About Kahriz

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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.

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.

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.

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.

 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 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.

On 27 October 2016 the State Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the International Organization for Migration Mission to Azerbaijan (IOM), the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan (EU Delegation) and BP and its co-venturers launched the new e-service for SMS at the Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport. It is the first e-service developed 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 partly funded by BP and its co-venturers. The developed e-service, which has been integrated with ASANPAY payment system, simplifies the process of payment of state duties and administrative fines imposed to foreigners and stateless persons and ensures the efficiency, minimizes the time spent on these processes, eliminates bureaucratic factors, increases transparency. At the launch event, opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Parviz Musayev, Deputy Head of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ulvi Mehdiyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ms. Malena Mard, Head of EU Delegation in Azerbaijan, Mr. Cathal Kelly, BP Vice-President for ACG, GPO, Ms. Argentina Szabados, IOM Regional Director for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. After welcoming the participants, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, expressed his gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan, EU, BP and its co-venturers for the partnership and support provided in the course of implementation the CMBA project. Mr. Aktoprak noted that the Government of Azerbaijan pays special attention to the development of information and communication technologies (ICT); essential steps are being taken by different state institutions in Azerbaijan in building of e-governance in the country. Also, Mr.Aktoprak mentioned that more than 10% of the CMBA project budget will be allocated for optimization and modernization of the workflow of application processing, decision making and issuance of documents by the SMS through the utilization of the latest ICTs. The Deputy Head of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Parviz Musayev stressed the effective cooperation of IOM and SMS, and noted that a number of important activities have been implemented within the CMBA project, and development of e-service for SMS is an example of successful cooperation between IOM and SMS. Mr. Parviz Musayev mentioned that henceforth foreigners and stateless persons can easily process the payment of the state duties and administrative fines imposed by SMS through ASANPAY terminals installed in public places including the Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ulvi Mehdiyev briefed the participants about ASAN service activities. Mr. Ulvi Mehdiyev noted that the e-service developed for SMS saves time and finances of foreigners and stateless persons. Head of EU Delegation in Azerbaijan, Ms. Malena Mard noted that IOM achieved great results with SMS and ASAN, stating that EU is satisfied to be a partner in CMBA project and underlining that EU is ready to continue working very closely with the all partners exchanging knowledge and best practices. Ms. Malena Mard mentioned that many European countries may be interested in studying example of ASAN, because it is true success story of Azerbaijan and their cooperation with SMS in this project is essential. Ms. Mard stated EU’s willingness to continue strong partnership, learning from each other’s experiences and trying to integrate more EU best practices. BP Vice-President for ACG, GPO, Mr. Cathal Kelly, noted that BP and its co-venturers are pleased to support the CMBA project in cooperation with IOM, EU and SMS. Mr. Cathal Kelly stressed that celebration of milestone and tangible achievement within this launch event shows that CMBA project has made a good progress. Mr. Kelly thanked IOM, SMS, EU and all the partners involved within this cooperation and expressed his hope that the entire project will be successful as this milestone. IOM Regional Director for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Ms. Argentina Szabados stated that managing migration faces many challenges: balancing the facilitation with a context of border management, ways of combating irregular migration and ways to improve the effectiveness of technological impact in migration and border management. Ms. Argentina Szabados expressed her gratitude to SMS and ASAN for cooperation, EU and BP and its co-venturers for not only funding but also for strong interest in this field. Ms. Szabados noted that with the right technology all challenges can be successfully surmounted. Following the opening remarks, Mr. Zafar Shamilov from SMS visually presented operational capabilities of the e-services. It was informed that the software provides removal of the exit ban within two minutes after the payment of the fine is made via the system by the foreigner whose exit has been banned for committing administrative offence. The software operates in Azerbaijani, English and Russian. At the end of the ceremony, e-service was officially operated at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in accompany with the participants.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized next two trainings in September and October 2016 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. These trainings are part of the Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme in seven modules on border management. On 19-23 September 2016, IOM organized ToT on a Module 2 “Features of Border Control for Individuals and Transport Means”. The five-day training was attended by five senior officials from the SBS who took part at the first ToT on Module 1: Document Security and Detection of Forged. The TOT focused on important elements of border security and the integrated border management strategy, the use of electronic self-service, personal management tool at the border, the essentials of disaster and crisis management, as well as characteristics of border control on individuals and transport means. On 10-13 October 2016, IOM organized the third ToT on Module 3: Readmission Management and Human Rights. The four-day ToT was attended by the same five senior officials from SBS who took part at previous two ToT sessions on Module 1 and Module 2. In the first two days of the training course the participants got acquainted with requirements for conducting national and joint return operations, obtaining travel documents for irregular migrants, selection of transport means as well as provisions of medical care during returns and readmissions. In working groups the desired profiles and selection criteria of escorts, escort leaders and backup-team members were elaborated. In another group assignment, training needs for escorts were elaborated by the participants. In the next two days, the training course offered a mixture of theory and practical work on human rights, risks of infringing human rights, applying a broad knowledge of European and international legislation concerning human rights within border guarding activities, identifying potential positive and negative attitudes displayed within the border guarding operational environment and ensuring to promote and protect respect for human rights principles in all border guard activities. The aim of the delivered sessions was to identify and assess situations where infringements of fundamental rights may occur, prioritise the immediate actions that need to be taken and ensure fundamental rights compliant procedures are implemented in a wide variety of situations, for the screening and protection of irregular migrants. Furthermore, the participants worked on different role plays based on the scenarios concerning on fundamental rights within border guarding (land, sea and air borders) and how to approach them into the everyday work of border personnel. Each performed ToT sessions are being accompanied by a chapters of the Handbook on specific modules tailor-made to the SBS and distributed to the training participants. At the end of the training programme, IOM will compile all the chapters of the Handbook and Curriculum in one material for the further use of the SBS. IOM will further perform five more ToT for SBS officials in the framework of the Advance ToT Programme.

