vocational skills for young people in
four regions of Azerbaijan
All other conditions in the tenders remain unchanged.
IOM Azerbaijan
announces a tender on Provision of trainings of vocational skills for
youth in four regions of Azerbaijan
Within the ‘Public Action for
Resilience (PAR)’ Activity funded by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), IOM Azerbaijani invites Service
Providers to provide Technical and Financial Proposal for the tender on
Provision of trainings of vocational skills for young people in four
regions of Azerbaijan.
Closure of “Consolidation of Migration
and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA)” project and
Celebration of the International Migrants Day on 18 December 2018
On 18 December 2018, the UN
Migration Agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
organized an event to close the project “Consolidation of Migration and
Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA)” and to
celebrate the
International Migrants Day. More than 100 officials from the ministries,
diplomatic corps, donors, national and international stakeholders
participated in the event.Representatives of the State Migration Service,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social
Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the
Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan and IOM delivered speeches
about the contribution of the CMBA project in the field of migration,
labour migration and border management in Azerbaijan. The EU Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas reiterated
European Union’s support to the Government of Azerbaijan and underlined
the CMBA project which had targeted to build and enhance migration
management capacities of the state institutions in Azerbaijan. Head
of Immigration and Border Management Unit of the IOM, Ms. Meltem Ersan provided an
extensive information on the achievements and contribution of the CMBA
project.The project has contributed in:
1)Establishing
an effective mechanism for the management of the visa regime, voluntary
return and readmission processes.
2)
Developing and implementing rights-based policies to govern migration and
protect the rights of migrants, vulnerable migrants and migrant workers;
3)
Modernizing of migration and labour services to provide easier and convenient
access to information and services such as issuance of residence permits,
work permits, registration at place of residence.
4) Strengthening
the national capacity for integrated
border management.
5)Enhancing
institutional capacity by building skills of more than 650 officials from
national stakeholders on different aspects of migration and
integrated border management such as readmission management, visa
processing, countering irregular migration and transnational crimes such
as human trafficking, migrant smuggling, travel document examination,
return, consular issues, managing migration during crises, management of
migrant accommodation centers, advance passenger information (API)
systems. The 52-month project started in September 2014 and ended on 31
December 2018. The project funded by the European Union (EU), co-funded
by BP and co-venturers, the United States Department of State Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and State Migration Service of
Azerbaijan. It was the first project implemented with the co-funding from
the private sector and the Government of Azerbaijan in the field of
migration.
International Migrants Day
During the event, IOM, together with
the State Migration Service, the Office of the Ombudsperson of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, the UN Resident Coordinator's Office and the
Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan celebrated the
International Migrants Day. Vusal Huseynov, Chief of the State Migration
Service, Elmira Suleymanova Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic
of Azerbaijan, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai,
Meltem Ersan from IOM Mission in Azerbaijan made the speeches in
highlighting the significance of the International Migrants Day in terms
of drawing the society’s attention to the challenges of migrants and
raising awareness. Following the speeches, a migrant shared his story in
the migration cycle which ended reintegration in Azerbaijan. Information
about the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was provided by IOM and a
candidate film from the GMFF was shown in the event. The International Migrants Day was celebrated
following the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and
Regular Migration (GCM) by 164 countries including Republic of Azerbaijan
in 2018. The GCM is the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated
agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its
dimensions. Migration with Dignity (#WithDignity) was the theme of 2018’s
International Migrants Day. IOM’s Director General António Vitorino
called on all Member States and international organizations to join us in
commemorating International Migrants Day on 18 December 2018, and
advocating for safe, orderly and dignified migration for all.
Workshop on Consular Reference Manual
for senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On
29-30 November 2018, the UN Migration Agency, International Organization
for Migration (IOM) conducted the workshop in Baku for twenty-three
consular officials based in Azerbaijani Embassies/Consulates in Europe
and relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Azerbaijan (MFA). Murad Akbarov, Deputy Head of Consular
Department from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maryam Haji-Ismayilova,
International Aid and Cooperation Officer from the Delegation of the
European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan and Meltem Ersan from IOM
delivered the opening remarks.The workshop provided a forum for staff to
discuss key issues related to their work and the content of the Consular
Reference Manual issued by the IOM in close collaboration with the MFA
under the project. Moreover, Fanny Ruinart from IOM France facilitated the
part on protection and assistance to victims of Trafficking in Human
Beings and Lorenzo Guadagno from IOM HQ facilitated a segment on crisis
management. Nazim Turabov, Head of Readmission Issues Department, State
Migration Service briefed the consular officials on readmission
management. A panel organized in the last session of the workshop with
the participation of consuls from the Embassy of Germany, France and USA
to share the experiences on consular services in these countries.The
workshop was organized in the framework of the project “Consolidation of
Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA)” funded
by the European Union and co funded by BP and its co-venturers, US
Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM)
and State Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES
NEW INVITATION FOR BIDS:
In the framework of
Community Resilience to Vulnerabilities (CRV) Activity funded by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID)IOM Mission in Azerbaijani invites interested eligible
service providers to submit bid for the production of short videos and
photographs. CRV-001/2018
On 30
October-2 November 2018, IOM Azerbaijan has organized four-day training
with the participation of 22 representatives from ASAN VISA and “SilkWay”
Ground Handling Company. The purpose of the training was to consolidate
the competencies of participants to examine travel documents effectively.
During the intensive 4-day training participants received detailed
information, guidance and direction to proficiently screen and
identify falsified travel documents. The training consisted of a
theoretical and a practical part and covered key matters such as
profiling, security features, security techniques, biometrics and
printing techniques as well as actual trends in this area. Training was
led by Mr. Nelson Goncalves, IOM expert from African Capacity Building
Center based on the Second Edition of the Passport Examination Procedure
Manual (PEPM) developed by IOM and latest developments.At the end of the
training all participants have received certificates for completion of
the training program. The training was organized in the framework of the
project “Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in
Azerbaijan (CMBA)” funded by the European Union and co funded by BP and
its co-venturers, US Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees
and Migration (PRM) and State Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of
Azerbaijan. Under the project, specialized trainings have been organized
on travel document examination for the State Border Service, consular
officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ASAN VISA personnel who
works at the international airports.
EU ANTI-TRAFFICKING DAY IS MARKED IN AZERBAIJAN
Baku, 18 October 2018 - EU Delegation to Azerbaijan and the
UN Migration Agency, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
organized an event to mark the European Union (EU) Anti-Trafficking
day. The event was organized within the framework of the project
Enhancement of National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in
Azerbaijan (ENCT) implemented by IOM, funded by the European Union and
co-funded by IOM Development Fund. The event gathered the officials of the
line ministries, diplomatic corps, international and civil society
organizations, as well as international and local experts. The aim of the
event was to attract attention of a wide audience to the issue of
trafficking in human beings and its consequences, to contribute to
increase the knowledge on EU strategy towards the eradication of human
trafficking, international judicial cooperation in countering trafficking
and theoretical and practical issues of implementation of international
legal norms and conceptions. H.E. Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas, Head
of EU Delegation to Azerbaijan; Police Major General Heydar Heydarov,
Chief of the Main Department on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings of
the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan and Mr. Serhan Aktoprak,
Chief of IOM Mission of Azerbaijan delivered opening speeches. H.E.
Ambassador
Kestutis Jankauskas emphasized that EU anti-trafficking events are being
held in many countries to attract the attention on human trafficking
crimes and the aim is to protect human rights of the victims and prevent
human trafficking. Chief of the Main Department on
Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, Police Major General Mr. Heydar Heydarov in his speech touched
upon measures taken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to combat human
trafficking and provided the recent statistics on human trafficking
cases. Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission for IOM in Azerbaijan
remarked that the measures taken in Azerbaijan in the field of combating
human trafficking and the protection of victims of human trafficking are
exemplary for other countries and IOM will continue the cooperation with
all stakeholders in its future activities.The panel sessions delivered by
Ms. Aneta
Arnaudovska, IOM consultant, Judge, Director of Academy for Judges and
Prosecutors in Macedonia, member of the CCJE (Council of Europe); Mr.
Mykolas Černiauskas, ECtHR expert, senior lawyer at the Registry of the
Court and Mr. Ramil Kazimov expert from The Ministry of Internal Affairs
of the Republic of Azerbaijan covered the topicson
“Problems and challenges in obtaining compensation rights of victims”,
“The best practice of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on
fundamental rights of individuals and migrants in situations of
vulnerability and relevant case law”, “International cooperation of
Azerbaijan in counter trafficking of human beings”.Following
presentations and discussions, a short video documentary on counter
trafficking was screened to attract the attention of the audience on
vulnerability of victims and sensitize them on THB cases.
Training of Trainers Program for
Criminal Prosecution Authorities in Azerbaijan
On 16-19 October
2018 the UN Migration Agency, the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) organized Training of Trainers (ToT) Program for criminal
prosecution authorities in Baku under the ‘Enhancement of National
Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan (ENCT)’ project
funded by European Union, co funded by IOM Development Fund and
implemented by IOM. The ToT gathered 20 participants from Baku Court on
Grave crimes, Baku Court of Appeal, Ganja Court on Grave crimes, Lankaran
Court of Grave crimes, Ganja Court of Appeal, Sumgayit Court of Appeal,
Shirvan Court of Appeal, General Prosecutor’s office, Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Bar Association. The overall aim of the TOT is to
advance and enhance the abilities and professional capacities of the
participants to effectively investigate, prosecute and adjudicate
trafficking in persons cases, by using victim centered approach in line
with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) fair trial
requirements.The training methodology used was a
balanced combination of short theoretical presentations on the selected
main topics, including national, comparative and ECHR court practice. The
practical part was covered by various advanced techniques and tools which
enabled continued pro-active participation and commitment of the trainers
involved, such as: case-studies, discussions, preparation of check lists,
simulations on the basis of prepared case scenarios, commenting human
trafficking video films and others. The training was conducted by the
international expert Ms. Aneta Arnaudovska, IOM consultant, Judge,
Director of Academy for Judges and Prosecutors in Macedonia, member of
the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) (Council of Europe)
and national expert Ruslan Valiyev, member of Bar Association in the
Republic of Azerbaijan. The ToT was enriched by the presentations of Mr.
Mykolas Cerniauskas, expert from European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
and Andriy Orlean, Professor of Law Department at National Taras
Shevchenko University in Ukraine.
Workshop on
Advance Passenger Information (API) systems for the Azerbaijan customs,
immigration service, visa service and selected airlines
On 16-18 October
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, facilitated a workshop on Advance Passenger
Information (API) systems for the Azerbaijan customs, immigration service,
visa service and selected airlines.
During
the workshop held in Baku, Azerbaijan, API international regulatory
framework, technical standards, best practices and lessons learned were
shared by experts from the United Kingdom and IOM HQ. During break-out
sessions, participants debated an API implementation roadmap for
Azerbaijan. Close attention was paid to regulatory developments in the
European Union and best practices from EU member states as well as use of
passenger data and compliance with the principles of privacy, data
protection and related human rights norms.
The
event took place in the framework of an IOM project “Consolidation of
Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA)” funded
by the European Union, co-funded by the United States Department of State
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and State Migration Service
of Azerbaijan. The project aimed to enhance the capacities in the area of
migration and bordermanagement in Azerbaijan.
API
systems became mandatory for all 192 International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) member states on 23 February 2018. This means that
all ICAO states must be able to collect data about passengers and crew
members prior to their arrival, making travel easier for all and improving
border controls.
Technical
assistance to IOM member states in implementing API systems is an
important and expanding area in IOM’s cooperation with ICAO following the
conclusion of an MoU in November 2016. Providing technical assistance in
this challenging area is a focus in the IOM Action Plan for ICAO TRIP
Strategy Implementation that helps to mobilize donor funding and outreach
to beneficiary states.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES
NEW TENDER:
IOM intends to hire Service Provider for Development
of Onomastic analysis to map Azerbaijani diaspora, AZ10-004/2018
IOM intends to
hire Service Provider for Development of Onomastic analysis to map
Azerbaijani diaspora,
IOM Mission in the Republic of Azerbaijan
hereby extends the time limit for the submission of the below indicated
tenders by 1 weeks. Now the closing date of submission is
September 10, 2018 at 18:00 (Baku time).
IOM intends to hire Service Provider for
Development of Investigation of Citizenship Matters subsystem for the
State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan: AZ10-001/2018
IOM intends to hire Service Provider for
Development of Payment subsystem for the State Migration Service of the
Republic of Azerbaijan: AZ10-002/2018
IOM intends to hire Service Provider for
Development of Analytical reporting subsystem for the State Migration
Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan: AZ10-003/2018
All other conditions in the tenders remain unchanged.
IOM intends to hire Service Provider
for Development of Investigation of Citizenship Matters
subsystem for the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan:
IOM marked the World Day against Trafficking in Persons in
Azerbaijan
On July
30, the United Nations’ Migration Agency - International Organization for
Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Main Department on Combating Trafficking
in Human Beings at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Migration
Service of Azerbaijan Republic, organized a conference in Gusar to mark
World Day against Trafficking in Persons. The event was organized within
the framework of IOM’s counter-trafficking projects implemented with the
financial support of the U.S. Department of State Bureau for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID). The conference brought together the
officials from the relevant ministries, diplomatic corps, and international
and civil society organizations, aiming to attract the attention of a wide
audience to trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling and their
consequences, as well as to increase response and knowledge in the
particular field in Azerbaijan and worldwide. In the opening session Mr.
