Migration in the context of regional development
Batken, Jalal-Abad, Osh - The Ministries of Labour, Social Security and Migration and Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission, organize a number of workshops to examine migration processes in relation to regional development in the Kyrgyz Republic. These events support the execution of the Migration Policy Concept of the Kyrgyz Republic designed until 2030 and the Action Plan to carry out the Concept until 2025.
The consultations will be held within the period from March 11 to 15, 2024 in Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh with participation of Governors of Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh regions, as well as with representatives of relevant regional services and Aiyl Okmotu.
Migration is a significant factor affecting the country’s socio-economic development. The Kyrgyz Republic is the country of origin of migrants, mainly migrant workers. In recent years Kyrgyzstan has also become a country of destination for migration.
Today, the Kyrgyz Republic's migration policy is aimed primarily at migrant workers abroad, with a focus on protecting their rights and legitimate interests.
The Kyrgyz Republic's current migration situation is largely determined by the economic, demographic, and political processes that take place on its territory, as well as the impact of various changes in neighboring states and general world trends.
According to the World Bank, the ratio of remittances to gross domestic product of the Kyrgyz Republic has been one of the highest in the world since 2011, at 25-30 per cent. The impact of remittances on the well-being of migrant households has led to the traditional consideration of remittances as contributions to the economy. For example, migrant families are better off than families without migrant workers with remittances, which on average account for more than half of the total household income of migrants.
Data on migration from 2022 in the Kyrgyz Republic showed that 876,900 people (80.1 per cent) were outside the country, of which 857,605 migrant workers worked abroad, of which 853,849 were migrant workers in the Russian Federation.
However, according to IOM data, the number of migrants returning to the Kyrgyz Republic is increasing, mainly from the Russian Federation. According to the results of the survey, migrants identified different reasons for return, but the most common reasons for return was family affairs (35.2 per cent), 30.7 per cent returned to their previous place of residence, and 11.6 per cent found work in Kyrgyzstan.
Recent data on migration processes in the Kyrgyz Republic have attracted attention and the need to assess potential risks in certain sectors of social and economic development. The workshop will provide an overview of current migration processes in the Kyrgyz Republic. In addition, a mechanism to maximize coordination among all stakeholders at the regional level will be discussed.
The workshop will be attended by experts from the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, IOM experts, international experts from Moldova, which will present the state program of Moldova to attract remittances to the Moldovan economy PARE 1+1. International experts will share information on opportunities to train migrants and their families in entrepreneurship skills for business development in local communities. The issues of involvement of diasporas as important channels of information on investment opportunities of Kyrgyzstan will also be discussed.
The purpose of the workshop is to improve a common understanding of the current migration processes in the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as in a collective discussion of the plan for further measures to reduce the potential risks and negative consequences of modern migration processes.
Specific objectives:
- Provide information on recent migration processes in the Kyrgyz Republic with special focus on women migrants;
- Discuss the plan of activities and tools for monitoring the situation and collecting data on migration;
- Provide reintegration assistance to returning migrants (economic, social, etc.);
- Raise awareness of safe and orderly migration routes to non-traditional destination countries;
- Discuss strategies to promote social cohesion;
- Presentation of the PARE 1+1 program.