On July 29-30, 2016, IOM organized two events in Nakhchivan and Baku, Azerbaijan respectively. These initiatives were realized in the framework of two projects: ‘Counter – Trafficking in Persons Activity’ funded by USAID and ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures To Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance In Azerbaijan – Phase V’ funded by Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), both implemented by IOM Mission in Azerbaijan. On July 29, 2016 IOM organized panel discussions in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. This initiative was the first of its kind carried out in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. 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 human beings in Azerbaijan and worldwide. It commenced with the opening remarks delivered by General Sharif Asadullayev, Head of Counter-trafficking Main Department, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Colonel Ali Taghiyev, Head of Organizational Inspection Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Ms. Mikaela Meredith, USAID Country Director in Azerbaijan , Mr. Ghulam Isaczai, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, H.E. Dragana Filipovic, Head of Council of Europe Office in Baku and Ms. Argentina Szabados, IOM Regional Director for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The event was attended by nearly 100 officials from the line ministries from Baku and Nakhchivan, diplomatic corps, and civil society organizations including the Embassies of the United States, Norway, Germany, Ukraine, Japan, Afghanistan, Columbia, NGO Coalition against Trafficking as well as Azerbaijan Children’s Union, Clean World Aid To Women Public Union, Education, Public Support Association of Youth of Azerbaijan Public Union. The invited 13 international and national experts from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Great Britain, Israel, Georgia, Ukraine, and US shared their experiences and highlighted practices that could serve as models in their respective areas of expertise. The discussions included the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases, protection of the victims of trafficking, particularly, provision of health care and accommodation, and tackling root causes of the trafficking such as the role of the education and awareness raising in eradication of this crime. On July 30, 2016 IOM and its partners from government, international community and civil society acted together to raise public awareness on human trafficking. The initiative started in the open air in Icheri Sheher (Old City) State Historical-Architectural Reserve at 12:00. In the presence of Mr. Sharif Asadullayev, Chief of the Main Department on Combating Human Trafficking of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the opening remarks were delivered by Ms. Mikaela Meredith, Mission Director of the USAID Azerbaijan, Ms. Argentina Szabados, IOM Regional Director for South Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Ms. Sadagat Gahramanova, Deputy Director of the State Committee on Woman, Family and Child Affairs and Mr. Asgar Alekberov, Chief of the State Historical-Architectural Reserve Icherisheher. The speakers uniformly expressed their agreement to combine efforts of many stakeholders for effective action against trafficking in persons, to support the integration and reintegration of the victims to the society, to continue raising awareness of the general public about trafficking in persons and the prosecutions of the criminals. The speeches followed by a performance by residents of Azerbaijan's Children Union shelter. They staged a scene from A.Tolstoy's famous fairy tale ‘The Adventures of Buratino’ and demonstrated the mottos to stop the trafficking of children and to call the audience to be responsible and careful towards children. During the day IOM with its civil society partners continued to raise awareness through the distribution of 8000 water bottles that were specially designed for this day to call people to be alerted against trafficking and disseminated brochures in different points in Baku as well as in Ganja, Azerbaijan. The production of the water bottles was the exemplary experience of public –private partnership with the local company ‘Aquavita’. IOM and its partners reached out more than 10,000 people to draw attention to the meaning of the 30th July.

On 01 August 2016, Monday the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched the Advanced Training of Trainers (ToT) Course for experienced Trainer-Practitioner Officers (TPOs) of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SBS) in Baku.

An activity of 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 ToT Course consists of the following seven modules:

The ToT Course is enriched through the presentation of international and European best practices and is accompanied by a Handbook tailor-made to the SBS. The SBS TPOs who will successfully complete the ToT Course will be certified as expert trainers to facilitate the continuous trainings to cascade their knowledge to the SBS Officers throughout Azerbaijan.

The First Module ‘Document Security and Detection of Forged Documents’ aims at enhancing capacity of the selected officials from the SBS on document control and verification in line with best practices and is attended by five elite SBS TPOs. In order to test the effectiveness of this comprehensive capacity building programme, the ToT sessions as well as the Handbook, Curriculum and training materials, the Course is developed and applied on a module by module basis.

On 14-15 July 2016, IOM organized two-day international workshop titled ‘Strengthening Structures and Partnerships to overcome the Migration Management Challenges’ within 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. The workshop aimed exchanging of the experiences in understanding and responding to the emerging trends and migration management challenges and strengthening partnerships at national, regional and international levels among migration practitioners. Opening remarks were made by Mr.Vahid Gahramanov, Chief of Migration Policy and Legal Support Head Department of the State Migration Service and Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan. The international workshop was attended by the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Migration Service, State Border Service, State Statistical Committee and State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as officials from the Directorate General of Migration Management of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey and Border Police and Border Operations from the Ministry of Interior of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRoM). IOM experts from the Global Migration Data Analysis Centre in Berlin and Mission in FYRoM, and experts from European Academy of Bozen/Balzano, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM) from Turkey and Alslam Center based in Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have participated and contributed to the workshop by sharing knowledge and their experiences. The workshop facilitated presenting the perspectives of the government, civil society and academia through presentations and inter-active discussions in managing migration and migration crisis. The government representatives presented the legal, policy, institutional and operational framework in managing migration in their respective countries and new approaches in responding to the migration crisis. The civil society organizations made presentations by highlighting their role in migration and migration crisis management and assistance to the migrants and refugees. The challenges including on data collection and management in measuring migration flows, trends and complex migration patterns have been tackled in the two days workshop. Moreover safeguarding the human rights of migrants, protection of vulnerable migrants and actual case studies in implementing humanitarian border management was part of the workshop programme. On the second day the international participants visited the Migrant Accommodation Centre of the State Migration Service. IOM will organize a similar workshop in Nakhchivan in 2016 under the project.