William Gill, Charge d’Áffaires of the US Embassy in Baku and Mr. Serhan
Aktoprak, Chief of IOM Mission of Azerbaijan, welcomed the participants and
spoke about the importance of ending trafficking in persons. Mr. Samir
Zeynalov, Deputy Head of the Main Department on Combatting Trafficking in
Human Beings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Mr. Hidayat Rustamov,
Head of Khachmaz Regional Migration Department of the State Migration
Service, also gave remarks at the event.The main part of the event started
with the Plenary Session on the theme “Contemporary Approaches in
Addressing Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling” and included presentations
by the Azerbaijani
government officials and IOM specialists on related topics. Further, two
Parallel Breakout Sessions on “Exploring Current Co-operation Mechanisms in
Combatting THB” and “Stepping up the Global Responses to Counter Migrant
Smuggling” included presentations by the foreign government officials, NGO
representatives, international experts and IOM specialists covering related
topics. During and after the sessions, discussions were initiated for
sharing experiences and practices, facilitating awareness raising and
capacity building among participants, and supporting initiatives in
strengthening cooperation for multidisciplinary approach in addressing
trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling at both national and
international levels.IOM has been organizing the World Day against
Trafficking in Persons since 2014 with the overall aim to sensitize the
public on human trafficking and encourage participation of a larger
community to combat this crime.
IOM held workshop for consular officers on combating human
trafficking and protection of migrants’ rights
On 25
July, 2018 the UN Migration Agency- International Organization for
Migration (IOM) Mission in Azerbaijan organized a workshop for
consular officers on Combatting Human Trafficking and
Protection of Migrants' Rights in Baku, Azerbaijan within ‘Enhancing
cooperation measures to effectively combating trafficking in persons
through capacity building and technical assistance in Azerbaijan Project’-
Phase VI, funded by International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs,
U.S. Department of State. The workshop kicked off with a welcoming speech
by the Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, and
continued with opening remarks delivered by Mr. Ramil Kazimov from the Main
Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Ministry of
Internal Affairs (CT MIA) and by Miss Bridgette Walker, U.S. Deputy Chief
of Mission, U.S. Embassy Baku. The event was organized in two panel
sessions including presentations on related topics by local and
international representatives. Mr. Ramil Kazimov from CT MIA presented on
current mechanisms in addressing human trafficking by the government of
Azerbaijan, while Ms. Sevinj Ismayilova from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) focused on the role of MFA in responding the problem of
trafficking in persons. Ms. Maria Chiara
Tognetti from IOM Regional Office in Vienna highlighted the importance of
re-establishing ‘of trafficking legal identity’ and the role of consular
staff in this process. Ms. Heather Komenda from IOM Headquarters provided
insight to migrant vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation from
the consular perspective and Mr. Christopher Sorensen, US vice-consul,
concentrated on US perspective in combating human trafficking.
IOM has been building the skills of consular officials and labour
attaches to combat human trafficking since 2012 and the first three
workshops were conducted in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017, where discussions
were held on national legislation and government and non-government
counter-trafficking responses specifically on victim identification,
assistance and referral as well as exchange of best practices on direct
assistance among various diplomatic missions. As a follow up to this initiative,
this workshop, attended by up to 30 diplomatic representatives, also aimed
to increase skills and knowledge of consular officials and labour attachés
to identify and refer victims/potential victims of trafficking to
specialized services as part of the referral mechanism.
Workshop on exploring migrant vulnerabilities and root
causes of human trafficking in Azerbaijan held in Baku
On
23-24 July, 2018 the UN Migration Agency – International Organization for
Migration IOM Mission in Azerbaijan conducted a workshop on exploring
migrant vulnerabilities and root causes of human trafficking in Azerbaijan
in the framework of the project titled “Enhancement of National Capacities
to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan (ENCT)” funded by European Union
and co-funded by International Development Fund of IOM. The event was
attended by 20 representatives from relevant state agencies, such as Main
Department on Combating Human Trafficking of Ministry of Internal Affairs,
State Migration Service, State Committee on Family, Women, Children’s
issues, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Ministry of Education and
Ministry of Economy. The presentations on relevant topics were delivered by
Heather Komenda, Migrant Protection and Assistance Specialist from IOM
Headquarters, Chiara
Tognetti, Programme Assistant from IOM Regional office as well as Mariela
Guajardo, IOM consultant, and focused on the issues covered by IOM
initiated Model on migrant vulnerabilities in 4 levels, i.e. individual,
household/family, community and structural levels and on initial findings
of rapid assessment on human trafficking exploring the root causes and
vulnerabilities of victims and potential victims of trafficking. The rapid
assessment was conducted by Mariela Guajardo, as a result of home-based
desk research and meetings held with relevant stakeholders prior to the
workshop. During the workshop the participants got familiar with the
assistance and protection of migrants in individual, family, community and
structural levels along with the ways of addressing vulnerabilities by
applying relevant interventions in those levels. The workshop also provided
a space for the participants to share their ideas and knowledge on
possibilities of applying the IOM Model on migrant vulnerabilities in the
context of Azerbaijan, and provide relevant responses in order to
strengthen resilience and protection of those vulnerable to
trafficking.
Second Regional
Consultation on Facilitating Dialogue on Voluntary Return and Reintegration
held in Nakhchivan
On 4-5 July 2018,
the UN Migration Agency - International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Mission in Azerbaijan organized “Second Regional Consultation on
Facilitating Dialogue on Voluntary Return and Reintegration” in Nakhchivan,
Azerbaijan. The main objective of the event was to strengthen the dialogue
and cooperation on return and reintegration as well as facilitate the
discussions at a technical level, focusing on return policies and best
practices with a specific emphasis on Assisted Voluntary Return and
Reintegration (AVRR). The event was held within the framework of the
“Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan”
(CMBA) project implemented funded by EU and co-funded by USAID, U.S.
Department of State-Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and
State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr Elnur Mammadov,
Deputy Head of State Migration Service of Nakhchivan, and Mr Amr Taha,
Senior Regional Liaison and Policy Officer, IOM Regional Office Vienna
delivered opening remarks. The participants of event were comprised of
officials from the state institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan (State
Migration Service, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs and State Committee on
Work with Diaspora, State Border Service), country representatives from
Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Netherlands, IOM experts from
Netherlands, Germany, Philippines and IOM Regional office in Vienna,
Austria. The event facilitated the discussion at the several sessions on
model of returns from a sending perspective, tailored assistance on return
and reintegration for vulnerable migrants, model of return from a receiving
perspective and cooperation between countries of origin, country of
destination, and transit states.
Training of Trainers (ToT) on Irregular Migration,
Combatting Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Human Beings for the
State Border Service
On 2-6
July 2018, IOM organized a five-day Training of Trainers on Irregular
Migration, Combatting Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Human Beings
within its ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in
Azerbaijan (CMBA)’ project funded by the EU and co funded by USAID, US
Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) and
the State Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The ToT
aimed at strengthening training and facilitation skills of the
lecturers/trainers of the State Border Service and State Border Service
Academy to enabling them to plan and implement effective course delivery.
The training was attended by 14 participants from the State Border Service,
State Border Service Academy, State Migration Service and Ministry of
Internal Affairs. The Training of trainers' course was designed for the
needs of target audience consisting of 60 per cent theoretical and 40 per
cent practical knowledge. The participants
were trained by the international consultant Mr. Peter Bryant on the
curriculum topics as listed in the session objectives and were taught the
theoretical international best practice methods of training facilitation.
Other training sessions covered topics such as ‘Overview of International
Migration’, ‘Migrant Health Issues’, ‘Transnational Organized Crime’,
‘Smuggling of Migrants’, ‘Trafficking in Persons’, ‘Screening of Migrants
and the Process of Victim Identification and Referral’, ‘Interviewing
Vulnerable Persons’, ‘Evidence Collection’, ‘Information/Intelligence
Collection, Collaboration and Management on Migration’. In addition, Mr.
Ilkin Gurbanov from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Main Department on
Combating Trafficking in Human Beings delivered a specific session on Legal
framework on Trafficking in Human Beings and Smuggling of Migrants. As a
practical exercise, the participants also had the opportunity to prepare a
lesson and practice the delivery in a safe learning environment based on
the materials provided during the training.
On 4-8 June 2018, IOM in collaboration with the Justice
Academy of the Ministry of Justice organized a five-day Training of
Trainers (ToT) on International Migration Law
The ToT
was attended by 20 participants, including judges of Baku Appellation
Court, Baku Grave Crimes Court, Baku city courts, advocates of Azerbaijan
Bar Association, and lectures of the Justice Academy. The sessions were
designed based on the developed materials covering the international legal
norms regulating migration, movement of people between states and the legal
status of migrants in host states, as well as the interpretation and
application of related legal provisions on human rights and fundamental
freedoms. Along with the sessions on IML, Ms. Parvana Bayramova delivered a
specific session on “Gender equality: international law standards and
migration” and Ms. Melike Turkan Bagli facilitated the fourth day of the
training dedicated to the interactive training methods. Based on the
materials provided during four days of the training, the training
participants delivered their own presentations on the selected topics
during the last day of the training. As noted by the training participants,
this method helped them to put in use the theoretical knowledge and excel
training delivery skills based on the practical exercises.
Workshop on
Citizenship and Kin Issues
UN
Migration Agency - International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission
in Azerbaijan is organizing a workshop on best policies and practices on citizenship
and kin issues on 27- 29 June 2018 in Baku. The workshop aims to
contribute to the policy making through exchange of knowledge and
experiences in understanding different policy approaches on the subject
topics. The workshop is organized in the framework of the project
“Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan
(CMBA)” funded by the European Union and co funded by USAID, US Department
of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration(PRM) and State
Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The three day
workshop was attended by the officials from Azerbaijan namely State
Migration Service, President Administration, Ministry of Interior Affairs,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of
Population, State Border Service, State Security Service, Ministry of
Justice, State Committee on Diaspora, State Committee on IDPs and Refugees,
Ombudsman Office, State Statistics Committee and country representatives
from Croatia, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, Romania and Turkey as well as seven
experts/ academics from different universities. Participants were keenly
discussing issues related to dual citizenship, procedural questions of
granting citizenship and substantial issues of kin, belonging and identity.
The presentations and recommendations provided in the workshop will further
be reported and enriched with country policies including policies and
practices of EU Member States and will be shared with the participating
institutions from Azerbaijan.
Inauguration of language laboratory in the State Migration
Service
On 4
June 2018, the UN Migration Agency - International Organization for
Migration (IOM)
Mission in Azerbaijan inaugurated the language laboratory established in
the State Migration Service within the framework of the ‘Consolidation of
Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ (CMBA) project
funded by European Union and co-funded by BP and its co-venturers, USAID,
U.S. Department of State-Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (PRM) and State Migration
Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr. Vusal Huseynov, Chief of the
State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Kestutis
Jankauskas, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan, Mr.
Gary Jones, BP Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, Mr.
Randall B. Olson, Acting Mission Director, USAID Azerbaijan and Ms. Meltem
Ersan, Project Coordinator, IOM Azerbaijan delivered opening remarks at the
launch event.
Following the opening remarks,
language laboratory has been officially inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting
ceremony. The language laboratory is equipped
for 15 students and a teacher to provide a full-fledged English language
course programme. The first English Language Course Manual includes
migration and border related terminology, issues and practices developed as
an important tool to be used in the language course programme.
Technical
Expertise Meeting in data collection and management
IOM organized a technical expertise
meeting for state institutions in Baku on 24-25 April 2018 to take stock of
migration data collection and management. This will help determine
strengths and challenges of current systems and processes in place, and will
enable participants to exchange experiences in understanding and responding
to emerging migration trends and migration management challenges and
opportunities. The meeting was organized in the framework of the project
‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’
funded by the European Union and co-funded by BP and its co-venturers,
USAID, U.S. Department of State-Bureau of Population, Refugees, and
Migration (PRM) and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The 2-day meeting was attended by officials from the State Statistics
Committee, State Migration Service, Ministry of Labour and Social
Protection of Population, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal
Affairs, State Border Service, State Security Service, Ombudsman Office,
Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. The training was facilitated
by two International experts – Julia Black and Thomas Sinclair from the
IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) located in Berlin. The recent data analysis information
of the IOM was translated in Azerbaijani language and shared with the
participants. The meeting will be followed by two-day event on 15 and 16
May 2018 on data collection and management, in which preliminary findings
of the first two-day technical expertise meeting and its recommendations
will be discussed and training will be provided on data management. IOM organized a roundtable on international legal cooperation
on combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling with the participation
of 50 persons representing both national state agencies and state agencies
from Afghanistan, Belarus, Georgia, Pakistan, Turkey, Romania, Uzbekistan,
Moldova.
Training on inspection and monitoring of
unauthorized employment
IOM
organized a training on inspection and monitoring of unauthorized
employment for state institutions in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of
Azerbaijan on 17-18 April 2018. The training was organized in the framework
of the project ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’
funded by the European Union and co-funded by USAID, U.S. Department of
State-Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and State
Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The 2-day training was attended
by 20 officials from the seven institutions namely Department of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Migration
Service, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, State
Security Service and Commissioner for Human Rights, Separate Border Division of
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. The event was opened by Mr Shahin
Nabiyev, Head of State Migration Service of the Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic and Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr Serhan Aktoprak. The
training aimed to contribute to the enhancement of knowledge and skills of
practitioners from national institutions in line with European and
international best practices in inspecting and monitoring undeclared work
and protection of migrants and migrant workers. The training covered key
matters such as national mechanisms for preventing of migrants’ unauthorized
employment, international framework of relevance to labour
inspections: ILO Convention and other relevant instruments,
protecting of labour and human rights of migrant workers as well as exchange of experience within
participants. The training was
facilitated by three international experts - Ms. Tanja Dedovic, Labour
Mobility and Human Development Specialist from IOM Regional Office in
Vienna, Ms. Beate Lichtenecker from VAEB Austria, Mr. Darryl Dixon from UK
Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). At the end of the training
the participants were awarded with certificates. This was the second
training organized on inspection and monitoring of unauthorized work under
the project.
