IOM is undertaking the following measures to this end:

• contribute to the development and update of the national and regional policies related to labour migration (including overall socio-economic development, employment, migration, education, health, etc.) taking into consideration a sectoral and skill-based approach, in line with labour market needs and projections;
• broaden existing evidence base for policy-making, by enhancing existing labour market information systems and data gathering to ensure that migration-specific information is captured and processed, feeding monitoring and forecasting;
• build capacity of the governments to implement labour migration policies along the labour migration cycle – at pre-departure, during migration and upon return, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, trade unions, migrant associations and international stakeholders;
• promote an inter-agency partnership and cooperation between migration authorities and employment agencies within countries, as well as between employment agencies or between migration authorities along the labour migration channels;
• support the development and implementation of bilateral agreements and multilateral frameworks among countries of origin and destination promoting circular migration, portability of social benefits and recognition of qualifications, using a sectoral approach and ensuring protection of migrants’ rights;
• promote fair and ethical recruitment in line with the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) and overall international norms and frameworks;
• contribute to the development of qualification and skills of those who may opt to search for employment abroad or return back home, via proper training and vocational education, pre-departure orientation and information support, while paying particular attention to the needs of marginalized groups, including women and youth.

Ineffectively regulated labour mobility within and out of the SEE region has been recognized as a significant obstacle towards integrated, smart, inclusive and sustainable growth identified as the regional development goal in the South Easter Europe 2020 strategy, elaborated with the support of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and endorsed by the ministers of economy in 2013. The present action is developed by IOM in cooperation with the RCC with the overall purpose of mainstreaming migration into the development strategy in the SEE, in particular through implementing key strategic measures under the SEE 2020 inclusive growth pillar on labour mobility. The proposed action is also fully in line with the EU approach towards enhancing growth, such as the New Agenda for Skills and other flagship initiatives of the EU 2020 and the priority policy areas and specific objectives defined in the IPA II regulation.

Objectives and results:

A comprehensive 3-year regional action will address the skill challenge of migration management which the governments in the SEE will be increasingly facing in the forthcoming 5-10 years, as they are advancing with the overall EU integration and the integration of labour markets in particular. The project will contribute to the economic and social development in the SEE, with a view to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, through fostering employment and developing human capital.

Specifically the project will

1. Broaden the evidence base and strengthening state capacity to more effectively manage the skill dimension of labour mobility and trade in services within the region and towards EU, in line with
   • current and forecast labour market needs,
   • on-going integration with EU labour markets,
   • increasing demographic challenges in SEE.
2. Promote technical and expert level cooperation among the relevant governmental, private and civil stakeholders to feed into policy development and decision making, with an eventual institutionalization by mainstreaming the regional cooperation on labour mobility management through existing structures such as the Working group on Social Agenda 2020 or the Working Group on Trade in Services,
3. Identify and pilot practical implementation mechanisms and schemes in line with current EU approaches and practices.

In SEEECA, IOM will continue carrying out the following activities to achieve these objectives:

• implement economic and community development programmes to address root causes of economically motivated migration;
• support governments at the national and regional levels in mainstreaming migration into development and sectoral policies;
• promote permanent, temporary and virtual return of qualified nationals to the countries of origin, to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills acquired by migrants during their time abroad to their home communities;
• facilitate economic and social (re) integration of migrants using tailor-made approaches to enable them to be more effective agents of development for countries of origin and destination;
• raise awareness in the host societies of the benefits of migration, address prejudices and cultural stereotyping and promote tolerance and cultural diversity;
• contribute to building sustainable partnerships among countries of origin, migrants, migrant networks and communities, including by undertaking diaspora mapping and building the capacity of responsible government bodies in developing and implementing diaspora engagement roadmaps;
• facilitate the development of policies and mechanisms that improve remittance services for migrants and enhance their developmental impact, as well as promoting diaspora investment, philanthropy and tourism;
• partner with financial institutions and other private entities to lower remittance transfer costs and link remittances and other financial gains from migration with credit schemes to promote entrepreneurial activities;
• empower migrants through financial literacy training and information dissemination, including on the available official channels for remittance transfer, on investment opportunities and access to credit options; and ensuring targeted outreach to women (both female migrants and women staying in the country of origin as household heads) in this context;
• utilize the potential of modern means of communication and technology for reaping the benefits of migration, including crowdsourcing, social media and development of global databases, registers and virtual platforms.

The first action aims at building the capacity of governments in Central Asia for maximizing the development benefit from labour mobility of their citizens within and out of the region. This initiative is based on public-private cooperation and aims to support policy development, bilateral agreements, legislation and administrative structures that promote effective and transparent recruitment and protection of migrant workers’ rights. As a specific outcome, the initiative will pilot a scheme for facilitating recruitment of qualified human resources in the region, in compliance with principles of fair and ethical recruitment and the International Recruitment Integrity System.

Another initiative is aimed at contributing to human capital development in Central Asia through effective diaspora engagement strategies and temporary return of qualified specialists (health and educational sectors) from Russia to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Diaspora engagement in Central Asia will also utilize the potential of modern means of communication and technology for reaping the benefits of migration, and for development of global databases, registers and virtual platforms, building sustainable partnerships among countries of origin, migrants, migrant networks and communities, including by undertaking diaspora mapping and building the capacity of responsible government bodies in developing and implementing diaspora engagement roadmaps. A future aim is to develop permanent, temporary and virtual return of qualified nationals to the countries of origin, to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills acquired by migrants during their time abroad to their home communities.

A third initiative aims at mainstreaming migration into local development in the Eastern Partnership Region through enterprise creation and development, support to migrant entrepreneurship, piloting of remittance linked financial instruments and attracting diaspora resources, utilizing the potential of modern means of communication and technology including crowdsourcing, partnering with financial institutions and other private entities to lower remittance transfer costs and link remittances and other financial gains from migration with credit schemes to promote entrepreneurial activities;