IOM in Turkmenistan

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) established its operations in Turkmenistan in 1997. The Agreement of Cooperation between Turkmenistan and IOM was signed in June 1998.

IOM supports the Government of Turkmenistan in improving migration governance, regularly updating national legislation in the field of migration and prevention of human trafficking in response to the changing migration dynamics and challenges, enhancing the capacities of young people in the context of migration and prevention of uninformed decision to migrate through irregular pathways, providing protection and reintegration assistance to migrants in vulnerable situation focusing on empowerment of women in the context of migration in Central Asia, integration of migration, environment and climate change nexus in the national planning for adaptation to climate change, supporting Turkmenistan in the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

IOM Strategy in Central Asia

The strategic vision of IOM Central Asia is to maximize the potential for migration to contribute to development and economic growth in Central Asia. To achieve this vision and fulfill IOM’s mandate to promote humane and orderly migration management, the following objectives have been defined:

• To improve understanding of migration among governments, communities and employers.

• To help establish efficient migration management systems and address issues surrounding irregular migration.
• To promote and protect the rights of migrants.
• To contribute to poverty reduction in Central Asia among migrants, home communities and host communities.
• To help create an enabling environment for decent labour, equal employment opportunities and implementation of best practices.
• To support community stabilization and migrant integration in conflict-prone areas.
• To provide assistance to people on the move.
• To address the many issues associated with human trafficking, including prevention of trafficking and protection of victims.

Integrated Approach In Central Asia

The five countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – are closely linked in terms of history and culture. Migration issues in these countries are therefore also linked and share strong commonalities. In an effort to address these issues, and to support economic and political cooperation among the five Central Asia states, IOM has recently adopted an area-based approach to the five countries of Central Asia with a coordination office in Astana, Kazakhstan.

To ensure coherence and long-term sustainable solutions, IOM has implemented a unified management approach to the Central Asian countries. This approach has allowed IOM to increase the capacities of individual missions in terms of fundraising, operability, accountability, transparency and professionalism. It also helps the Coordination Office to manage and oversee programmes, enabling IOM to increase its capacity in Central Asia while decreasing operational costs.

In Central Asia, IOM’s integrated approach has created a strong competitive advantage. This advantage arises from three factors. First, IOM’s unified management system increases its capacity in the region while decreasing operational costs, allowing efficient management and helping to ensure maximum impact. Second, IOM has a strong focus on teamwork. Not only do IOM missions within Central Asia work closely together on regional projects, but there is also close cooperation with IOM missions outside the immediate cluster area, especially with Russia. Finally, IOM’s long-standing presence in the region has allowed it to develop wide expertise. IOM has extensive knowledge about the programmatic, geo-political, cultural and socio-economic dynamics of Central Asia.

IOM’s regional programming promotes improved coordination and coherence on cross-border issues and leverages the competitive advantage of IOM’s field presence in all five Central Asian countries. In addition, IOM’s regional programming allows it to engage in close, coordinated cooperation with a variety of governments and civil society organizations. This coordination has led to a strong track record of delivering results.