On 24-26 May, 2016, Frontex in partnership with IOM Azerbaijan organized a training on False Document for border guard first line officers of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan within the framework of EU-funded Eastern Partnership (EaP) Integrated Border Management (IBM) Capacity Building Project. The main objective of the training was to enhance the knowledge of border guard first line officers on false document detection, improve their skills in identifying forgeries and increase efficiency in daily operations. The three-day training was conducted by international experts from EU member States, namely, Ms. Ermelinda Rodrigues from the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service and Mr. Maickel van Oijen from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. During the training sessions, international experts shared EU best practices in international document security, including detection of forged travel documents, printing techniques, use of paper and polymer substrates, personalization and recognition methods of impostors at border crossing points. Participants of the training familiarized themselves with associated fraud risks by examining security features of international documents. The event was held to strengthen the border management capacities of national authorities as part of EU Eastern Partnership’s IBM Flagship Initiative. The initiative facilitates the movement of people and goods across the borders in six EaP countries, while maintaining border security by improving inter-agency, bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the target countries, EU Member States and other international actors.

A three-day capacity building workshop for policy makers and practitioners on the topic of migration, environment and climate change took place in Baku from 2 to 4 May 2016. The workshop, designed to enhance understanding on environmental migration and to provide policy makers with concrete tools that can support national policy making, was organized by the International Organization for Migration. Azerbaijan is facing diverse environmental challenges such as floods, earthquakes as well as slow-onset events including sea-level rise and droughts. The country has suffered displacements of people, due to the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters and environmental degradation. Over twenty participants attended the workshop including government officials from Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, State Migration Service, Ministry of Emergency Situations and the State Statistical Committee as well as those from academic institutions such as Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Baku State University and the Caspian Center for Energy and Environment of ADA University. The workshop covered the concepts and theories of environmental migration, legal aspects, issues on data, and participants discussed in corporation of migration in environmental and development policies, and strategies for adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction. The final day of the workshop focused on developing concrete action plans to enhance understanding on environmental migration in Azerbaijan; mainstream migration into national adaptation plans and policies; and providing a legal framework on environmental migration. The workshop is funded by the IOM Development Fund and is the first to be conducted in Russian. Azerbaijan is among the five countries where the capacity building project is being implemented, together with the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and Morocco. The content of the workshop is based on the forthcoming Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Training Manual (Facilitator’s Guide) which will be available in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, French and Spanish.

As a follow up to the Training of Trainers (ToT) on Readmission and Human Rights in Azerbaijan, organized in January and February 2016, IOM started the cascade trainings for the State Migration Service (SMS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Baku and Nakhchivan in the framework of the CMBA project funded by the EU. The first 2 two-day trainings were successfully held in Baku on 19-20 and 21-22 April 2016, each attended by 11 officials from the SMS. Training sessions covered the topics on introduction to the International Migration Law (IML); migrant rights in the context of IML; return and readmission; and migrants’ rights and the experience of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The trainings were facilitated by the trainers, who had completed the ToT course on Readmission and Human Rights held in Jan-Feb 2016. The trainees participated actively in the trainings and engaged in discussions. They acknowledged the importance and necessity of the training topics for Azerbaijan, and confirmed that the training met their expectations. The next two trainings are conducted in Nakhchivan on 26-27 April and 28-29 April in 2016, with the participation of total 20 trainees from the SMS, department of MFA, Ombudsman Office, Customs Committee, and the Ministry of Justice of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR). To ensure sustainability and effectiveness, IOM will organize the similar trainings for newly selected participants later in 2016 and 2017 in Baku and Nakhchivan.

 On 25 April 2016, International Organization for Migration organized Validation Workshop to discuss and validate the results of the research on the Counter-Trafficking Response in Azerbaijan, developed within the context of the IOM Development Fund project “Identifying Gaps and Assessing Need: A Comparative Assessment of Counter Trafficking Efforts in Countries in the South Caucasus” on-going since 01 August, 2016. The project, which stemmed from the initiative of IOM and the governments of the countries in the South Caucasus conducts a comprehensive analysis of the current Trafficking in Human Beings situation in the region. The project’s main objective is to generate current evidence of the regional Counter Trafficking (CT) landscape, on which to base future results-oriented interventions and ensure a more holistic approach to CT. In order to achieve these results, the project further developed a streamlined and comprehensive Counter Trafficking Needs Assessment Tool (CT-NAT), in line with international standards, to be tested in the participating countries and with the intention of future global use. The tool has been developed and research conducted by an international expert, in close consultation with relevant national stakeholders, as well as international organizations and the donor community. During the culminating National Validation Workshop in Azerbaijan, the research findings were presented and validated by relevant CT stakeholders from the national government and civil society organizations. The National Validation Workshop was attended by General-major Mr. Sharif Asadullayev, Chief of the Main Counter-trafficking Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, IOM Azerbaijan, Chief of Mission and Mr. Ashraf El Nour, Permanent Observer for the IOM to the United Nations who was visiting Azerbaijan to attend 7th UNAOC Global Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan. The feedback received during the workshop from the participants will be used to further refine and finalize the research report, which will then be translated and published. Following the National Validation Workshop in Azerbaijan, IOM conducted the similar workshop in the other two countries of the South Caucasus.