Counter
trafficking workshop for labour inspectors
On 16
April 2018, IOM organized a workshop for labour inspectors on combatting
human trafficking. The workshop was organized within the framework of the
project ‘Enhancement of National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in
Azerbaijan (ENCT)’ funded by European Union and co funded by IOM
Development Fund. The workshop was attended by 20 officials from the
Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of
Azerbaijan including the Deputy Heads, Chief Labour Inspectors and Labour
Inspectors. The workshop was aimed to sensitize the labour inspectors on
issues of human trafficking and forced labour. The sessions contributed to
the enhancement of their knowledge, skills and tools to i) detect human
trafficking cases, ii) understand their roles and responsibilities
with regard to victim assistance and referral and iii) their role on the
referral mechanism on victim protection and assistance. Opening speeches
were provided by IOM representative Ms. Shareen Tuladhar, Head of Migrant
Assistance Unit and Ms. Maryam Haji-Ismayilova, International Aid and
Cooperation Officer from the Delegation of the European Union to
Azerbaijan. The workshop were facilitated by two International experts -
Ms. Tanja Dedovic, Labour Mobility and Human Development Specialist from
IOM Regional Office in Vienna and Ms. Beate Lichtenecker, Consultant of
IOM. During the workshop, various issues related to role of labour
inspectors in addressing human trafficking and forced labour were covered.
As well as, the experience sharing on Service Employment Cheque system were
presented. Mr.Darryl Dixon
from UK Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) delivered
presentation via skype on the role of the GLAA in tackling labour
exploitation in UK. GLAA is a
non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom regulating the supply of
workers to the agricultural, horticultural and shellfish industries. At the
end the participants were awarded certificates. Interactive discussions
were held on the challenges and issues related to labour migration and its
links to human trafficking, identification of labour exploitation and
forced labour within the context of Azerbaijan. IOM continues to work
towards enhancing the inspection and detection capacities on different
forms of human trafficking such as forced labour and referral of trafficked
persons.
IOM continues to
facilitate discussion on international legal cooperation in combating
trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling
IOM
organized a roundtable on international legal cooperation on combating
human trafficking and migrant smuggling with the participation of 50
persons representing both national state agencies and state agencies from
Afghanistan, Belarus, Georgia, Pakistan, Turkey, Romania, Uzbekistan,
Moldova, Macedonia as well as a civil society representative from Ukraine.
The event was also attended by
international experts such as Former President of the Council of Europe
Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, Representative
from OSCE and IOM Headquarters and regional office. The roundtable was
organized in the framework of the project titled “Enhancement of National
Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan” funded by European
Union and co funded by IOM Development Fund. Mr. Heydar Heydarov, the Chief
of the Main Department on Combating Human Trafficking of Ministry of
Interior, Mr. Jeroen Willems, the Head of Operation Section of European
Union Delegation to Azerbaijan and Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, the Chief of
Mission of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan attended the opening of the event and
emphasized the importance of such an international event in enhancing the
existing cooperation relations between the countries in combating human
trafficking and migrant smuggling. The roundtable event provided a platform for the
attendees to share their experiences on combating human trafficking and
migrant smuggling through leveraging the international cooperation tools
and involve in discussions for further improvement on implementation of
bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field. Various panel sessions
were held where discussions covered the issues of analysis of international
cooperation on investigative and prosecutorial aspects of human trafficking
and migrant smuggling as well as inter-state cooperation on combating human
trafficking and protection of victims of trafficking within international
framework. The experiences of multiple countries and Azerbaijan served as
an excellent learning experience on the mutual cooperation that states
adopt in their efforts to counter human trafficking. The event is part of
IOM Azerbaijan’s effort to facilitate discussions at the international
level to enhance cooperation on assistance to ensure comprehensive response
to address the transnational and organized criminal nature of the
trafficking phenomena.
IOM organized a
training on document examination for state institutions
IOM organized a
training on document examination for state institutions on 1-2 March 2018.
The training was organized in the framework of the project ‘Consolidation
of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ funded by the
European Union and co-funded by BP and its co-venturers, USAID, U.S.
Department of State-Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and
State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The 2-day training
was attended by 21 officials from the Cabinet of Ministers, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice,
Ministry of Defence, State Security Service, Foreign Intelligence Service,
State Migration Service and State Customs Committee. The event was
opened by the Head of Consular Department, Ambassador Faig Bagirov,
International aid and cooperation officer from the EU Delegation to
Azerbaijan, Mr Alessandro Budai and Chief of Mission of IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan Mr Serhan Aktoprak. The training aimed to contribute to the
enhancement of knowledge and skills of consular officials and practitioners
from line ministries and national institutions in line with European and
international best practices in examining and assessing a range of
documentation to establish the potential for discovering forged and
counterfeit documents. The training covered key matters such as security
features in the paper, printing techniques, personalization, biometrics in
documents, actual trends of falsified documents. Training was led by IOM
international experts, namely Mr. Michael Buxbaum and Mr. Christian Bartl
from the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Workshop on Labour
Migration Governance
On 19 December
2017, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) organized a workshop on Labour
Migration Governance with the participation of the 35 persons from the
national institutions, civil society organizations and private sector. The
workshop was organized in the framework of the project ‘Consolidation of
Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA)’ funded by
the European Union and co-funded by BP and its co-venturers and U.S.
Department of State-Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and
State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SMS). The event was
opened by the Deputy Head of the State Migration Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan; Parviz Musayev, Deputy Minister of the Labour and Social
Protection of the Population Matin Karimli, Head of the Delegation of the
European Union to Azerbaijan Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas and Chief of
Mission of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan Serhan Aktoprak. The workshop on
Labour Migration Governance aimed to provide an introduction to build
understanding of the Migration/Development Nexus and how governments can
work to mainstream labour migraton into broader development policy
objectives. Using a wide variety of examples of government programmes and
policies for managing economic migration, the workshop highlighted issues
relating to labour supply and demand matching, sector development,
international cooperation, as well as protection of workers´ rights
throughout the labour migration process and eliminated labour exploitation.
IOM and State
Migration Service launch post-arrival orientations for migrant workers
On 18 December
2017, IOM in collaboration with the State Migration Service launched the
post-arrival orientation sessions for migrant workers within the Enhancing
Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through
Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase VI
project, funded by Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs (INL), U.S. Department of State. The orientations are aimed at
sensitizing and equipping migrant workers with basic knowledge about living
and working conditions in Azerbaijan. The post-arrival orientations covered
topics related to cultural orientation in a foreign country, national
labour and migration law, Azerbaijani language and psychosocial well-being
of migrants. The session on Azerbaijani culture conducted by local expert
Mr. Jahangir Selimkhanov, enabled migrant workers to build
cultural acceptance and integration upon entering Azerbaijan. Labour migration
session facilitated by lawyer, Mr. Sahib Mammadov, helped the participants
to learn about labour laws and regulations in Azerbaijan including work
permit provisions, migrant rights and responsibilities. The session on
migrants’ psychosocial well-being focused on building awareness
psychosocial well-being and coping skills on managing psychosocial
challenges. A total of 30 migrants from countries such as Georgia, Ukraine,
Turkey, Russia, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan participated in the first
orientation session on 18 December. These post-arrival orientations are
provided for free and will be held every Monday through 2018 at the State
Migration Service Training Center. Through the post-arrival orientations,
IOM strives to protect the rights of migrant workers.
International
Migrants Day marked in Azerbaijan
On 18
December 2017, the UN Migration Agency, the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) together with the State Migration Service, the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism, the Office of the Ombudsperson of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the
Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan hosted an event to mark the
International Migrants Day. During the event, the Pilot project on
Assistance for the Voluntary Return of Migrants from Azerbaijan also
launched. More than 130 officials from the ministries, diplomatic corps,
and civil society organizations including the Embassies of the Argentina,
Belgium, Germany, India, Japan, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Serbia, Turkey,
Ukraine, NGOs and international organizations such as UN agencies attended
the event. Mr. Parviz Musayev, Deputy Head of State Migration Service of
the Republic of Azerbaijan chaired the event and delivered welcoming
remarks. Mr. Musayev underlined that one in every seven person in the world
is a migrant and migration became emerging topic on a global scale. He
pointed-out the recent migrant crisis in Europe and its consequences. Ms.
Elmira Suleymanova, Ombudswoman of the Republic of Azerbaijan in her speech
emphasized on the importance of upholding the principle of humane and
orderly migration that benefits migrants and society. The EU Ambassador
Kestutis Jankauskas highlighted the significance of the International
Migrants Day in terms of drawing the society’s attention to the problems of
migrants and raising awareness. The Ambassador reiterated European Union’s
support to the Government of Azerbaijan and underlined the ongoing
programmes targeted to build and enhance migration management capacities of
the state institutions in Azerbaijan.There is a positive and close
cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr.
Ambassador said. Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of
Azerbaijan Mr. Nazim Samadov took the floor and provided information on
state support, attention and care within the tourism sphere. Since tourism
is considered complex
sphere, there is always a need for a joint work between all Government
institutions, he added. Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission of IOM in
Azerbaijan thanked all speakers and indicated that today we live in a world
where there is unprecedented human mobility. Large number of migrants aim
to arrive in new places, but most of them face difficulties during their
trip and as a result 7,277 deaths were reported in 2017. Increasing number
of deaths and missing migrants is extremely alarming. He mentioned about
the importance of Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.
Mr. Aktorpak shared a message the Director General of IOM, William Swing,
“We need to offer hope to those facing economic despair, to provide legal
pathways for more migrants or circular migration options for those who wish
to work and return home because if we don’t come up with solutions, the smugglers
will do it for us, at great cost to human life and to the fabric of our
societies.” He presented a plaque to Ms. Elmira Suleymanova, Ombudswoman of
the Republic of Azerbaijan for her outstanding contribution to advancing
and promoting human rights in Azerbaijan. At the end, Mr Aktoprak
congratulated the efforts of the Government of Azerbaijan in launching of
Pilot Project on “Voluntary Return of Migrants from Azerbaijan”. Mr. Ilyas
Nabiyev, Project Coordinator in IOM Azerbaijan, provided an extensive information
on IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programmes and noted
that this 12-month pilot project aims to offer orderly and humane return of
migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in Azerbaijan and wish to
return voluntarily to their countries of origin. It was mentioned that the
project funded by the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan
and partially co-funded by the European Union within the framework of
'Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’
project.
Training of
Trainers on psychosocial assistance for survivors of trafficking’
On 11-15
December 2017, IOM in collaboration with the Victim Assistance Centre of
the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population
organized a five-day Training of Trainers on psychosocial assistance for
survivors of trafficking’ within the project ‘Enhancing Cooperation
Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity
Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase VI’ funded by U.S.
Department of State. This activity builds on IOM's past efforts, on
building the capacity of healthcare professionals to treat the physical
health effects of trafficked persons. The training of trainer (ToT), led by
national consultant Dr. Nazim Aghazada, aimed at building the national
capacity of service providers on psychosocial care and skills to identify
and assist survivors/potential victims of trafficking in persons. The
training was based on the psychosocial assistance for survivors of human
trafficking guide book drafted by IOM under this project. The ToT was
attended by 26 psychologists representing state hospitals, state agencies
on health issues, public schools, civil society organization, as well as
respective departments of Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and
State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs. The sessions
included diagnosing and managing various stress responses; treatment and
prevention of stress-related clinical disorders; techniques of intervention
for rehabilitation and reintegration. Mr. Jaime Calderon, IOM Regional
Office in Vienna, Senior Regional Migration and Health Specialist and Ms.
Hanen Ben Belagacem, IOM Tunisia led sessions
on IOM guiding principles on assistance and care provision to victims and
survivors of trafficking, communication, and psychosocial first aid . Mr.
Jaime Calderon remarked ‘conducting ToTs is one of the most effective forms
of building national capacity as it helps to capacitate participants as trainers,
along with increasing skills in providing psychosocial assistance to
survivors of trafficking, along with. The most active participants of the
ToT will be selected to deliver training in different regions to capacitate
psychologist working in the regions in identifying victims and potential
victims, managing various stress responses, and applying different
techniques for assisting survivors of trafficking in rehabilitation and
reintegration’. As noted by the training participants bringing together facilitators
with theoretical and practical knowledge and diversified experience in the
field of psychosocial assistance helps to understand up-to-date approaches
recognized by respective international organizations in provision
assistance. It also helps the participants n knowledge in the field of
provision of assistance to vulnerable groups and being aware of the
necessity to apply sensitized approach while providing assistance.
