On 06 February 2020, ICMPD officially signed a document of cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) of the Republic of Iraq at the ICMPD Headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
The agreement focuses on the cooperation in the field of labour migration and social affairs as well as on reinforcing the strategic partnership between both parties. It is foreseen that the cooperation will include, among others, developing the Ministry’s capabilities for strengthening and managing national and foreign labour and social affairs in Iraq, the preparation of legislation, regulations and required services in the area of foreign labour migrants as well as awareness-raising on labour migration processes and mechanisms.
Mr. Raed Jabbar Bahid, Director General of the Labour and Vocational Training Directorate of Iraq’s MOLSA and Dr. Michael Spindelegger, Director General of ICMPD, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.
ICMPD welcomes the trust instilled by Iraq’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and looks forward to continuing the collaboration in the pursuit of making migration and mobility of people in Iraq orderly, safe and regular, including through the development and implementation of new labour migration policies.
As of February 2020 ICMPD implements two European Union-funded multi-annual projects in Iraq: "Improving Migration Management in the Silk Routes Countries" started in August 2017, which focuses on various kinds of migration policy. It includes the support for developing a policy on engagement with Iraqis abroad, the expansion of labour migration laws and regulations as well as managing two Resource Centres for Labour and Migrant Workers, which inform about and raise awareness on legal and irregular migration. The second project is entitled "Integrated Border Management in Silk Routes"; it started in January 2019 and supports national and international coordination and cooperation between all government authorities and agencies that are involved in Iraq’s border security and trade facilitation.
The document of cooperation between ICMPD and MOLSA presents eight common areas of cooperation, including, among others: strengthening the governance framework for foreign migrant workers, assisting in the reintegration and rehabilitation of returning Iraqi workers, supporting the implementation of Iraq’s policy on engagement with Iraqis Abroad, promotion of safe, orderly and regular migration, and training for departing and incoming migrant workers.