IOM organized the Workshop on Sharing Best Practices in Combating Trafficking in Persons among Diplomats on 14 April 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan in the framework of the Project ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase V’ funded by the US Department of State and implemented by IOM. In Azerbaijan IOM has already been promoting the attainment of improved skills of consular officials and labour attaches of foreign embassies in combatting trafficking in persons in the country already for four years. The first and the second series of workshops for consular officials and labour attaches with participation of government representatives were conducted in 2012 and in 2014, respectively. To facilitate a wider exchange of experiences among diplomats who are responsible for providing direct assistance to their countries’ citizens in States where they are accredited, IOM commenced the third series of capacity building workshops. The speakers of the first workshop of the third series included senior officials of the State Migration Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, Turkish National Police Force, IOM’s and its consultant experts. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Chief of Mission of IOM Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilkin Gurbanov, Sector Head of the Main Counter Trafficking Department and Ms. Kimberley Morales, Consular Official, U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan. All speakers noted the importance of international cooperation in combatting trafficking in persons. Chief of IOM Mission also noted that IOM will be developing a manual titled “Combating Human Trafficking: What Diplomats Should Know and Do.” The manual will serve as a tool in identifying trafficking cases as well as referring victims and potential victims of trafficking to relevant authorities and organizations for assistance to victims and undertaking criminal investigations. It will be designed to be used by all the personnel of diplomatic representations, including technical and administrative staff. The workshop that was attended by 30 participants including Ambassadors, consular and labour attaches of the diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan enabled discussions among participants on identifying and assisting victims and/or potential victims of trafficking including providing protection as well as in the form of delivering return and reintegration assistance to the countries of origin.

The senior officials of the newly established Department of Combatting Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking of Turkish Republic paid a courtesy visit to the Main Counter Trafficking Department of the Ministry of Interior of Azerbaijan on Friday, 15 April 2016.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Ahmet Yarim, Deputy head, Mr. Tolga Becer, Chief of Bureau, the representative of the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan, Mr. Sharif Asadullayev, Major-general and chief of the Main Department, his deputy and sectorial head from the side of Azerbaijan. The representatives of the IOM Azerbaijan also attended the meeting on special invitation from the Main Counter Trafficking Department.

The meeting continued on warmly and friendly environment and Azerbaijani officials congratulated their Turkish counterparts with the establishment of the special department on counter trafficking by highlighting that this would enhance the efforts of countering this crime in the friend-country. Mr. Ahmet Yarim noted the most recent migration flows to Turkey and the increase of migrant smuggling and trafficking cases in this background.  He stated that the Department of Combatting Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking was established very recently on 04 February 2016 and has not finalized its formation and would like to benefit the best experience of Azerbaijan on this regard. Mr. Asadullayev emphasized that according to the analysis of the identified trafficking cases, the Republic of Turkey is one of the main countries of destination as well as origin for Azerbaijan which necessitates the close and operative cooperation between the counter-trafficking special units of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Mr. Asadullayev acknowledged IOM’s support by stating that the National Coordinator is very pleased with IOM’s counter-trafficking activities and projects in support of Azerbaijani Government. IOM expressed its readiness to facilitate and support the capacity building of the governments on this regard.

The meeting was concluded in a friendly environment and the officials of both countries decided to improve bilateral cooperation on counter-trafficking between Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute to the common justice.

It should be noted that the representatives of the Turkish special police unit was in Baku to participate at the Workshop on Sharing Best Practices in Combatting Trafficking in Persons among Diplomats organized by IOM Azerbaijan on 14 April 2016. Mr. Tolga Becer delivered a presentation on the Process of Combatting Trafficking in Turkey which engaged the interest of the audience who consisted of the Ambassadors and the representatives of consular officials and labour attaches of foreign embassies in Azerbaijan. The workshop aimed at facilitating a wider exchange of experiences among diplomats who are responsible for providing direct assistance to their countries’ citizens in States where they are accredited.

Between 29 February and 9 March 2016 IOM conducted small business trainings targeting mine victims in five rural districts, namely Imishli, Saatli, Bilasuvar, Aghjabadi and Beylagan. The three day training that covered each of aforementioned areas, was organized in the framework of the project “Assisting Mine Survivors Residing in Conflict Affected Rural Areas Through Livelihood Support Grants” funded by the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). The project aims to enhance socio-economic reintegration of mine survivors and their family members, as one of most vulnerable and marginalized groups, into Azerbaijan society, by helping them to earn their livelihoods, improve their standard of living and become participatory members with enhanced self-esteem in their society. 

During the training conducted by two professional trainers the participants were given different theoretical and practical information concerning establishing/expanding business. 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.  

In total 53 mine victims / family member of mine victims from five target areas attended the training, where 49 business plans were submitted. The submitted business plans in particular cover cattle-breading, husbandry that are considered the areas of specialization in target districts. The project does also consider the distribution of grants among successful business plans that will be subject to evaluation of Selection Committee consisting of IOM and independent experts.

Within the framework of the EU-funded ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ Project, IOM is organizing Document Verification Seminar Series for State Border Service, State Migration Service and State Customs Committee officials.

The seminars aim to contribute to the enhancement of knowledge and skills of border guards, customs officers and migration officials 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 first seminar was conducted successfully on 2-4 March 2016 in Khachmaz and was well attended by a total of 11 officials.

The second seminar is organized in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and participated by 12 officials and was launched on 7 March and will continue until 9 March.

All of the participants from both Khachmaz and Nakhchivan are experienced in work with documents and are dynamically engaging in the activity and discussions and have confirmed that the seminar content and the structure have met their expectations and more importantly are able to apply during their daily works the newest European knowledge about falsified documents. The seminars are facilitated by IOM’s international experts namely Mr. Michael Buxbaum and Mr. Friedrich Frank from the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

On 25-26 February 2016 IOM organized a seminar on mainstreaming the international mobility dimension into Azerbaijan’s Labour Market Information System (LMIS). The seminar 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. Two-day program was attended by 15 officials from the State Migration Service, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tax, Ministry of Statistics, Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation and National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The seminar was facilitated by international experts Eivind Hoffmann and Jessica Latchford, national expert Vugar Bayramov as well as IOM international staff Marina Manke, IOM RO Vienna, Yelda Devlet, IOM Turkey and Svetlana Zhassymbekova, IOM Kazakhstan. The aim of the seminar was to share the first findings of the assessment report on LMIS in Azerbaijan with the officials of the state agencies, also to enhance the capacity of the Government stakeholders in Azerbaijan in mainstreaming migration aspects while developing the Labour Market Information System in the country. Moreover participants were able to look into European countries as well as Central Asian current practices and progresses in LMIS during these two days.