Coordination
meetings with the police officers of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR)
On 4-8
December 2017, IOM organized five-day coordination meetings with the
police officers of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) to review
counter-trafficking training materials and coordinate future use of the
5-day training curriculum on providing an effective first response to
trafficking cases. The meeting was organized within the framework of the
‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in
Persons through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan –
Phase VI’ funded by U.S. Department of State Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL). It was attended by officers and
investigators representing the Counter-Trafficking Department, Passport,
and Migration Department, Criminal Investigations Department, and
Nakhchivan City Police Department. On the first day, discussion was held on
the preventive measures taken by the Counter-trafficking Department to
ensure protection from trafficking. To achieve set objectives, the meeting covered
review of topics from the training curriculum on modus operandi,
international and national law on combating trafficking in persons, victim
identification techniques and initial response to trafficking crimes. The
meetings focused on adapting the counter trafficking training material
(previously drafted by IOM) within the context of Azerbaijan. The
participants were of the opinion that the use of 5-day training curriculum
significantly contributes to a better understanding of the trafficking
cases and increasing the capacity of front-line officers is important to
ensure effective first response to trafficking cases. Upon reviewing the
curriculum, discussion was held on identifying opportunities to disseminate
the training materials to their colleagues in order to ensure a better
understanding and prosecution of the trafficking cases among a wider
audience of the police officers in Nakhchivan
INTERNATIONAL
EXPERTS GATHER TO SHARE EXPERIENCE COUNTERING IRREGULAR MIGRATION
On 16-17 November
2017, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) organized a technical workshop on
sharing expert experience countering irregular migration in the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic (Republic of Azerbaijan). The event was organized
within the framework of the ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border
Management Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA)’ project, implemented by IOM in
close partnership with the
State Migration Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Border Service,
Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Social
Protection of the Population. The project is funded by the European Union
and co-funded by British Petroleum and their co-ventures and the Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration (USA). During the opening session, the
head of the State Migration Service of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic,
Mr. Shahin Nabiyev, stressed the importance of the workshop. He emphasized
that development within the migration sphere was one of the top priorities
of the high-level cooperation established on a multilateral basis between
Azerbaijan, the European Union and IOM. He also praised the good results
achieved so far as a result of this cooperation. Ambassador Kestutis
Jankauskas, Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, underlined the
successful implementation of the project. He expressed his assurance that
the two-day training, with the participation of high-level international
experts, would contribute to the work of the various migration bodies’
employees. He emphasized that, for the EU, the fight against trafficking in
human beings remains a priority and it stands ready to continue to fight
jointly in order to eradicate this crime. He said that the broad nature of
the stakeholders, brought together in this workshop to discuss issues
regarding irregular migration, was testimony to the nature and scope of
migration. According to the Ambassador, migration management is rightly
regarded as one of the most complex and resource consuming issues that we
are confronting today. Ending his speech, Ambassador Jankauskas expressed
his appreciation of the current cooperation with the IMO office in
Azerbaijan. Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, made
clear the necessity for a high-road approach to the Global Compact
negotiations, which respect the human rights of all migrants, regardless of
their migratory status; facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration; and
reduce the incidences and impact of forced and irregular migration. He
emphasized that there was also a good opportunity for Azerbaijan to be a
part of the Global Compact on Migration, which is expected to be approved
in 2018. He also hoped that Azerbaijan would actively participate in the
upcoming meeting in Mexico. The Chief of Mission strongly called for the
unity of all countries in countering irregular migration, especially now
that the world is witnessing tragic events related to the movement of
people from one region to another. The participants from the various
national institutions from the Republic of Azerbaijan, country representatives
from the France, Romania, UK, Belarus, Indonesia, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan
and the IOM experts from the Headquarters, Global Migration Data Analysis
Center and Regional Office in Vienna held discussions on challenges, new
approaches, and shared their experiences in responding to the irregular
migration including smuggling of migrants and trafficking of human beings.
Workshop for
consular officers on combating human trafficking and protection of migrants
rights
On 24 October, 2017
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Baku organized a workshop
for consular officers on combating human trafficking and protection of
migrants rights within the ‘Enhancing cooperation measures to effectively
combating trafficking in persons through capacity building and technical
assistance in Azerbaijan’-Phase VI project funded by International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Opening
speeches were provided by Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission, IOM
Azerbaijan, and Mr. Gudrat Mammadov- Deputy Chief of Migration Control Head
Department of the State Migration Service. During the workshop, Mr. Ramil
Kazimov, Main Department for Combatting Trafficking in Persons of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs presented on understanding the needs and
challenges of diplomatic missions to counter human trafficking from
Government’s perspective. Mr. Emin Allahverdiyev, State Migration Service
provided an update on Government’s response to ensure effective migration
management. Ms. Alison Roma Harvey, IOM Expert highlighted the
international instruments and best practice by consular officers within the
framework of international instruments like Palermo Protocol, European
Convention on Human Rights, and Council of Europe Convention on Action
Against Trafficking in Human Beings. The workshop was organized to increase
skills and knowledge of consular officials and labour attaches to identify
and refer victims/potential victims of trafficking to specialized services
as part of the referral mechanism. Since 2012, IOM has been building the
skills of consular officials and labour attaches to combat human
trafficking. The first three workshops were conducted in 2012, 2014, and
2016 where discussions were held on national legislation and government and
non-government counter-trafficking responses specifically on victim
identification, assistance and referral as well as exchange of best
practices on direct assistance among various diplomatic missions.
13 embassy
representatives participated at the workshop: US Embassy, Swiss Embassy,
Embassy of the Netherlands, German Embassy, Belarus Embassy, Mexican
Embassy, Korean Embassy, Georgian Embassy, Saudi Arabia Embassy, Kuwait
Embassy, Afghanistan Embassy, Iraq Embassy, Palestine Embassy.
South Caucasus
Regional Workshop
On 1-2
November 2017, IOM Georgia in close partnership with IOM Armenia, IOM
Azerbaijan and the respective governmental implementing partners in these
countries hosted the South Caucasus (SC) Regional Workshop in Tbilisi,
Georgia, on the premises of L. Sakvarelidze National Center for Disease
Control and Public Health (NCDC) that is the Georgian governmental
implementing partner of IOM for the SC regional project on Tuberculosis and
HIV/AIDS. The objective of the South Caucasus Regional Workshop, organized
with the IOM Development Funded regional project titled “Enhancing
Mechanisms for Prevention, Detection and Treatment of HIV/AIDS and
Tuberculosis among Migrant and
Mobile Populations in the South Caucasus Countries”, was to elaborate the
design of the regional, national and at-border migrant health survey in the
SC countries, including its questionnaire and definition of the sampling
frame of migrant populations to be targeted during this survey. The Scientific-Research
Institute of Lung Diseases and The Republican AIDS Center of the Ministry
of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan were also represented in the
workshop. Throughout the two-day workshop facilitated by an International
Lead Researcher Consultant especially recruited to guide and advise the
implementation of this survey it was possible to achieve consensus among
the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian governmental implementing partners
relating to the sample of populations to be included in this survey as well
as methods of sampling to be used. The participatory process of work groups
and plenary sessions allowed for drafting of quantitative and qualitative
questionnaires that will aim at identification of TB and HIV risks among
migrants and their perceptions on Availability, Accessibility,
Affordability and Quality of TB and HIV health services in the South
Caucasus countries and along the SC transit corridors. It is expected that
the design and protocol of the regional, national and at-border migrant
health survey will be finalized by end of 2017 and the respective field
work will commence in all of the three countries immediately. More
information on IOM activities in Migration Health area can be accessed from
this link: https://www.iom.int/migration-health
Training on
“Second line Document Examination” in Baku, Azerbaijan
On 31
October-2 November 2017 IOM organized a training on second line document
examination for State Border Service officials of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The training was organized in the framework of the project ‘Consolidation
of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ funded by the
European Union and co-funded by BP and its co-venturers and U.S. Department of
State-Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). The three day
training was attended by ten officials from different border check points
as well as Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The training aimed to
contribute to the enhancement of knowledge and skills of border guards of
Azerbaijan in line with European and international best practices in
critically examining and assessing a range of documentation to establish
the potential for discovering forged and counterfeit documents. The
training covered key matters such as profiling, security features,
biometrics and printing techniques as well as actual trends in this area.
Training was led by IOM international experts, namely Mr. Michael Buxbaum
and Mr. Christian Bartl from the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs. At
the end of the training participants were awarded with IOM certificates.
IOM organizes
events to discuss return migration in the week of 30 October-03 November
2017
The International
Organization for Migration (IOM), organized two events in the week of 30
October- 3 November 2017 in Baku on return migration with a focus on
Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR). IOM organized a
three-day training for the State Migration Service (SMS) officials and
national institutions on Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration. The
training focused on understanding the three phases of return; Pre departure
Assistance, Return Assistance and Post arrival assistance as a result of
the signed agreement to establish and implement a pilot programme on
Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) between the Government of Azerbaijan and
IOM Baku. This was the first training on AVRR organized in Azerbaijan, and
was attended by twenty four officials and facilitated by the IOM Senior
Thematic Specialists from Regional Offices in Vienna and Bangkok.
Discussion were held on the standard operating procedure (SoP) to implement
the pilot AVR in Azerbaijan to receive inputs from the relevant
stakeholders. The SoP lays down the guidelines and minimum standards that
needs to be adhered while providing return assistance in Azerbaijan. On 2
and 3 November 2017, IOM also organized a technical consultation
facilitating dialogue on voluntary return and reintegration. The event
facilitated the discussion at the several sessions on
model of returns from a sending perspective, tailored assistance on return
and reintegration for vulnerable migrants, model of return from a receiving
perspective and cooperation between countries of origin, country of
destination, and transit states. Nazim Turabov from the State Migration
Service, Jeroen Willems, Head of Operation, Delegation of the European
Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan and Meltem Ersan from IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan opened the event. The participants comprised of officials from
the national institutions, country representatives from Afghanistan,
Belgium, Georgia, Pakistan, Turkey and the IOM experts from Belgium,
Afghanistan, Turkey and Greece. Development of the SoP, AVRR training and
the technical workshop were organized within the framework of the project
“Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan”
(CMBA) implemented by IOM, funded by the European Union and co-funded by BP
and its co-venturers and the U.S. Department of State- Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration.
EU Anti-Trafficking Day
On 18 Oct
2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Baku organized
an event to mark the European Union (EU) Anti-Trafficking day. It was organized
within the framework of the project Enhancement of National Capacities to
Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan (ENCT) funded by the European Union
and co-funded by IOM Development Fund. On the occasion of 11th EU
Anti-Trafficking Day, this event brought together multi-disciplinary
stakeholders on the efforts to a) contribute to the prevention and fight
against this crime as well as b) provide adequate protection and assistance
to the victims. It was attended by 100 officials from various line ministries,
diplomatic missions, civil society organizations, and academic
institutions. Opening remarks were delivered by the Head of the European
Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas who
emphasized that for the EU fight against trafficking in human beings
remains a priority and it stands ready to continue joint fight in
eradication of this crime. Chief of the Main Department on Combating
Trafficking in Human Beings at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Police
Colonel Mr. Heydar Heydarov in his speech touched upon measures taken by
the Ministry of Internal Affairs to combat human trafficking. He
highlighted that provision of human rights and freedom is a priority for
the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission for IOM
in Azerbaijan remarked about increasing risks for migrants specifically
during crisis. He
highlighted according to IOM statistics from 2014- 2016, 77 percentage of
victims have been trafficked over an international borders whereas 23
percentage of victims have been internally trafficked. During the panel
sessions, national expert, Konul Gasimova from the Republic of Azerbaijan
shared their experiences and highlighted EU member states’ best practices
on counter trafficking and the provisions that protect migrants and victims
in the European Court of Human Rights. International expert Ian Feldman
from the Republic of Moldova highlighted trafficking of human beings issue
and its vulnerabilities and responses. He shared diverse mental health and
psycho-social issues affecting trafficked persons and individuals in
situations of vulnerability. Diverse best practices to provide psychosocial
assistance was also shared during this presentation. Two documentaries were
screened during the event. “Open doors: Singapore” showed to exploitation
of a domestic worker where the employer mistreats her foreign domestic
worker by taking her passport and work permit, and does not allow her to
take a day off. The second documentary was based on real facts and filmed
by participation of the Ukrainians who were taken to sexual slavery. The
video was the winner of PLURAL + youth-produced video festival in 2009.
PLURAL + is a joint project of United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and
IOM that encourages young people to explore migration, diversity and social
inclusion and distributes their videos worldwide.
“Project-writing
and Fund-raising Training for victims of trafficking shelters in
Azerbaijan” within the Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Activity Project
in Azerbaijan
On 11-13 October
2017 International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized a three day
“Project-writing and Fund-raising Training for victims of trafficking
shelters in Azerbaijan” within the Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP)
Activity Project in Azerbaijan. Opening speeches were provided by Ms.
Shareen Tuladhar, IOM representative- Head of Migrant Assistance Unit and
Ms. Aybeniz Mammadova - Project Management specialist from USAID. The
project-writing and fund-raising training was delivered by Mr. Andrei
Lutenco, IOM expert. Various topics were covered during the trainings such
as basic concepts in project development, human rights approach with in the
anti-trafficking framework, and mobilizing the community for fundraising
campaigns and crowd funding. Specific session on regulation of NGO income
in Azerbaijan was delivered by Mr. Mahammad Guluzade and gender, equality
& human rights based approach was covered by Ms. Gunel Safarova (Young
Civic Education Public Union). Five NGOs from different regions of
Azerbaijan took part in the training (Azerbaijan Children Union- Baku,
Clean World- Baku, TAMAS RDPU- Ganja, Azerbaijan Social Work Public Union-
Baku, Women’s Initiative and Assistance to the Solutions to Social Problems
- Sumgait). A total of 22 (5 male and 17 female) participants attended the
training. The objective of the training was to increase understanding of
basic concepts and structure on project proposal, enhance knowledge on
developing the logical framework of projects and use result-based planning
and management in the implementation of projects. The participants were
informed about designing projects on protection and assistance of human
trafficking victims, understanding the prerequisites in planning fundraising
campaigns on social issues, and successful crowd funding practices. As a
result of the workshop, three draft project proposals were developed by
shelters of victims of trafficking. This training is an ongoing effort of
IOM to strengthen financial sustainability beyond the life of CTIP project
and ensure continuity of shelter services to (potential) victims of
trafficking.
