From February 29 to March 1, the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) organised a study visit to Uzbekistan on external labour migration management for the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of Population of Tajikistan.

The Tajik delegation received a first-hand presentation from the Agency for External Labour Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan on their good practices in managing pre-departure training sessions for potential migrants. They visited the backbone of the Uzbek well-developed pre-departure system - mono-centres in Tashkent and Samarkand, where prospective labour migrants receive advanced training courses and the necessary knowledge to work abroad. Furthermore, the guests were introduced to the activities of a pre-departure training centre for Uzbek citizens departing to Germany in pursuit of employment in Tashkent and also had a tour around a vocational training centre for unemployed citizens (KOICA) in Samarkand. 

The participants from Tajikistan have learnt the methodology of the pre-departure training sessions and gathered relevant knowledge to further ameliorate their practices in offering support to potential labour migrants from the Tajik border regions.  Furthermore, the study visit also provided an opportunity to exchange on a broader spectrum of migration management topics. 

This activity was organised in the framework of the Programme’s Component 4, “Improvement of Cross-Border Cooperation”, and is aimed at improving living conditions in border areas through local economic development, with a focus on human rights, gender equality and vulnerable groups.