On 24 February 2016 IOM organized a technical seminar for governmental and non-governmental partners on counteracting migrant unauthorized employment and labour exploitation in Azerbaijan. The seminar was organized in the framework of the project ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ funded by the European Union. Clara Pascual de Vargas, IOM HQ, Marina Manke, IOM Regional Office for South-East Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Yelda Devlet, IOM Turkey and Svetlana Zhassymbekova, IOM Kazakhstan contributed to the seminar with their experience and presentations on overview of unauthorized employment and response mechanisms in a regional perspective. Vahid Gahramanov, Head of Migration Policy and Legislation Chief Department, State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan delivered a speech on  unauthorized employment of foreigners in Azerbaijan: key trends and public prevention measures. The seminar was a good platform to enhance the cooperation between governmental and non-governmental partners and facilitate the discussions and cooperation as well as possible coordination between state agencies, civil society and private sector. Participants of the seminar shared and exchanged the ideas and looked into challenges in order to advance a strong dialogue in the future.

In an increasingly globalized world with ever increasing population mobility and disease transmission, enhancing national border health capacities is critical for ensuring public health security.  On 10-12 February 2016 , IOM Azerbaijan organized the training on Border Management and Migrants’ Health in the framework of the EU funded project entitled "Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan" (CMBA). The project is co-funded by BP and its co-venturers. The intensive three day program was attended by 33 officials from the State Border Service, State Migration Service and State Customs Committee.

The training was based on IOMs global experience in developing border health and migration health programs at points of entry and in cross-border settings. The training was delivered by international staff, namely Jaime Calderon, Senior Regional Migration and Health Specialist, IOM RO Vienna, Kolitha Wickramage, Public Health Specialist, IOM HQ, Mazen Aboulhosn, Emergency Coordinator and Psychosocial officer, IOM Turkey and national expert Mehriban Mammadova, IOM Azerbaijan. The aim of the training was to: outline the domestic and international legal frameworks pertaining to the health of migrants; examine the core competencies of border officials in the prevention and control of public health events of international concern; and capacities to respond to the psychosocial and mental health aspects of migrants and mobile populations. The interactive training based on evidence-based approaches were tailored to address the specific needs identified within Azerbaijan, as well as in the cross-broader regions. The participants also explored the need to strengthen technical capacities at the nexus of migration, health and border management.

On 21-22 January and 1-2 February 2016, IOM Azerbaijan organized the Training of Trainers (ToT) on readmission and human rights in the framework of the Consolidation of Migration and Border Management in Azerbaijan (CMBA) project funded by the EU. The project is co-funded by BP and its co-venturers. The ToT aimed at enhancing training capacities on readmission and human rights in Azerbaijan and was attended by 18 trainees from the State Migration Service, State Border Service, Justice Academy, Ombudsman’s office, Institute on Human Rights of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Qafqaz University, ADA University. Four trainees out of the total 18 were officials of the Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Migration Service of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

The first phase of the ToT took place on 21-22 January and was facilitated by IOM’s international expert Mr. Kirill Shevchenko and IOM’s Regional International Migration Law (IML) Specialist, Mr. Vassiliy Yuzhanin. The first day was dedicated mainly to readmission theme, covered by Mr. Shevchenko the topics on the emergence and development of readmission agreements in Europe; experience of the Russian Federation in managing readmission; EC practice in the sphere of readmission and return; and voluntary return as an alternative to readmission. On the second day Mr. Yuzhanin delivered sessions mainly focusing on introduction to the IML, human rights of migrants, as well as the training methodologies and overview of standard IML course.

The sessions of the second phase of the ToT on 1-2 February were delivered by the experts of the European Court of human Rights (ECtHR), Ms. Aida Grgic and Ms. Roberta Muscat, covering the human rights issues in the context of migration. The sessions included, but not limited to removal barriers; detention in an immigration context; remedies against unlawful detention; private and family life issues; freedom of movement and prohibitions on expulsions under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR); reception conditions and social rights of migrants; and human trafficking. The references were made to the relevant articles of the ECHR and the cases of the ECtHR, in connection with the content of the Handbook on European Law Related to Asylum, Border and Immigration, jointly produced by the ECtHR and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and was translated by IOM into Azerbaijani within the CMBA project.

The trainees demonstrated interest in the training topics, acknowledging the importance and relevance to the current needs, taking into account the issues of readmission are relatively new in the country, where local capacities are still to be developed. Being a signatory of the ECHR, the government of Azerbaijan also has commitment to ensure the human rights of migrants are protected and the training participants were interested to learn from the trainers the experience of other countries, and the challenges faced. They particularly appreciated the practical examples of cases.

 On 1 February 2016, the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan (EU Delegation), the Council of Europe Office in Azerbaijan (CoE) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission to Azerbaijan launched the Azerbaijani version of the Handbook on European Law Related to Asylum, Border and Immigration, jointly produced by the European court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
The handbook has been translated into Azerbaijani within the framework of the “Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan” (CMBA) project implemented by IOM with financial support of the European Union. The project is co-funded by BP and its co-venturers.
The handbook examines the relevant law in the field of asylum, borders and immigration stemming from both European systems: the European Union and the Council of Europe. It provides an accessible guide to the various European standards relevant to asylum, borders and immigration. With the handbook, the CMBA Project seeks to assist migration authorities in Azerbaijan as well as legal practitioners, civil society organizations and other bodies that may be confronted with legal questions in any of the areas the handbook sets out to cover.

At the event, opening remarks were delivered by the Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ms. Malena Mard, Head of the CoE office in Azerbaijan, Ms. Dragana Filipovic, Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Deputy Head of State Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Parviz Musayev, the Head of the Ombudsman’s Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Aydin Safikhanli, and the expert of the European Court of Human Rights – CoE, Ms. Aida Grgic.  