IOM organizes two-day workshop for legal practitioners on
combatting trafficking of human beings and protection of victim rights
On 14-15 September
2017, IOM Azerbaijan organized a two-day workshop on combatting trafficking
of human beings and safeguarding the rights of (potential) victims of
trafficking for lawyers, barristers and counsellors. The event was
organized within the framework of the project ‘Enhancement of National
Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan’ (ENCT) implemented by
IOM, funded by the European Union and co-funded by IOM Development Fund.
The workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of legal practitioners to
provide legal assistance and representations to victims of trafficking
within the criminal justice system of Azerbaijan. The event was attended by
33 participants from different institutions including lawyers and legal
practitioners from Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry
of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan Republic, Academy of Justice under
Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan Republic and national NGOs. Opening
remarks were delivered by Mr Jeroen Willems, Head of Coopertion from
Delegation of the European Union to the Azerbaijan Republic and Ms Shareen
Tuladhar, Head of Migrant Assistant Unit of IOM. International expert, Mr
Vitaliy Kasko, led the workshop on various topics such as international
migration with specific focus on human trafficking and migrant smuggling,
protection and assistance for victims of human trafficking within the
criminal justice system, criminal procedural aspects of investigation,
prosecution and judicial proceedings and international cooperation. He
shared regional legal framework and best practices on countering human
trafficking. Further, the participants worked on practical cases and
discussed indicators of
human trafficking, purposes of trafficking and rights of victims. National
expert Mr Ruslan Valiyev who has extensive legal experience on migration
and trafficking issues as well as in providing legal representation and
legal counselling for victims of trafficking and vulnerable individuals
delivered presentations on national legislation of Azerbaijan on combatting
human trafficking, role of lawyer representing the victims in human
trafficking cases in Azerbaijan and indicators of victim identification and
victim protection taking into account their interests. Mr. Ramil Kazimov,
representative of Main Department on Combatting in Human Beings of Ministry
of Internal Affairs gave a brief information about responses of the
Government of Azerbaijan to combat trafficking of human beings. Later on
Judge of Court of Grave Crimes of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Mr. Novruz
Karimov talked about prosecution and judicial proceedings in human
trafficking cases in Azerbaijan. These were followed with practical cases
specific to Azerbaijan.
IOM AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCES
TENDER:
IOM
intends to hire service provider for supply and delivery of equipment
designed for one classroom language laboratory system to be installed
in the premises of the Training Center of the State Migration Service
of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the CMBA Project:.
IOM, the Government of Azerbaijan, the United States and civil
society organizations mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons
On 28 and 30 July
2017, the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency – International Organization
for Migration (IOM) organized an event to mark the World Day against
Trafficking in Persons within the framework of two projects: ‘Counter –
Trafficking in Persons Activity’ funded by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures To
Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons Through Capacity Building and
Technical Assistance In Azerbaijan – Phase VI’ funded by Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), both implemented
by IOM Mission in Azerbaijan. Panel discussions on ‘Promoting the
Multidisciplinary Approach in Addressing Trafficking in Persons and Migrant
Smuggling’ were organized July 28 in Ganja. The event aimed to attract the
attention of a wide audience to this phenomenon and its consequences, as
well as to increase knowledge and response in the field of combating
trafficking in persons in Azerbaijan and worldwide. It additionally served
as the sixth and last National Consultation in Azerbaijan vis-à-vis the
preparations for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration. On 28 July, opening remarks were delivered by the Deputy Head of
the Executive Committee of Ganja, Head of Legal Department, Mr. Khagani
Abdulazimov, the Head of the Main Department on
Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
of Azerbaijan, Mr. Heydar Heydarov and USAID Acting Mission Director Mr.
Randall Olson. Ms. Argentina Szabados, IOM Regional Director for
South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia sent a video-message
to the participants of the event. The event was attended by 80 officials
from different line ministries, civil society organizations, and diplomatic
corps including NGO Coalition against Trafficking as well as Azerbaijan
Children’s Union, Clean World Aid To Women Public Union, and ‘Tamas’
Regional Development Public Union. During the panel sessions key
achievements of Azerbaijan to combat human trafficking such as ratification
of protocols and implementation of all the provisions in international
protocols and declarations were also highlighted. During the event, IOM and
the Main Department on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan signed a Joint Declaration to
mobilize collective efforts, enhance cooperation and partnership between
state authorities, civil society organizations and the international
community to combat trafficking in persons. On 30 July 2017, IOM in
collaboration with the Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well the
Administration of State Historical-Architectural Reserve ‘Icherisheher’
organized an open air public event in Baku. As a continuation to a similar
successful event held last year, it aimed to sensitize and raise public
awareness about trafficking in persons, as well as encouraging
participation of a larger community to combat this crime. The event,
attended by more than 100 people, was held in Icherisheher (Old City) State
Historical-Architectural Reserve. Opening remarks delivered by Mr. Serhan
Aktoprak, Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr. Ghulam Isaczai, UN
Resident Coordinator, Mr. Randall Olson, USAID Acting Mission Director and
Mr. Heydar Heydarov, Chief of the Main Department on Combating Trafficking
in Persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Furthermore, children, who
are residents of Azerbaijan Children Union shelter, performed songs that
they have learned during their stay in the shelter. The shelter’s
initiative to engage children, who are victims of violence and/or lack
parent-care, in such activities helps them regain psychological and
behavioral well-being. IOM’s partner Graduate house under the
Ministry of Labor and Social Protection displayed their carpet souvenirs
for fund-raising during the event. At the same time, IOM with its civil
society partners such as the NGO Coalition against Trafficking, the
Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society, Azerbaijan Children’s Union, Clean World
Aid To Women Public Union, and ‘Tamas’ Regional Development Public Union
distributed brochures and 10,000 water bottles with targeted message
against trafficking in persons in eight different places in Baku and Ganja.
The water bottles produced by the local company ‘Aquavita’ were specially
designed for this day to draw attention on the issue of trafficking in persons.
The continuous cooperation with ‘Aquavita’ through production of the water
bottles during the last two years to mark the World Day against Trafficking
in Persons is an exemplary experience of public–private partnership. IOM
and its partners reached more than 15,000 persons to draw attention to
human trafficking as modern day slavery that affects many countries
worldwide through the campaign held in the Baku and Ganja.
IOM and the Azerbaijani
Government holds the National Consultations on Protection of Rights of
Migrants to contribute to Global Compact for Migration
On 26th
July 2017, IOM Azerbaijan and State Migration Service of the Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic held the fifth national consultations on Global Compact for Safe,
Orderly and Regular Migration titled “Protection of Rights of Migrants” in
Tabriz hotel in Nakhchivan city, Azerbaijan. The event was attended by 25
participants including the officials from wide range of relevant national
authorities based in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, namely State Migration
Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State
Border Service, Ministry of Justice, Ombudsman Apparatus and
representatives of media. Opening speeches at the event were delivered by
Chief of IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak and Head of the State Migration Service of
the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Mr. Shahin Nabiyev. The national consultations
were led by Ms. Fanny Dufvenmark, IOM Migration Law Expert and moderated by
Mr. Claus Folden, IOM Consultant. After introductory session the
consultations were followed by the presentation of Country Rrepresentative
of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Furio De Angelis on
the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. The presentation dedicated to
the legislation of Azerbaijan Republic on Protection of Rights of Migrants
was delivered by representative of State Migration Service of the
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Mr. Kenan Mammadov. During the break-out
sessions the different aspects of the topic including priorities and goals
of Azerbaijan with regards to existing policies on protection of migrant’s
rights, challenges for confronting all forms of discrimination, main tools
for ensuring social inclusion in the context of migrants, and measures for
addressing the specific needs of vulnerable migrants in the country were
addressed. At the final section of the break-out sessions recommendations
on protection of rights of migrants were shared by the attendees, which
will feed and shape the country’s contribution to world-wide discussions
and consultations on Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular
migration. To this end the proceedings and outcome of the consultations
would be documented and shared with the Government of Azerbaijan for their
use and contribution to the discussions leading up to the Global Compact on
Migration Stocktaking Meeting in November 2017.
IOM LAUNCHED THE
“PASSPORT EXAMINATION PROCEDURES MANUAL (PEPM) - Second Edition” in
AZERBAIJAN
Developed as an
update to the First Edition (2007) by IOM’s African Capacity Building
Centre in response to the development of new security features in the
production of identity and travel documents, this new version of the Manual
includes new sections that are designed to help in increasing the border
guards’ and relevant agencies’ capability to detect the fraudulent use of
travel documents. The Manual contains technical specifications and
recommendations laid down on the ICAO DOC. 9303 (2016 edition) and Annex 9
to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The International
Organization for Migration (IOM) in Azerbaijan launched the Passport
Examination Procedures Manual (PEPM) - Second Edition” on 24 July 2017 and
delivered a 2-day training to present the PEPM Manual on 25-26 July 2017 in
Baku. More than about 60 representatives from the national institutions,
civil society organizations, diplomatic representations and private sector
have participated in the launching event. The opening speeches were
delivered by Colonel Murad Naghiyev, Deputy Chief of the International
Relations Head Office of the State Border Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Mr William C. Solley, Acting Head of the Political Section of
the U.S. Embassy in
Azerbaijan and Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan. Mr.
Nelson Goncalves, IOM expert from African Capacity Building Center
presented the second edition of PEPM. The second edition of PEPM is
currently available in Arabic, Azerbaijani, Burmese, English, French,
Portuguese, and Turkish. On 25-26 July 2017, IOM Azerbaijan has organized
two-day training with the participation of 10 representatives from the
State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and “SilkWay” Ground
Handling Company. During the 2-day training participants received detailed
information, guidance and direction to effectively screen and identify
falsified travel documents. At the end of the training all participants
have received certificates for completion of the first training program on
PEPM – Second Edition. The Second Edition has been translated, printed and
presented within the framework of the project ‘Enhancement of the National
Capacity for the Integrated Border Management in Azerbaijan’ funded by the
United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs and implemented by IOM in close cooperation with
the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
IOM Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani Government held the
fourth National Consultations to contribute to the Global Compact for Safe
Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)
On 24th July
2017, IOM Azerbaijan and the State Migration Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan held the fourth national consultation on Global Compact for
Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration titled "Comprehensive Policies and
Practices in Managing Migration" in Baku. More than 35 representatives
from different national institutions, civil society organizations and
private sector namely State Migration Service, State Border Service,
Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Ministry of Internal Affairs,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Customs Committee, Ombudsman’s office,
State Statistics Committee, State Committee on Work with Diaspora, State
Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, National Confederation of
Entrepreneurs Organizations, Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation,
Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society, International Eurasia Press Fund, Eurasia
Diary, Women Initiatives and Solution to Social Problems, TEMAS, Azersun
Holding, Silk Way Ground Handling Company “Report” Information Agency and
“AzerTac” State News Agency participated in the event and contributed to
the fruitful discussions. Due to cross cutting nature of the migration, the
consultation was held in four sessions; 1) Plenary, 2) migration
management, 3) border management and 4) labour migration. One IOM expert
and one national expert/official delivered presentations to lay the ground
for discussions at the each session. The Plenary session provided general
information on migration management such as global migration trends and
migration governance framework in the well managed migration policies, GCM
and Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. David Martineau, from IOM
Headquarters made the presentation and raised key questions to lead the
discussions in the migration management session. The first session started
with the IOM’s presentation by David Martineau from which was focused on
understanding the multiple dimensions of Migration Management, migration
governance index to analyze and assess national institutional, policy and
legal frameworks as well as national, regional and international
cooperation and follow-up mechanisms aimed at facilitating safe, orderly and
regular migration. The national presentation was delivered by Mr. Emin
Allahverdiyev, from the State Migration Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, on the national framework in managing migration in the Republic
of Azerbaijan. The border management session touched upon the integrated
and humanitarian border management concepts and migration and security
nexus. Mr. Nelson Goncalves the IOM expert from African Capacity Building
Center and Mr. Murad Naghiyev from the State Border Service of the Republic
of Azerbaijan delivered the presentations. The last session focused on
labour migration. Mr. Michael Newson from IOM Regional Office in Vienna and
Mr. Fuad Jabbarov from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of
Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan were the speakers of this session.
The presentations and discussions focused on mainstreaming migration into
labour market & economic development objectives. The event finalized
with the wrap up and final recommendations by the participants. The
sessions have been moderated by Mr. Claus Folden, the IOM expert. The
collected recommendations would be documented which will be fed into GCM preparations
and discussions.
IOM ORGANIZES A FIVE-DAY TRAINING OF TRAINERS ON COUNTER
TRAFFICKING FOR KEY EDUCATORS OF TRAINING INSTITUTIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF
AZERBAIJAN
The modus operandi
of the trafficking in persons requires the relevant institutions to analyse
different aspects of the crime and build capacity of the law enforcement
agencies through organizing training programmes at different levels. The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) delivered a Training of
Trainers (ToT) program between 17-21 July 2017 in Baku with the
participation of 24 officials from the Police Academy, Police School,
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of
Internal Affairs of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Academy of Public
Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
program is based on the two curricula developed by IOM for the Police
Academy and the Police School. The five-day training curricula has been
specifically designed for the students of the Police Academy and the
three-day version has been developed for law enforcement recruits
particularly for the use of the Police School and the national training
institutions of the Ministry
of Interior. The overall goal is to provide Police Academy and Police
School students with the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills to enable
them to provide an effective first response to human trafficking cases. The
two new curricula formed the foundation of the program and will be adapted
and finalized by Azerbaijani educators over the coming months. The Training
was organized within the framework of the project “Consolidation of
Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan” (CMBA)
implemented by IOM, funded by the European Union and co-funded by BP and
its co-sponsors and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration.
