CONSULTATION CENTERS ON MIGRATION ISSUES TO BE CREATED IN YEREVAN, GYUMRI, AND ARTASHAT

Noyan Tapan
Nov 7, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. A Memorandum on Mutual Understanding
was signed on November 7 between the UNDP Armenian Office and the
RA Territorial Administration Ministry’s Migration Agency. The Safe
Journey program started by it. Within the framework of the program,
consultation centers on migration issues will be created in Yerevan,
Shirak (Gyumri), and Ararat (Artashat) regions. They will provide
labor migrants necessary information, in particular, on employers
offering a job, conditions of employment order in the given country.

As Gagik Yeganian, the Head of the Migration Agency, said, within
the framework of the program, consultation centers are envisaged to
be created in receiving countries as well, in Russia, the Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. According to him, through the
centers, the authenticity of employers offering a job will be cleared
up, seeking for migrants not providing information about themselves
for a long time will be carried out, as well as assistance will be
provided to migrants having problems in these countries.

According to Consuelo Vidal, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP
Resident Representative in Armenia, the program will contribute
to reduction of labor migrants’ exploitation and danger of
trafficking. According to her, mainly the lack of secure and legal
migration creates favorable conditions for trafficking.

It was also mentioned that the 18-month program is implemented with
the Norwegian government’s financing. The program costs 135 thousand
dollars.