After welcoming the participants, the Chief of IOM Mission in Azerbaijan, Mr. Serhan Aktoprak expressed his gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan for the strong will to continuously upgrade migration management in the country, and for continued cooperation and support to IOM, noting this successful cooperation of IOM and SMS can be a good example for other countries as well. Mr. Aktoprak mentioned that the handbook has translation in many languages, and translation in Azerbaijani is the third after Russian and Turkish, beyond EU countries, which is indeed a great achievement. He thanked the Donors of the project and ECtHR and FRA for developing such a useful handbook and their cooperation with IOM. 

The Deputy Head of the State Migration Service, Mr. Parviz Musayev stressed the effective cooperation of IOM and the SMS, and noted the importance of translation of the handbook, that will be a useful tool for the national authorities to learn from EU law and apply in their practice. Mr. Musayev also thanked the Donors, for availing funds for the project, IOM for translation of the handbook as well as the authors, ECtHR and FRA.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, H.E. Ambassador Malena Mard considered the event to be of great importance and expressed that publication of the handbook is a part of a larger project, that covers many components, where SMS, MFA, MIA, SBS and MLSPP are key partners. IOM, the implementing party, closely works also with the Ombudsman’s Office, Human Rights Institute as well as the authorities in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Together with IOM, EU Delegation will continue working closely with the Government of Azerbaijan, whereas there is much to learn from each other.

The Head of the CoE Office in Azerbaijan H.E. Ambassador Dragana Filipovic mentioned about the migration challenges in Europe and added that the states have obligation to protect the migrants’ rights and migrants should be treated humanely. Sustainable solution for the states is to work together. Special attention should be given to vulnerable groups. The CoE’s role is to ensure human rights are protected under the ECHR. The Government of Azerbaijan has very good cooperation in many fields, accepting the convention, and publication of the handbook is most timely, as it is comprehensive guide to many issues.

The Head of the Ombudsman’s Administration, Mr. Aydin Safikhanli stressed the importance of the handbook in the context of human rights. IOM pays special attention to building migration capacities in the country, and Ombudsman’s Administration takes part in these initiatives with great pleasure, having special sector for protection of rights of migrants, refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. He concluded that the handbook will be very important guide for users.

ECtHR lawyer, Ms. Aida Grgic expressed her pleasure also on behalf of Ms. Roberta Muscat, another lawyer of the ECtHR for having been invited to the launch event of the handbook and appreciated IOM’s interest and cooperation on translation of the ECtHR/FRA’s handbook, which is the second initiative where ECtHR/FRA collaborated with IOM in Azerbaijan. The first was the translation of the Handbook on European Non-discrimination Law, also the joint product of ECtHR and FRA, who started cooperation back in 2010. There are also handbooks on data protection and rights of the child already published, and the Handbook on Access to Justice is coming soon. Ms. Grgic hoped for continuation of the cooperation and thanked IOM and the donors for making available the handbook in Azerbaijani language.

The launch event was attended by the Ambassadors and Chiefs of Mission accredited to Azerbaijan, government officials representing various ministries and State agencies, representatives of the international organizations, civil society organizations and media.

On September 30, 2015 IOM Mission in Azerbaijan started the implementation of three year project ‘Counter-Trafficking in Persons Activity’ in Azerbaijan with the generous funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Azerbaijan. Though IOM Mission in Azerbaijan and USAID/Azerbaijan have been cooperating and coordinating development activities in Azerbaijan, this is the first time since the establishment of the IOM Mission in Baku they entered into a formal partnership to jointly support Azerbaijan's efforts in the area of countering trafficking in persons. The objective of the project is to assist the Government of Azerbaijan and civil society organizations to further improve Azerbaijan's effectiveness in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings. The project will raise public awareness on trafficking in human beings and provide technical and financial support to the shelters operated by civil society organizations for assisting potential and actual victims of human trafficking. In addition, the project will aim at further enhancing multi-stakeholder co-ordination and co-operation on tackling emerging forms of human trafficking and forced labor through facilitating round-table discussions and developing recommendations to the Government.

The project is expected to generate the following results:

1. assistance to confirmed and presumed victims of trafficking and forced labor improved;

2. public awareness and education on anti-trafficking increased, especially of vulnerable population groups; and

3. professional dialogue, communication and co-ordination in support of effective and sustainable anti-trafficking response enhanced.

On 30 September and 1 October 2015 IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized a training in Baku on inspection and monitoring of unauthorized employment of migrant workers in the framework of the project ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ funded by the European Union. The representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, State Labour Inspectorate, State Migration Service, State Border Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of National Security and Ombudsman’s Office attended the training. The training was delivered by IOM’s international expert Francesco Panzica and national expert Nigar Huseynova. Marina Manke from IOM Regional Office for South-East Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia contributed to the training with her presentation on undeclared work and its linkage to human trafficking and labour exploitation. The scope of the training was to provide an overview about international and EU norms and practices and on ways and means on how to prevent and fight against undeclared work and specifically concerning irregular employment of foreign workers. Effective management of institutional inter-agency coordination; review of the national legislation in combating undeclared work and irregular migration, compared with international legal provisions; the protection of migrants’ rights, in particular the rights of irregular migrants were among the training sessions.