IOM ORGANIZES A WORKSHOP ON IMPLEMENTING READMISSION
AGREEMENTS
The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Azerbaijan is organizing a
workshop on “Modalities and Practices in the Implementation of Readmission
Agreements” on 6-7 July 2017 in Baku. The workshop aims at exchange of the
experiences for efficient implementation of the EU Readmission Agreement in
accordance with the international standards. The event was attended more
than 35 participants including officials from the state institutions; State
Migration Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior,
Ombudsman Apparatus, State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs
and Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and representatives
from the European Commission, Delegation of the European Union to
Azerbaijan, Frontex, Bulgaria, Poland, Sweden, Moldova, Georgia, Germany
and Ukraine as well as IOM’s technical experts on readmission management,
return and reintegration. The workshop is organized within the framework of
the project “Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in
Azerbaijan” (CMBA) implemented by IOM, funded by the European Union and
co-funded by BP and its co-venturers and the U.S. Department of State- Bureau
of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Launched in September 2014, the
project seeks to enhance the capacities of Azerbaijani authorities in the
area of migration and border management in line with the EU-Azerbaijan
Cooperation Agreements, in particular the Visa Facilitation and Readmission
through:
- assisting in the development and establishment of an effective mechanism
for the management of the new visa regime and readmission process;
- strengthening legal and institutional capacity for effective migration
management, including improved organizational performance and efficiency
and upgraded inter-agency cooperation;
- strengthening national capacity for integrated border management (IBM)
through reinforcement of border check and border surveillance procedures
and operation, including through technical modernization and upgrading of
equipment;
- increasing capacity in reducing and combating irregular migration and
trafficking in persons through the deployment of effective and sustainable
practices to fight cross-border crime, organized transnational crime
including human smuggling and trafficking in persons.
IOM Azerbaijan supports the Azerbaijani Government to hold
the National Consultations on Migration and Health to contribute to Global
Compact for Migration
On 19th
June 2017, IOM Azerbaijan and State Migration Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan held the 3rd national consultations titled “Mainstreaming
Migrant Health into the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration” in Hyatt Conference and Meeting
Center, Baku, Azerbaijan. The event was attended by 39 participants
including the officials from wide range of relevant national authorities,
namely State Migration Service, Ministry of Health, Ministry of
Emergencies, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
State Committee for Refugees and IDP Affairs, State Committee for Family,
Women and Children’s Issues, and representatives from academia, media and
civil society. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr.Serhan Aktoprak, Chief
of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, and Ms.Firuza Huseynova, Chief Doctor at the
Medical Facility of the State Migration Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Dr Jaime Calderon, MD MPH, Regional Migration Health Advisor
from IOM Regional Office for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and
Central Asia in Vienna and Mr. Claus Folden, IOM Consultant. The panel discussions
and the break-out sessions was a productive platform for dialogue and
exchange of view, information and experiences among the participants, where
the different aspects of the topic, such as priorities and strategic goals
of Azerbaijan in field of health of migrants, challenges and gaps in
existing policies regulating health of migrants, innovative solutions to
tackle health of migrants were also addressed. “Mental health of migrants
is an important component of their overall health status. Many migrants,
especially victims of trafficking, as well as refugees and IDPs commonly
respond to their hard conditions with a wide range of psychological issues,
such as traumatic stress, cumulative stress, or mixed traumatic-cumulative type of
response. The signs and symptoms normally include shock, numbness,
hopelessness anxiety, fear, or alternatively indifference, apathy,
withdrawal, lowered self-esteem, self-blame, and feelings of loneliness and
abandonment.” explained Dr.Nazim Aghazade, national expert. At the final
section of the break-out sessions recommendations on mainstreaming migrant
health into the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, and
health of migrants in Azerbaijan and is implementation mechanism were
shared by the attendees, which will feed and shape the country’s
contribution to the global compact discussions and consultations. “One of
the main strategies should be strengthening the capacity of the Government
of Azerbaijan in effectively responding to mental health needs of the
vulnerable group of migrants, such as refugees/IDPs and VoTs. This could be
achieved through preparing a training package on psychosocial needs of
migrants and conducting TOT workshops for a selected group of mental health
professionals” recommended Dr. Aghazade. IOM Azerbaijan is conducting a
series of national consultations on the elements of the six thematic areas
of the global compact process following the interest and priorities of the
Azerbaijani Government The main purpose of the consultations is to
determine the key interest and national priorities of Azerbaijan vis-à-vis
the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The topics of
the consultations include (1) migration environment and climate change; (2)
protecting migrants in the context of crises; (3) health of migrants; (4)
migration management including immigration and border management, labour
migration and human development; (5) migrants rights; and (6) combating
irregular migration, trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.
IOM and the
Azerbaijani Government held the National Consultations on Migration,
Environment and Climate Change to contribute to Global Compact for
Migration
On 16th
June 2017, IOM Azerbaijan and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan
held the second national consultations on Global Compact for Safe, Orderly
and Regular Migration titled “Emerging Theme: Migration, Environment and
Climate Change” in Hyatt Conference and Meeting Center, Baku, Azerbaijan.
The event was attended by 33
participants including the officials from wide range of relevant national
authorities, namely State Migration Service, Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources, Ministry of Emergencies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of
Population, The State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Issues,
State Statistics Committee and representatives from academia, media and
civil society. The national consultations were led by Ms. Mariam Traore,
Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Specialist, IOM Office to
the United Nations in New York, and moderated by Mr.Claus Folden, IOM
Consultant. After introductory session the consultations were followed by
the presentations dedicated to the topic delivered by the relevant state
agencies. During the break-out sessions the different aspects of the topic
including priorities and goals of Azerbaijan with regards to
migration-environment nexus, existing policies, challenges and gaps on
migration, environment and climate change in the country were
addressed. At the final section of the break-out sessions recommendations
on migration, environment and climate change were shared by the attendees,
which will feed and shape the country’s contribution to world-wide
discussions and consultations on Global Compact for safe, orderly and
regular migration. To this end, the proceedings and outcome of the
consultations would be documented and shared with the Government of
Azerbaijan for their use and contribution to the discussions leading up to
the Global Compact on Migration Stocktaking Meeting in November 2017. IOM
Azerbaijan is conducting a series of national consultations on the elements
of the six thematic areas of the global compact process following the interest
and priorities of the Azerbaijani Government The main purpose of the
consultations is to determine the key interest and national priorities of
Azerbaijan vis-à-vis the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration. The topics of the consultations include (1) migration
environment and climate change; (2) protecting migrants in the context of
crises; (3) health of migrants; (4) migration management including
immigration and border management, labor migration and human development;
(5) migrants rights; and (6) combating irregular migration, trafficking in
persons and migrant smuggling.
IOM presents
Azerbaijani and Russian versions of Training Manual on Migration,
Environment and Climate Change
The Azerbaijani
and Russian versions of the first comprehensive modular training manual
dedicated to the issue of human mobility and environmental and climate
change: “Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Training Manual
(Facilitators’ Guide)” was launched on 16 June 2017, in Hyatt Conference
and Meeting Center, Baku, Azerbaijan The manual was developed as part of
IOM’s Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Evidence for Policy
(MECLEP) project funded by the European Union and translated into Azerbaijani
and Russian languages by IOM Mission in Azerbaijan within a project
financially supported by the IOM
Development Fund. It provides an in-depth overview on the concepts of the
migration-environment nexus, mobility and disasters and slow-onset events,
data, legal issues, regional perspectives, and a step-by-step roadmap on
how to integrate human mobility into policies, including climate change
adaptation policies. Since 2013, IOM’s capacity building programme has
already benefited about 40 countries globally, where the manual was pilot
tested and validated. Such kind of capacity building training took place in
Baku from 2 to 4 May 2016, designed to build the capacity of policymakers
and practitioners to integrate migration and environment into policy-making,
enabling them to propose concrete national policy and programmatic
recommendations. The Training Manual was developed through a process of
collaboration with MECLEP partners, experts and policymakers, and has been
pilot tested in seven countries before its release. This participatory
training tool is available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and
Azerbaijani to respond to global demand and allow IOM to deliver regular
workshops upon to requests of Member States. The manual comes at a time
when there is an increasingly urgent need to address the impact of climate
change on human mobility. The New York Declaration for Refugees and
Migrants, adopted in September 2016, also acknowledged environmental change
and climate change as drivers of migration, and formally recognized the
migration-environment nexus. To address migration and climate change,
States require capacities to anticipate and manage the effects of climate
change, while integrating the
associated migration risks and opportunities. IOM is committed to building
the capacity of policymakers with tools and years of experience as the
leading agency on Migration, Environment and Climate Change. At the event
opening remarks were delivered by Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr.
Serhan Aktoprak, Program Director of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Mr.
Alessandro Budai, Deputy Department Director of the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Ecology of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Akbar Asgarov,
Senior Inspector of State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Mr. Vagif Mansurov, and IOM’s Migration, Environment and Climate Change
(MECC) Specialist, Ms. Mariam Traore. The launch event was attended by the
ambassadors, government officials representing various ministries and state
agencies, representatives of the international organizations, civil
society, media and academic circle.
For further information on the Training Manual, please go to: www.environmentalmigration.iom.int/training-manual
Awareness Raising
Workshop on Protecting Migrants
On 13th
June 2017, IOM Azerbaijan hosted the Awareness Raising Workshop on Protecting
Migrants in the Context of Crises under the auspices of the State Migration
Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and IOM Mission in the Republic of
Azerbaijan. The meeting counted with representation from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, State Migration Service, Ministry of Emergencies, Ministry
of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and
representatives of multiple diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan. The opening
speech was delivered by the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan, Mr Serhan
Aktoprak and Migration Policy Officer at Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative
(MICIC)Secretariat, Ms Chiara Milano. In the morning session, topics
discussed included the guidelines for assisting migrants in emergency
situations and gathering information on migrants in a country before and
during crises, during which the valuable experiences of the State
Ministries and foreign diplomatic missions were shared. The workshops
continued after lunch with quality information sharing on topics such as
communicating with the different groups of migrants during a crisis and
providing assistance to them at times of
extreme need, such as after natural disasters. Using case studies from the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the diplomatic missions’ own experiences, the
paramount importance of good communication and teamwork between the states in
question and independent stakeholders in crisis situations was highlighted.
During the event, Ms Milano, has presented the MICIC Guidelines developed
with the view to protect migrants in countries Experiencing Conflict or
Natural Disaster. These guidelines identify the roles and responsibilities
of different stakeholders vis-à-vis migrants in countries in crisis and
provide concrete guidance on how to prepare for and respond to crises in
ways that protect and empower migrants. After the lunch, the event was
followed by practical sessions/exercises, involving all participants,
co-facilitated by Mr Serhan Aktoprak and Ms Chiara Milano. It should be
noted that participants made their contributions concerning the ways of
protecting migrants in the context of crises at the national and
international levels. Finally the different MICIC capacity building tools
developed by IOM were presented and demonstrated to the guests.
The Enhancement of
National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan Project has
been officially launched
On 12 June 2017,
IOM organized a kick-off event for the ‘Enhancement of National Capacities
to Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan’ (ENCT) Project funded by the
European Union and co-funded by IOM International Development Fund. The
event was attended by close to 100 participants including Ambassadors and
senior officials of the EU Member States, non-EU Member States, government
agencies, UN agencies, international and intergovernmental organizations
and civil society. Speeches were delivered by Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan HE Ambassador Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev,
Head of EU Delegation to Azerbaijan HE Ambassador Malena Mard, Chief of the
Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Persons of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Colonel Heydar Heydarov and
Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak. With a budget of
EURO 875K, the ENCT Project aims to strengthen the capacity of the
Government of Azerbaijan in effectively countering human
trafficking and protecting victims of human trafficking. This will be
attained through enhancement of national judicial capacities in ensuring
effective justice delivery pertaining to the cases of human trafficking,
strengthening of referral mechanisms and optimized cross-organizational
cooperation to address human trafficking crimes, and last but not least via
enhancement of regional and international cooperation and partnerships to
fight against human trafficking and protection of victims. IOM will be
implementing the project in close cooperation and coordination with the
Ministries of Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Labour and Social
Protection of the Population, State Migration Service, State Border
Service, Ombudsman’s Office, State Committee for Family, Women and Children
and other Government agencies, as well as EU Member States.
IOM AZERBAIJAN
ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW TENDERS:
Notification
on Extension
To whom it may concern
IOM Mission in the Republic of
Azerbaijan hereby extends the time limit for the submission of the
below indicated tenders by 4 weeks. Now the closing date of
submission is June 02, 2017 at 18:00 (Baku time).
· Setting up the system of
e-document circulation for the State Migration Service of the
Republic of Azerbaijan / Ref.# AZ-002-2017;
· Development of citizenship
issues investigation subsystem for the State Migration Service of the
Republic of Azerbaijan / Ref.# AZ-003-2017;
· Improvement of the e-services
of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan / Ref.#
AZ-004-2017;
· Development of biometric
identity management system for the State Migration Service of the
Republic of Azerbaijan / Ref.# AZ-005-2017.
This decision has been made due to the
change on the technical specifications of Tender Ref.# AZ-005-2017
as per the request of the beneficiary institution - the State
Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as questions
received from bidders, to ensure that all interested tenderers have a
proper understanding of the tender specifications and more time to
prepare their bids, while allowing wider competition and
higher-quality tenders.
Note. All prices should be indicated in
EUR.
All other conditions in the tenders remain unchanged.
IOM
intends to hire Service Provider for Setting up the system of
e-document circulation for the State Migration Service of the
Republic of Azerbaijan within the CMBA Project:.
