ICMPD has launched the first training on Reintegration for Migration Policy Makers and Programme Professionals in Baghdad, attended by senior officials from the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Under the Danish-funded Capacity Partnerships and Access to Information for Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees in Iraq (CAIR-II) Project, ICMPD hosted the training on 24-28 November at the Migration Training Centre (MTC) at the Ministry of Migration and Displaced (MoMD).
The courses aim to equip migration professionals with the knowledge and skills to contribute to the effective implementation and monitoring of sustainable reintegration programmes. It covers modules on basic concepts of reintegration; case management and referrals; effective reintegration support at the individual and community levels; designing sustainable reintegration programmes; and monitoring and evaluating reintegration programmes. Each module are specific sessions that address the most important elements of reintegration tailored to Iraq’s specific context.
Some of the key institutions as the primary stakeholders are the MoMD, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers; as well as the relevant ministries and institutions of the KRG.
In Iraq’s post-conflict environment, reintegration is one of the core themes of ICMPD’s work with the government. In recent years, stakeholders have made considerable progress to improve their process of reintegrating returning migrants from abroad and internally displaced persons. At the same time, stakeholders view the development potential of migrants returning from abroad, seeing many of them as assets for the country, if provided the right support when returning.
Reintegration is also a core political and policy priority for the Federal Government and KRG, with stakeholders aiming to close IDP camps and meaningfully reintegrate people into their communities. Thus, capacity-building is among the core elements to sustain the results and increase institutional capacities of both federal and regional governments through holistic, needs-based, and systematic programmes.
Having actively engaged in Iraq since 2010 with various governmental and non-governmental partners on a range of issues in Iraq, ICMPD’s approach to reintegration capacity-building focusses on national capacities beyond the traditional approaches. In establishing sustainable national systems for training that are integrated into ministerial structures, ICMPD follows a three-pronged approach:
- Developing high-quality, context-specific training courses: including two courses on reintegration, one for migration policy programme managers, and one for practitioners;
- Upgrading training facilities of relevant stakeholders, with current focus on the Ministry of Migration and Displaced, to bring them up to a high-quality standards; and
- Conducting a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme for local officials, so they can serve as an internal pool of trainers on reintegration.
The approach is further strengthened with ICMPD’s Migration Capacity Partnerships Training Institute for the Mediterranean (MCP-Med-TI), officially licenced by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority as a Further Education Institute. The MCP-Med-TI adds value to ICMPD’s work in Iraq by ensuring the training facilities, courses, and trainers are certified under the Maltese Qualifications Framework (which is aligned with the European Qualifications Framework). ICMPD’s work on reintegration in Iraq has unified into a single framework, the Nordic Cooperation on Return and Reintegration in Iraq (NORAQ), in which projects support government and NGO partners in enhancing their migration governance; in particular, improving reintegration support to returnees. This ensures complementarity and sustainability and presents a unified approach towards supporting the government.