On 23 and 24 April 2015 IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized a training for 15 officials of the State Border Service on secure document examination and forgery detection techniques and combatting trafficking in persons (TIP) and the role of border guards in this context at the State Border Service training centre in Baku in the framework of the project on ‘Preventing Trafficking In Persons through Capacity Building and Awareness Raising in Azerbaijan’ funded by the British Embassy Baku. The training was delivered by the IOM’s international experts Mr. Ian Fotheringham (expert in forged documents) and Ms. Astrid Ganterer (expert in combatting trafficking in persons).
All trainees were unanimously interested in the presented topics and fully engaged in all training sessions. The training participants who were all females have the perspective to be posted at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport. In addition, the representative of the British Embassy Baku participated at the training representing the donor. 
The training was the second of the series of trainings sessions that IOM organized for the new recruits to the State Border Service organized within the abovementioned project. On 28th January 2015, IOM organized one day training for 33 agents of the State Border Service during their three-month induction-training program. This training that was delivered by the international expert Mr. Paul Holmes provided the participants with a broad and generalised overview of the crime of trafficking in persons and their role in the Azerbaijan counter-trafficking response.

On 16 March 2015, IOM jointly with the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society (AzRCS) started to organize the awareness raising and sensitization seminars on migration, risks of irregular migration and dangers of trafficking. The first seminar was organized at the University of Tourism and Management which was participated by more than 30 students and teachers of the University.

The session continued with the demonstration of video materials and Two Little Girls video animation describing how this phenomenon take place and information materials, Two Little Girls flyers and DVDs were disseminated among the audience.

The seminars are organized jointly with the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society in cooperation with the Ministry of Education that are in line with the National Action Plan on Counter Trafficking for 2014-2018 years.

The seminars are organized as an activity of the Project ‘Enhancing Cooperation Measures to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan – Phase IV’ funded by the US Department of State implemented by IOM Mission in Azerbaijan.

On 2-6 March 2015, IOM and the Academy of Public Administration (APA) organized yet another one-week training on counter-trafficking for civil servants in Azerbaijan.
The training course has been institutionalized within the APA’s Continuous Education Institute of the Civil Servants in 2013 and aims to equip civil servants with necessary skill and knowledge to identify, refer to appropriate governmental and non-governmental organizations for support and assist victims and potential victims of trafficking.  

The training was attended by 25 officials of local executive authorities from different cities and regions of Azerbaijan including Baku and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The sessions were facilitated by the experts and officials of the relevant state bodies including State Migration Service, Main Counter-Trafficking Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ombudsman’s Office, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population, State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, IOM and experienced in the field lawyers as Ruslan Valiyev and Sahib Mammadov. The sessions were mainly focused on International, European and national counter-trafficking legislation, as well as referral, reintegration of and assistance to the victims of trafficking, etc. The training participants were presented certificates on completing the training programme at the end.
This training course has been developed in the framework of the comprehensive counter-trafficking programme funded by the US Department of State and implemented by IOM Mission in Azerbaijan since 2008.

On 24-25 February 2015, IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized training on “Interviewing techniques during investigating asylum claims and interviewing irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers” in Baku for the officials of the State Migration Service.

The training was carried out as an activity of the “Supporting the establishment of effective readmission management in South Caucasus” Project funded by the European Union with co-funding received from IOM Development Fund and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The training sessions were delivered by the experts from the Ministry of Security and Justice of the Netherlands.

The training participants indicated that as it is a new field for them, their expectations are to improve their skills and capacity on the topic.

The sessions included but not limited to the method of interviews with asylum seekers in Europe and its phases and the relevance thereof, interviewing techniques, interviewing vulnerable persons in depth. The training sessions raised the interest of the participants and were accompanied by exercises and games and plenary discussions to strengthen the practical skills and to exchange best practice in this field.

On 3-5 December 2014, IOM Mission in Azerbaijan organized the International Workshop on Return and Readmission in Baku within the project “Supporting the establishment of effective readmission management in South Caucasus” funded by the European Union with co-funding received from IOM Development Fund and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.  

The event was attended by more than 60 participants including senior officials from governmental authorities responsible for migration and return management in Azerbaijan, representatives of the European Commission (from both DG Home in Brussels and the Delegation in Azerbaijan), experts from EU Member States (Belgium, Germany) and Switzerland and non-EU countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey and Serbia), EU MS and other relevant Missions accredited in Azerbaijan, IOM regional and national experts as well as mass media.  The objective of the workshop was to facilitate exchange of experience, information and good practices in return and readmission with the involvement of EU Member States, IOM, and third-countries’ governments that have already implemented readmission agreements.   

Opening remarks were made by Mr. Parviz Musayev, the Deputy Chief of the State Migration Service; Mr. Jeroen Willems, Head of Operations, EU Delegation to Azerbaijan; and Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, Officer in charge, IOM Mission in Azerbaijan. The delegates and IOM experts had the opportunity to share their experiences including statistical and practical information in countering irregular migration, return management including assisted voluntary return and reintegration, negotiating, and implementing readmission agreements.

On the last day of the event, the international delegates visited the Migrant Accommodation Centre both open and closed facilities owned by the State Migration Service (SMS) of Azerbaijan followed by a short visit to the headquarters of the SMS. 