IOM
intends to hire Service Provider for Development of citizenship issues
investigation subsystem for the State Migration Service of the
Republic of Azerbaijan within the CMBA Project:
IOM
intends to hire Service Provider for Improvement of the e-services of
the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the
CMBA Project:
IOM
intends to hire Service Provider for Development of biometric identity
management system for the State Migration Service of the Republic of
Azerbaijan within the CMBA Project:
IOM PRESENTS THE
SPECIALIST HANDBOOK AND ORGANIZES TRAINING OF TRAINERS ON MANAGING MIGRANT
ACCOMODATION CENTRES
The
International Organization for Migration (IOM), is organizing a Training
of Trainers on 3-5 May 2017 for 19 migration practitioners and
representatives from the relevant institutions to present the Specialist
Handbook and the Curriculum on Managing Migrant Accommodation Centers
(MACs). The Handbook provides guidelines on managing migrant accommodation
centers of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan in
line with universal standards and best international practices. The
Handbook will be an important working tool particularly for the MAC staff
and relevant institutions in the delivery of services and monitoring of
Centers. The Handbook and Training Curriculum is developed by IOM within
the framework of the Consolidation of Migration and Border Management
Capacities in Azerbaijan (CMBA) Project which is funded by the European
Union and co-funded by BP and its co-venturers. IOM will continue to assist
the national institutions in building capacities and safeguarding of
migrants’ rights.
IOM Azerbaijan in partnership
with the government of Azerbaijan prevents transnational crimes counter
trafficking and migrant smuggling
During 1-2
May 2017, IOM organized a two- day training for officials of the State Migration
Service (SMS) and the State Border Service (SBS) on counter trafficking and
migrant smuggling within the framework of the European Union funded project
entitled ‘Consolidation of
Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’. The training was
held in preparation of the upcoming Islamic Solidarity Games hosted by
Azerbaijan during 12-22 May 2017. Many global reports indicate that sharp
increase of in-and-out flow of people due to such global sporting events
pose increased risk to incidences of exploitation and human trafficking in
the host country. This initiative was organized to raise awareness amongst
the law enforcement officials within the context of the Government of
Azerbaijan’s efforts to combat human trafficking. A total of 17 officials
from SMS and SBS participated in the training. The sessions focused on
detailed information about human trafficking trends surrounding
international events and identifying possible risks and crimes during
international events in the host country. Interactive discussions were held
on case studies among the trainees and their knowledge was updated on
identifying possible risks and crimes before and during major international
events as well as first response duties for law enforcement officials. Trainees
were provided with certificates at the end of training.
IOM has
successfully completed nine-month Advanced Training of Trainers Course for
the State Border Service officials in Azerbaijan
On 24-27 April
2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) succefully
organized the last Training of Trainers (ToT) on Module 7: Leadership and
Management as a part of the Advanced TOT Course for experienced
Trainer-Practitioner Officers (TPOs) within the ‘Enhancement of National
Capacity for Integrated Border Management in Azerbaijan’ Project funded by
the United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics
and Law Enforcement Affairs and implemented by IOM. The Advanced ToT course
ran from August 2016 to April 2017 and included following seven modules:
1. Document Security and Detection of Forged Documents
2. Features of Border Control for Individuals and Transport Means
3. Readmission Management and Human Rights
4. Types of and Combating Cross-Border Crimes
5. Data Analysis 6. Principles and Methods of Training
7. Leadership and Management
The
nine-month ToT Programme was attended by ten experienced State Border
Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SBS) officials who will be certified
as expert trainers to facilitate the continuous trainings to cascade their
knowledge to the SBS Officers throughout Azerbaijan. The ToT Programme
aimed at enhancing capacity of on document control and verification in line
with best practices, on important elements of border security and the
integrated border management strategy, on requirements and strategies
readmission management and joint return operations, on risk management and
data analysis competences, as well as on theories of leadership and
management, organizational culture and change management. As a next step,
IOM will compile the developed chapters of handbook and curriculum in one
single document for the use of SBS officials.
Training to Health
Professionals
On 19-20 April
2017, IOM Azerbaijan organized a training for healthcare professionals in
Khachmaz within the framework of the United States Department, Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funded project entitled
"Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in
Persons through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan-
Phase VI”. The program was attended by 16 doctors and nurses from different
health institutions of the region. The trainers were part of a TOT held in
2016 by IOM. The training focused on the physical health effects of
trafficking and exploitation on the victims. The participants were given
detailed information about physical signs of trauma, the guiding principles
on how to deal with trauma and the practical application on how to ensure
safe guidance to ensure recovery of the victims of trafficking and
violence. Other topics covered during the training were Health Officer`s
Role, areas of infectious diseases especially on HIV/AIDS. Often victims
who are trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation suffer physical and
mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder due to
physical assaults and beatings, and depression that elevates the risk of
their health. These consequences require a coordinated response by the
health professionals while providing victim care. The training in Khachmaz
was part of the capacity building efforts by IOM to build an increased
understanding on the health consequences of human trafficking.
On 23 February 2017, IOM organized a Monitoring &
Evaluation and Reporting training for 13 participants from three NGO
shelters -Clean World, Azerbaijan Children Union, TAMAS Regional
Development Public Unions.
The USAID funded-Counter Trafficking in
Persons (CTIP) project envisages to enhance the capacity of the NGO shelters on
effective shelter management and improved assistance services provided to
the victims of trafficking and vulnerable groups. Along with the direct
support to the shelters, IOM also aims at ensuring the sustainability of
the shelters’ development and enhancement of their capacity to raise
funds. During the workshop, Shareen Tuladhar, Head of Migrants Assistance
Unit, delivered a session on the monitoring and evaluation framework as a
process to improve performance and achieve results. Konul Karimova
briefed about IOM counter trafficking projects and activities. Humay
Eminli presented the new reporting templates for shelters developed by
IOM to ensure a systematic and standardized documentation and reporting
of data. The templates provide guidance to the shelters to document
achievements in a timely manner and also detects any mistakes and
prevents possible delays. Vugar Naghiyev, USAID delivered a session on
how to write success stories and reach out the readers through various
communication platforms and channels such as social media, newsletters,
blogs, etc. After the presentation, the participants were divided into
groups to write success stories based on real cases and situations.
Discussions were held on strength and weaknesses of the writing styles
amongst participants. This training is in-line with the findings of the
shelter assessment conducted for the three shelters under the CTIP
project.
Increased understanding on health consequences to victims
of human trafficking
On 21-22 February 2017, International Organization
for Migration (IOM) organized a training to build the capacity of
healthcare professionals in Sumgait, Azerbaijan. Based on the IOM manual
on Caring for Trafficked Persons for the healthcare
professionals, the training focused on enhancing the knowledge and skills
of healthcare professionals in identification, referral and assistance to
the victims/potential victims of trafficking. The training was organized
within the framework of the ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures to
Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity Building and
Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase VI’ funded by U.S. Department
of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL). The
training in Sumgait is the first roll-out training to be organized in the
different regions of the country to increase their knowledge on the
specific health issues concerning trafficked persons and the role of
healthcare providers to respond to their needs. Earlier in 2016, a
training of trainers was delivered by international and local experts to
develop a pool of national experts to lead this effort at the regional
level. Attended by 19 healthcare providers including gynecologists,
psychiatrists, pediatricians, physicians etc, IOM
through these trainings strives to capacitate medical experts in
detecting and identifying victims and vulnerable migrants in need of
specific assistance and support. During the training, the Director of
Victim Assistance Centre of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection,
Nazakat Balabayova briefed about the indicators of human trafficking and
its form, the legislative framework to combat on human trafficking, and
role of the Victim Assistance Centre. Javid Jahangirly, trainer
expressed, highlighted that trafficking victims often suffer serious
physical abuse and physical exhaustion as well as starvation, broken
bones, burn, and other injuries consistent with assault. The injuries can
cause lasting health problems and may require long-term treatment.
Therefore, it is important that healthcare professionals understand this
phenomenon and respond accordingly. Gunel Valimammadova, trainer,
highlighted that the participating health care professions demonstrated
interest to the discussions and expressed the importance of impartiality
and unprejudiced approach to the trafficked persons.
IOM PRESENTS A NEW MANUAL TO THE CONSULAR OFFICIALS
Baku -
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized a workshop to
present the initial version of the Consular Reference Manual that intends
to provide guidelines to facilitate the running of the consular operation
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
Consular Reference Manual
will be an important working tool for consular officers in the delivery
of consular services at both the overseas missions and Ministry level.
The manual includes eight chapters: 1) general consular matters; 2)
protection and assistance; 3) legal matters; 4) nationality and
citizenship; 5) passports and return certificates, including return of
citizens; 6) visas; 7) notarial, legislation and other documentary
services; 8) disaster and crisis preparedness and management and covers
the issues related to the migration processes. The Consular Reference
Manual is developed by the IOM with the support of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, within the framework of
the project “Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities
in Azerbaijan” (CMBA) implemented by IOM, funded by the European Union and
co-funded by BP and its co-venturers. The draft of the Manual was
presented in a 3-day workshop in Baku for 25 officials from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, State Migration Service and Ministry of Emergency
Situations. The workshop was opened with the remarks by Fakhraddin
Gurbanov, Ambassador-At-Large, also in charge of the Consular Department
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeroen
Willems, Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to
the Republic of Azerbaijan and Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission of the
IOM Azerbaijan.
On 23 February 2017, IOM organized a Monitoring &
Evaluation and Reporting training for 13 participants from three NGO
shelters -Clean World, Azerbaijan Children Union, TAMAS Regional
Development Public Unions.
The USAID funded-Counter Trafficking in Persons
(CTIP) project envisages to enhance the capacity of the NGO shelters on
effective shelter management and improved assistance services provided to
the victims of trafficking and vulnerable groups. Along with the direct
support to the shelters, IOM also aims at ensuring the sustainability of
the shelters’ development and enhancement of their capacity to raise
funds. During the workshop, Shareen Tuladhar, Head of Migrants Assistance
Unit, delivered a session on the monitoring and evaluation framework as a
process to improve performance and achieve results. Konul Karimova
briefed about IOM counter trafficking projects and activities. Humay
Eminli presented the new reporting templates for shelters developed by
IOM to ensure a systematic and standardized documentation and reporting
of data. The templates provide guidance to the shelters to document
achievements in a timely manner and also detects any mistakes and
prevents possible delays. Vugar Naghiyev, USAID delivered a session on
how to write success stories and reach out the readers through various
communication platforms and channels such as social media, newsletters,
blogs, etc. After the presentation, the participants were divided into
groups to write success stories based on real cases and situations.
Discussions were held on strength and weaknesses of the writing styles
amongst participants. This training is in-line with the findings of the
shelter assessment conducted for the three shelters under the CTIP
project.
Increased understanding on health consequences to victims
of human trafficking
On 21-22 February 2017, International
Organization for Migration (IOM) organized a training to build the
capacity of healthcare professionals in Sumgait, Azerbaijan. Based on the
IOM manual on Caring for Trafficked Persons for the healthcare
professionals, the training focused on enhancing the knowledge and skills
of healthcare professionals in identification, referral and assistance to
the victims/potential victims of trafficking. The training was organized
within the framework of the ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures to
Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity Building and
Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase VI’ funded by U.S. Department
of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL). The
training in Sumgait is the first roll-out training to be organized in the
different regions of the country to increase their knowledge on the
specific health issues concerning trafficked persons and the role of
healthcare providers to respond to their needs. Earlier in 2016, a
training of trainers was delivered by international and local experts to
develop a pool of national experts to lead this effort at the regional
level. Attended by 19 healthcare providers including gynecologists,
psychiatrists, pediatricians, physicians etc, IOM
through these trainings strives to capacitate medical experts in
detecting and identifying victims and vulnerable migrants in need of
specific assistance and support. During the training, the Director of
Victim Assistance Centre of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection,
Nazakat Balabayova briefed about the indicators of human trafficking and
its form, the legislative framework to combat on human trafficking, and role
of the Victim Assistance Centre. Javid Jahangirly, trainer expressed,
highlighted that trafficking victims often suffer serious physical abuse
and physical exhaustion as well as starvation, broken bones, burn, and
other injuries consistent with assault. The injuries can cause lasting
health problems and may require long-term treatment. Therefore, it is
important that healthcare professionals understand this phenomenon and
respond accordingly. Gunel Valimammadova, trainer, highlighted that the
participating health care professions demonstrated interest to the
discussions and expressed the importance of impartiality and unprejudiced
approach to the trafficked persons.
IOM PRESENTS A NEW MANUAL TO THE CONSULAR OFFICIALS
Baku -
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized a workshop
to present the initial version of the Consular Reference Manual that
intends to provide guidelines to facilitate the running of the consular
operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Azerbaijan. The Consular Reference Manual
will be an important working tool for consular officers in the delivery
of consular services at both the overseas missions and Ministry level.
The manual includes eight chapters: 1) general consular matters; 2)
protection and assistance; 3) legal matters; 4) nationality and
citizenship; 5) passports and return certificates, including return of
citizens; 6) visas; 7) notarial, legislation and other documentary
services; 8) disaster and crisis preparedness and management and covers
the issues related to the migration processes. The Consular Reference
Manual is developed by the IOM with the support of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, within the framework of
the project “Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities
in Azerbaijan” (CMBA) implemented by IOM, funded by the European Union and
co-funded by BP and its co-venturers. The draft of the Manual was
presented in a 3-day workshop in Baku for 25 officials from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, State Migration Service and Ministry of Emergency
Situations. The workshop was opened with the remarks by Fakhraddin
Gurbanov, Ambassador-At-Large, also in charge of the Consular Department
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeroen
Willems, Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to
the Republic of Azerbaijan and Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission of the
IOM Azerbaijan.
