Two ILO/UNDP projects on human trafficking prevention and labour migration governance presented in Dushanbe.

Tajik Labour and Social Protection Minister Emin Sanginov said the first project on Sustainable Partnerships for the Effective Governance of Labour Migration in the Russian Federation, the Caucasus and Central Asiais designed for migrants and their families, national governments and trade unions.

The project is aimed to make migration management processes sustainable and involve in them all interested parties, he said. Sanginov pointed out that the project will promote national and regional dialogue between social partners discussing more efficient and just norms of migration flows management. During the project’s implementation the results of surveys of changing conditions on the labour market and its demands will be taken into account.

According to Sanginov, the project will be implemented from January 2007 till December 2009. The project’s budget is estimated at over 2.4 million US dollars.

The second project on sustainable community development to create jobs and upgrade labour migration management is being implemented in the Rasht valley, the deputy minister said.

The project is aimed to fight human trafficking in Tajikistan through upgrading employment policy and measures taking into account population’s demands. The project’s beneficiaries are potential migrants that may fall victims of human trafficking as well as incomplete families that have to cope with long-term consequences of migration.

The project has been implemented since July 1, 2007, to last till June 30, 2009. The project’s budget makes up 1.065 million US dollars.

ILO senior technical adviser Nilim Baruah pinpointed that labour migrants make a considerable contribution to economic development not only of their own country, but also of a host country.

“Labour migrants’ remittances help improve living standards of migrants and members of their families,” he said. “According to our estimates, over 600,000 labour migrants from Tajikistan work in Russia and Kazakhstan.”

According to the ILO, over 1 million labour migrants from the CIS have been legally registered in Russia since new migration legislation entered into force. Nilim Baruah admitted that around 10-12 million irregular migrants continue to work in Russia, including 30 percent of those engaged in forced labour.

Speaking about Russia’s migration legislation, the ILO expert said registration procedures became more simplified and affordable for migrants. “The new legislation toughens responsibility of employers, who use illegal labour,” he said pointing out that Russia has a good legislation base, but lacks capacity for its implementation.

Nilim Baruah highlighted that trade unions play an important role in the labour migration policy-making. “It is necessary to establish relations between trade unions in different countries and to strengthen contacts of labour migrants with trade unions,” he said.