On 22 October 2014, the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan (EU Delegation), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission to Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, the State Migration Service of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of Azerbaijan jointly launched the project ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’.
The EU-funded ‘Consolidation of Migration and Border Management Capacities in Azerbaijan’ project aims to consolidate Azerbaijan’s migration management capacity to effectively implement the reforms foreseen by the EU-Azerbaijan Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements. This is in line with the Institutional Reform Plan II of the EU-Azerbaijan Comprehensive Institutional Building Programme, adopted by the EU and the Government of Azerbaijan in 2012, and in full observance of international and European human rights standards.
The project will contribute to the efforts towards achieving an effective management of procedures and processes vis-à-vis the emigration, immigration, transit and asylum flows by following a tailored approach and taking into account the specific roles and needs of the State agencies of Azerbaijan. IOM will be implementing the project jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Migration Service, State Border Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population. Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society will provide partner support.
Opening remarks were delivered by the Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, H.E. Ambassador Malena Mard, by the Deputy Head of State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Parviz Musayev, by the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Matin Karimli, by the Head of the Humanitarian Issues Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Marat Kangarlinski and by the Regional Director for Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the International Organization for Migration, Ms. Renate Held.
The Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, H.E. Ambassador Malena Mard considered the event to be of great importance and expressed that European Union’s commitment to support the Azerbaijan authorities in migration management has been long standing. ‘The EU Azerbaijan cooperation has evolved through different instruments and since 2007, Azerbaijan and the EU cooperate under the under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). The will of the European Union to support Azerbaijani authorities in this field has been reinforced upon the signature last year of the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements. This action, supported through funding of the ENPI, is complimentary to the actions implemented between the EU and Azerbaijan within the framework of the Mobility Partnership. EU provides EURO 2,6 million of the total EURO 3,3 million budget of the project’ continued, top EU Diplomat.
The Deputy Head of State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Parviz Musayev stressed that the project contributes to the implementation of agreements on visa facilitation and readmission agreements between the EU and Azerbaijan, which entered into force on 1 September 2014.
The Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Matin Karimli noted that data and information management is crucial for effective migration policy development.
The Head of the Department of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Marat Kangarlinski said that the project contributes to the efficient management procedures and issues of migration, immigration, transit and shelter.
The Regional Director for Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the International Organization for Migration, Ms. Renate Held highlighted that the project will enable IOM to use its global expertise as well as the experience acquired in Azerbaijan to support the Government in enhancing its migration and border management system and ensuring its effective functioning. She added that this initiative aims to contribute to Azerbaijan’s strategic priorities, including the country’s Development Concept for 2020, Azerbaijan-EU cooperation, most notably in the context of the EU-Azerbaijan Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements, but more broadly in the context of the Eastern Partnership, European Neighbourhood Policy and the Mobility Partnership.
The launch event was attended by the Ambassadors of EU Member States, government officials representing various ministries and State agencies, representatives of the international organizations and media.

On 22nd of October 2014 the British Embassy in Baku and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Azerbaijan organized the launch event of the ‘Two Little Girls’ awareness raising campaign in Azerbaijan.  Senior officials from the government authorities involved to the migration, Embassies and international organizations and non-governmental organizations have been invited to attend the event. Thus, the Deputy minister of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (MLSPP), director of the Victims Assistance Centre under MLSPP, departmental head of the State Migration Service, representatives of the Cabinet of Minister, Ombudsman’s Office, State Committee on Family, Women, Children Affairs, UNICEF, UNDPI, OSCE, USAID, UNHCR, ILO, the ambassadors and senior officials of the British, Moldovan, US, Tajikistan, Serbian, Russian, Latvian embassies and representatives of the non-governmental organizations such as Azerbaijan Migration Centre, Azerbaijan Children’s Union, “Women of XXI Century”, TAMAS Regional Development Public Union (Ganja city), journalists and media representative participated in the launch event.
The British Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Irfan Siddiq opened the launch event and highlighted the importance of the campaign in combating sex trafficking and expressed his to gratitude to the government for their commitment. He indicated that the campaign has already been successfully spread in several countries in Europe and hoped that it would have positive results in Azerbaijan as well.
Deputy Head of the Main Department for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Police colonel Imran Najafov highlighted that the problem of trafficking in persons is global and Azerbaijan joined to the relevant conventions of UN and actively struggles with it. He emphasized the activities of the law-enforcement authorities.
Regional Director for Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the International Organization for Migration, Ms. Renate Held thanked his Excellency, the British Ambassador, Mr. Irfan Siddiq for convening the event and indicated that trafficking in persons is one of the most heinous international crimes of the globalized era and exploits the most vulnerable of human beings. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children continue to be abused and exploited by this human rights violation all over the world. She indicated that according to the recent estimates of the International Labour Organization, forced labour in the private economy alone generates USD 150 billion in illegal profits per year, of which USD 99 billion comes from sexual exploitation. So, trafficking remains the world’s third most profitable criminal activity. She expressed her appreciation to the funding organizations, British Embassy and government of Azerbaijan for their excellent cooperation and continued efforts aimed at eradicating trafficking in persons.
Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, the Officer in Charge of the IOM Mission in Azerbaijan expressed his gratitude to the British Embassy in Baku for their support and hosting the event, the UK charities most notably Comic Relief and the Tudor Trust for their generous support to carry out the campaign in Azerbaijan. He indicated that in cooperation with Khazar Television, the campaign in Azerbaijan seeks to sensitize and raise awareness among the population to the dangers and risks of human trafficking, and thus to support its combating. In addition to the video, the IOM jointly with the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society will be holding a series of awareness raising seminars to highlight the risks of trafficking and further promote the key themes of the ‘Two Little Girls’ campaign during these seminars.
In the continuation of the launch event the Two Little Girls video was presented.
The media and press covered the launch event and spread the word about the campaign.

From 28 September to 4 October 2014, IOM organized a seven-day visit to Germany and Belgium for ten relevant migration authorities from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Ministry of National Security, State Migration Service and the State Border Service. The main focus of the visit was to study experience of Germany and Belgium on return (i.e. forced return, voluntary departure and assisted voluntary return and reintegration) and to expose the participants to practices of managing migrant accommodation facilities as well as  how to secure full respect for human rights while preserving the integrity of immigration and asylum legislation. The return and readmission experience and practices of the countries in question has been shared taking into account the recent conclusion of readmission agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan.

The study visit included meetings in Nuremberg with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the Return Counseling Office and IOM Nuremberg Office; in Munich with the Bavarian Ministry of Interior and the Federal Police Inspectorate of the Munich Airport; in Brussels with the Belgian Immigration Office, the Centre for European Policy Studies, EC and IOM Mission to Belgium and Luxemburg, Embassy of Azerbaijan to Belgium and Luxemburg. The Delegation also had an opportunity to visit a closed type accommodation centre in Vottem, Belgium.
The study visit was organized as an activity of the regional project “Supporting the Establishment of Effective Readmission Management in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia” funded by the European Union with the co-funding received from IOM Development Fund and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

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