IOM continues its efforts
to empower vulnerable groups in Azerbaijan
On 12-20
December, 2016 IOM Mission in
Azerbaijan in close cooperation with the Government of Azerbaijan conducted
small business training targeting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and
refugees residing in Agdam, Barda, Fuzuli, Terter, Gazakh and Goranboy
districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In total six three-day training
that covered each of aforementioned areas, were organized in the framework
of the project “Support to socio-economic development of conflict-affected
population in Azerbaijan” funded by the UK’s Conflict, Stability and
Security Fund (CSSF). The project aims to enhance socio-economic
reintegration of IDP/refugees and their family members into Azerbaijan
society, by helping them to earn their livelihoods, improve their standard
of living and become participatory members of the society with enhanced
self-esteem. IOM’s primary partner is the State Committee on Refugee and
IDP Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in close coordination of
which the project target areas and training participants were determined.
During the business training, conducted by two professional trainers, the
participants were given different theoretical and practical knowledge
concerning establishing/expanding small business activities in rural areas.
The events also became a platform for participants to share their own views
regarding the challenges and opportunities of doing small business in rural
areas. As expected from initial contacts with the project stakeholders the
training was of great interest among the beneficiaries. In total 87
IDP/refugees from six target areas attended the training. The female
participants constitute 26% of all participants, which is quite good
indicator in terms of gender dimension. At the end of training 82 business
plans in total were submitted by the beneficiaries. These business plans
represent different business areas ranging from cattle-breading and
small-scale production (like, home-made sweeties) to service sectors, like
auto-wash, hairdressing and etc. After evaluation of the submitted business
plans the selected ones will be awarded small grants within the project. In
this context, at the end of this project, up to 70 IDP/refugee families are
expected to be able to establish/expand their small business activities.
On 19 December
2016, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) together with the
State Migration Service and the Office of the Ombudsperson of the Republic
of Azerbaijan organized an event to mark the ‘International Migrants’ Day
and IOM’s 65th Anniversary as well as IOM’s 20th Anniversary in Azerbaijan
and the 15th Anniversary of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s Membership in IOM.
The event commenced
with the opening remarks delivered by Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission
of IOM in Azerbaijan, Mr. Parviz Musayev, Deputy Head of State Migration
Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ms. Elmira Suleymanova, Ombudswoman
of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Mr. Azer Allahverenov, Head of Public Council by the State Migration
Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. More than 100 officials from the
ministries, diplomatic corps, and civil society organizations including the
Embassies of the Norway, Mexico, Greece, Palestine, Japan, Hungry, Ukraine,
Serbia, NGOs and international organizations such as UNICEF, UNHCR and
ICMPD attended the event. In his welcoming speech, Mr. Aktoprak appreciated
and congratulated the efforts of the Government with the most recent
milestone achievement of signing the Cooperation Agreement on Pilot Project
“Voluntary Return of Migrants from Azerbaijan” between IOM and Azerbaijani
Government. He highlighted that we live at a time of unprecedented human
mobility - a period in which more people are on the move than ever before.
The situation is specially stressed in Europe, where a large number of
migrants aim to arrive, but most of them face difficulties during their
trip and as a result 7277 deaths were reported in 2016. The increasing
number of deaths and missing migrants in comparison with previous years is
extremely alarming. Solutions to the crisis of forced migration and the
protection of migrants can only be found within a wider, coherent and
long-term policy framework that addresses both drivers behind migration and
countries’ legitimate need for labour migration, he continued. Later he
noted that, besides of all the negative context, there have been important
developments in the global multilateral negotiations where migration and
human mobility have been included and which are very positive and encouraging,
such as, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and the new
Urban Agenda and last but not least bringing IOM into the UN system on 19
September 2016. He further emphasized the positive roles of New York
Declaration for Refugees and Migrants – the global compact on migration
Migration Governance Framework and Migration Crisis Operational Framework,
both recently endorsed by IOM’s Member States, and important guidance from
the state-led Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative. Ombudswoman of
the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ms. Elmira Suleymanova highlighted that the
year of 2016 was declared the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan and
Azerbaijan’s experince on this could be a model for the world. She added
that tolerance is more than endurance, it is a respect for all rights of
human beings and cooperation among them. The videos “A Letter from a
Refugee” and “A Day without Migrants” were demonstrated at the event. At
the end of the event migrants shared their experiences with the
participants. Ms. Fatma Hasanli, a refugee from Afghanistan and Mr. Chingiz
Mursalov, a migrant from Russia expressed their gratitude to the government
for the given opportunities.
IOM continues its
work to further enhance the capacities of local NGOs and media/press
representatives in monitoring, identifying, reporting and referring
trafficking in persons and labor exploitation cases
On 13-16
December 2016, IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized the Training in Baku,
Azerbaijan for NGOs and media/press representatives on monitoring,
identifying, reporting and referring trafficking in persons and labor
exploitation cases. The Training was attended by 25
professionals from ‘TAMAS’ Regional Development PU, Azerbaijan Children
Union, ‘Clean World’ PU, Women Initiatives and Help to Solve Social
Problems PU, National NGO Forum Guba Resource Centre, “Education” Public
Support Association of Youth of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society
and journalists from all over the country including Barda, Ismayilli,
Mingachevir, Oghuz and Baku. The facilitators of the training were
international experts Ms. Gungor Cabuk, NGO Specialist and Prof. Dr.
Suleyman Irvan and national expert Mr. Rahib Karimov. The topics on
defining the phenomenon of trafficking in persons and the difference
between migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons; the ethical issues to
be followed while reporting human trafficking cases by media; the
cooperation between civil society and media and other related sessions were
discussed in an interactive manner. For deepen the knowledge of the
participants, role plays and group works were organized which contributed
to the engagement of the trainees and mutual learning. The participants
commended this opportunity to enhance the networking and cooperation
between local actors. The training was organized within the framework of
the US Department of State (INL) funded project Enhancing Cooperation
Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity
Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase IV.
IOM and Government
of the Republic of Azerbaijan Signed Cooperation Agreement for Launching a
Pilot Project on Voluntary Return of Migrants from Azerbaijan
The Cooperation
Agreement was signed at a symbolic moment when IOM celebrates its 20th
Anniversary in Azerbaijan as well as Azerbaijan’s 15th Anniversary of
Membership in IOM.
The
Agreement was signed in Geneva on 8 December 2016 by the Director General
of IOM Mr. William Lacy Swing and the Chief of State Migration Service of
the Republic of Azerbaijan, II rank state migration service counselor Mr.
Firudin Nabiyev who was in Switzerland attending the 107th Session of the
Council of International Organization for Migration on behalf of
Azerbaijan.
Since
2008, Azerbaijan has transformed itself into a common destination country
for international migrants. The Government of Azerbaijan, with the State
Migration Service in the lead, demonstrates significant efforts to
establish an integrated migration management strategy, a prerequisite of
which is addressing irregular migration by ensuring the protection of the
human rights of migrants in line with the national legislation of
Azerbaijan as well as international instruments to which Azerbaijan is a
party.
IOM
considers Assisted Voluntary Return an indispensable part of a comprehensive
approach to migration management, which combines efficient border
management, effective asylum processing structures and respect for human
rights by facilitating the safe and dignified return of migrants and by
encouraging their sustainable reintegration at home. IOM also advocates the
establishment of a cooperative approach and partnership with regards to the
management of
return migration frameworks by engaging countries of origin, transit and
destination.
The
cooperation thus initiated in the context of voluntary return among the
various parties to the process constitutes a platform on which discussion
may be expanded to explore, inter alia, possibilities to establish
facilitated legal migration channels between those same countries.
This project
aims to offer favourable conditions for the successful return of rejected
asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants who wish to return voluntarily to
their countries of origin. The project will introduce and build the
capacity of relevant governmental and non-governmental institutions on the
Assist Voluntary Return mechanism as additional return mechanism which the
state could enjoy within their migration policy. Important to note this
that the pilot is a phased in approach to introducing a more comprehensive
and sustainability programme that includes Reintegration.
The pilot
project will be the first of its kind for Azerbaijan and will incorporate
already existing good practices implemented by IOM and its partners that is
available only in a few countries in the world. IOM thus believes that the
project will serve as an excellent replicable model for many countries in
the Eurasian region and beyond.
The
signing of the Agreement demonstrates once again Azerbaijan’s commitment in
protection of the human rights of migrants in line with the national
legislation of Azerbaijan as well as international instruments to which
Azerbaijan is a party.
In Baku,
Azerbaijan the Training of Trainers organized for health care professionals
focused on building their capacities in identifying, referring and caring
for victims of trafficking
On 22-24
November 2016, IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized the Training of Trainers
(ToT) in Baku, Azerbaijan for healthcare professionals focused on building
their capacities in identifying, referring and caring for trafficking
persons as the health care is a central form of prevention and support in
the network of anti-trafficking assistance measures. The ToT that has been
attended up to 30 professionals from Women’s Consultation Clinics,
Republican Clinical Hospital, Children Clinical Hospital, psychological
health centre, Victim Assistance Centre, state and civil society shelters
for trafficked persons and is organized in partnership with the Victims
Assistance Service under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of
Population. The participants of the training included different types and
levels of health
providers such as psychologist, gynecologists, infectious disease
specialists, pediatrists etc. as the informed and attentive health care
provider can play an important role in assisting and treating individuals
who may have suffered unspeakable and repeated abuse. Alongside with health
care providers the representatives of civil society organizations
specialized in providing social, legal and psychological and shelter
services to trafficked persons were also among the participants of the
training. It should be noted that the diversified composition of the
participants further enriches the discussions and as noted by the participants
themselves the training has been mutually beneficial platform for exchange
of specific experience and add up depth and practical knowledge about
resources and referral to the activities. The facilitators of the ToT
included Mr. Jaime Calderon, IOM Regional Office in Vienna, Senior Regional
Migration and Health Specialist and Mr. Nazim Agazade, MD, Doctor of
Medical Sciences, Full Professor of Psychiatry. Mr. Ramil Kazimov, Senior
Operational Officer from the Counter Trafficking Main Department, Ministry
of Interior briefed about the legislation on combatting human trafficking
and National Referral mechanism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The ToT is
organized within the framework of the US Department of State (INL) funded
project Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking In
Persons Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan –
Phase VI. In the framework of the previous phase of the project two IOM
publications Caring for Trafficked Persons: Guidance for Health Providers
and Caring for Trafficked Persons Facilitator’s Guide was translated from
English into Azerbaijani and printed. The publications are curriculum and
handbook respectively and are comprehensive documents developed with the
aim to address the needs of health care professionals on providing victim
centered, informed and sensitive health care to trafficked persons. As a
next step after the organization of ToT in Baku, the cascade trainings will
be organized out of capital in the regions to reach out and capacitate the
healthcare providers located in the provinces.
IOM continues to
support Azerbaijan State Border Service in its capacity building efforts
On
22-24 November 2016, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
organized the 4th training for the State Border Service (SBS) officials
within the framework of the project “Enhancement of National Capacity for
Integrated Border Management in Azerbaijan” funded by the United States
Department of State, Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and implemented by IOM.
The three-day training on biometric passport control and Schengen visa
regulations was a supplementary part of the Training of Trainers (ToT)
Programme covering seven modules on border management and training
development. It was attended by
the same officials from the SBS who took part at the previous three ToT
sessions. In the first two days of the training course the participants got
acquainted with biometrics in general, biometric documents and the
four-tier access control models of the integrated border management. In the
last day, the participants were given theoretical information on Schengen
agreement, Schengen visas in general, its requirements, categories and
safety features. It should be noted that in the framework of the Advanced
ToT course, each performed ToT sessions are being accompanied with a
chapter of the Handbook on specific modules tailor-made to the SBS and
distributed to the training participants. At the end of the training programme,
all chapters tested and reviewed during the training sessions will be
compiled in one Handbook and Curriculum for use and wider dissemination by
the SBS. IOM will further perform five more ToT for SBS officials in the
framework of the Advance ToT Programme.
The Training of
Trainers (ToT) Programme on Readmission and Human Rights
The
Consolidation of Migration and Border Management in Azerbaijan (CMBA)
Project continues enhancing the national capacities on human rights based
implementation of the readmission agreements. Around 100 officials
participated in to the trainings on readmission and human rights in 2016 in
Azerbaijan under the Project. The Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme on
Readmission and Human Rights have been organized in January
& February 2016 and the first cascaded trainings have been conducted in
April 2016 for the State Migration Service (SMS) and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) by the International Organization for Migration
(IOM). In November 2016, four additional trainings have been organized in
Baku and Nakhchivan in the framework of the CMBA project funded by the
European Union as responding to the request made by the national
institutions. The first 2 two-day trainings were successfully held in Baku
on 1-2 November and 3-4 November 2016 and attended by fourteen officials
from the SMS and one official from the MFA. Training sessions covered the
topics on introduction to the International Migration Law (IML); return and
readmission; human rights standards & migrants’ rights at the regional
and international laws. The trainings were facilitated by the trainers, who
had completed the ToT Programme on Readmission and Human Rights and became
a national trainer. The next two trainings were conducted in Nakhchivan on 15-16
November and 17-18 November 2016, with the participation of total 30
trainees from the SMS, department of MFA, Ombudsman Office, Customs
Committee, and the Ministry of Justice of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic
(NAR). The training participants were provided with the training kit
consist of regional and international instruments, manuals such as IOM’s
Manual on Readmission for experts and practitioners, published reports as
well as translated version of the Handbook on European Law relating to
asylum, borders and immigration of the European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
