1.1. ABOUT IOM
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN’s leading agency on migration and the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration, working closely with its key stakeholders – migrants and Member States – to promote humane, safe, and orderly migration. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants from an integral and holistic perspective, including links to development, in order to maximize the benefits and opportunities of migration and reduce its challenges. Established in 1951, IOM now has more than 170 Member States, offices in over 400 field locations and more than 14,000 staff – 90 percent of IOM’s staff being deployed in the field. In the South Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, IOM has 19 country offices. In Armenia, IOM has a main office and two sub-offices in Yerevan, and 18 staff.
As recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, human mobility is indivisible from sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and the commitment to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind – will not be achieved without due consideration of migration. Additionally, the Global Compact for Migration is grounded in the 2030 Agenda and promotes the principles of having a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address this intrinsic link. This Strategy will support the Member States to achieve this, ultimately leveraging the potential of migration through a whole-of-government approach to achieve sustainable development outcomes for all. It is a direct contribution to the Decade of Action to fast-track progress for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. It brings greater coherence and development impact to IOM’s activities and allows for a joined-up approach to the way the Organization designs and delivers its operations, as called for in IOM’s Strategic Vision.
IOM’s Strategic Vision, presented to IOM Member States in 2019, spans the period of 2019 to 2023. The Vision articulates how IOM plans to meet its new and emerging responsibilities, including IOM’s mandated role as Network Coordinator. It sets out the ‘direction of travel’ for IOM, is forward looking and encourages ‘joined up thinking’. This Strategy is aligned with the Vision, its corresponding Regional Strategy for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the IOM Strategic Results Framework, which are anchored in the overall framework of the 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact for Migration.
1.2. IOM IN ARMENIA
IOM Armenia, one of the first UN offices in Armenia, opened in 1993, when the Republic of Armenia (RA) became an IOM Member State. IOM activities in the country are designed and implemented in line with the key documents signed with the Government of Armenia (GoA), including the Cooperation Agreement on Privileges and Immunities in 1994 and the Memorandum of Understanding in 2001 and the overall UN-Armenia framework agreements.
An advocate of strong partnerships with key stakeholders in migration nationally and internationally, IOM Armenia enjoys an excellent reputation and the trust of the Government of Armenia and partners. Since 2021, IOM has assumed the role of the Coordinator and Secretariat of the UN Network on Migration in the Republic of Armenia.
For three decades, IOM Armenia has been a key contributor to the reforms of migration policies and management in Armenia through policy advice; generation of quality evidence; extensive capacity building; technical assistance; awareness raising, and importantly, assistance to various groups of migrants.
With well-established, reliable operations and programming in Armenia, and experienced and professional staff, IOM Armenia is a competitive, result-oriented organization, committed to results-based management and value for money principles for the projects and programmes it manages. It has a sound institutional setup, with policies on data protection, ethics, rights-based approach, gender-sensitivity, values, monitoring and learning systems in place.
IOM Armenia’s programming addresses a large scope of migration issues, in line with Armenia’s international, regional, and bilateral agreements, and in support of Armenia’s Government Program, relevant strategies, concepts and national action plans. IOM Armenia’s migration management and humanitarian programmes take a multi-faceted approach to migration, in line with the Government of Armenia priorities in labour migration and human development, migration and social cohesion, assisted voluntary return and reintegration, integrated border management and counter-trafficking, towards securing sustainable and human-centred solutions. IOM Armenia is well positioned to mobilize the resources of the IOM globally to ensure rapid response to emerging country needs, including emergency response and management of compound crisis situations in Armenia.
With excellent knowledge of migration and development in Armenia, expertise in data collection and analysis, including facilitated access to a variety of data sources on migration management, as well as strong technical capacity, IOM Armenia provides strategic direction, technical advice and support to the GoA in the areas of policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks of comprehensive, human rights-based and effective migration management, prevention of irregular migration, labour migration and pre-departure support, negotiations of bilateral labour agreements (BLAs), assisted voluntary return and reintegration, readmission management, humanitarian border management, counter-trafficking response, migration data and management information systems, as well as COVID-19 vulnerabilities related to migration. It serves as a knowledge hub in the sector for the government, development partners, civil society and private sector.
IOM Armenia has assisted the GoA in developing and reforming its migration governance system through providing assistance to stakeholders for enhancing the relevant policy and regulatory frameworks. Specifically, IOM Armenia assisted the Government of Armenia in its border management reform by supporting expansion of the Border Management Information System to all border crossing points of the Republic of Armenia, and improvement of the security standards in Zvartnots International Airport. IOM Armenia supported the reforms in migration management, including introduction of the system of electronic passports and biometric identification cards. Recently, it supported the GoA in developing the Conceptual Framework of Migration Management. IOM provided technical assistance to the Government of Armenia in elaboration of policy and legislative frameworks to regulate labour migration, including amendments to the Law on Foreigners, Administrative Offences Code, and Labour Code of the Republic of Armenia. As a result of IOM Armenia’s advocacy, Armenia became a signatory to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families in 2013. IOM Armenia has consistently supported the Government of Armenia in its efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking by supporting the development of the National Plans of Action to Combat Human Trafficking; and lobbying for the ratification of the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols; and criminalization of human trafficking.
IOM Armenia has made significant contributions to the development of the institutional framework for migration governance in Armenia by developing the Work Permit Issuance System in Armenia in line with the best international standards and practices; establishing the Migration Resource Centre, which provides free consultations to potential migrants and informs returnees about the existing reintegration programmes; and facilitating the connection of the central units at the Police Headquarters and Yerevan Zvartnots Airport to the Interpol I-24/7 telecommunication database system. IOM Armenia developed knowledge products and practical toolkits to raise awareness of migration issues, challenges and support mechanisms in the country, such as the counter trafficking course, currently included in the middle and high school, as well as a university curriculum; and a toolkit for processing readmission cases in Armenia. In collaboration with UNFPA Armenia, IOM supported the Government of Armenia and the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia (Armstat) in development of the SDG National Reporting Platform.
IOM Armenia has played a key role in ensuring Armenia’s international presence and cooperation in migration. It supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the negotiations of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), which Armenia subsequently voted in favour of in 2018, and has since submitted two Voluntary National Progress Reviews on Implementation of GCM in 2018 and 2021. To enable a safe environment for circular migration of Armenians, IOM facilitated negotiations for bilateral labour agreements between Armenia and destination countries. In 2011-2013 IOM facilitated policy seminars on migration between Armenia and the EU, furthering the dialogue between Armenia and the EU in the context of the EU-Armenia Mobility Partnership, Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements.
https://reliefweb.int/report/armenia/iom-armenia-mission-strategy-2022-2025