Friday 15 November 2002

Press Briefing Notes
Friday 15 November 2002
Spokesperson: Niurka Piñeiro

NAURU - Chartered Flight Provides Voluntary Return Assistance to Afghan Migrants
INDONESIA - Chartered Flight Provides Voluntary Return Assistance to Afghan Migrants
BANGLADESH - National Consultation Workshop on Labor Migration





NAURU - Chartered Flight Provides Voluntary Return Assistance to Afghan Migrants - IOM is today providing voluntary return assistance to 113 Afghan
migrants currently on the Pacific Island of Nauru.

The group will travel to Kabul aboard an IOM chartered flight accompanied by seven IOM staff members.

The Afghan Embassy in Canberra sent officers to Nauru last month to conduct passport application interviews.

INDONESIA - Chartered Flight Provides Voluntary Return Assistance to Afghan Migrants - Tomorrow, a second group of 23 Afghan migrants (20 men, 2 women and one child) who were stranded in Indonesia on their way to Australia, will be assisted by IOM to return voluntarily to their country.

The group is beginning its return journey Saturday evening from Jakarta. Once in Dubai, an Ariana flight will transport them to Kabul, where they are scheduled to land Sunday, 17 November at 08h00.

The migrants had been in Indonesia between 18 months and 2 years. Some told IOM staff that they are indeed happy to go home after being stranded and without hope for such a long time. But others said they had decided to accept IOM's voluntary return assistance because they know there is no chance for them to be recognized as refugees.

Muhammad Yassin, is a single male 17 years old. He had been living in the Borneo Hostel, Jakarta for the past 18 months. He told IOM staff, "We are really happy to go back. Now that I am returning to Afghanistan, I want to continue my education. When I finish high school, I want to attend a college and study politics, because our country needs good politicians."

Ali Ahmad, is single and 19 years old. He was also living in the Borneo Hostel in Jkakarta for the past 18 months. He told IOM staff, "I am not happy to be returning to Afghanistan. But it is better for me to go back. I do not have a case anymore with UNHCR, so it is better for me to go."

BANGLADESH - National Consultation Workshop on Labour Migration - The IOM office in Dhaka is organizing a "National Level Consultation Workshop on Labour Migration

The Workshop, which begins on Sunday, 17 November, will bring together government officials, NGOs, academics and the international community to discuss the international labour migration process in Bangladesh. The discussions are aimed at identifying the limitations, constraints and challenges of migration, as well as the potential benefits that could be generated, if migration is managed properly and efficiently.

Currently, between 200,000 and 250,000 Bangladeshis leave the country each year to work abroad. Between 1976 and July 2002, a total of 3.24 million Bangladeshis left for legal overseas employment. In addition, a large number of Bangladeshis resort to irregular migration. It is estimated that 5 per cent of the labour force is employed outside the country.

Official remittances from Bangladeshi migrants abroad amount to US$ 2 billion annually. It is estimated that almost an equal amount enters Bangladesh through unofficial channels. Remittances constitute 30% of the country's national savings.

The Government of Bangladesh, in recognition of the contribution of migrants to the society and economy, has set up a separate Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare & Overseas Employment to better serve the labour migrants and to strengthen the links between the Bangladeshi diaspora and socio-economic development of the country. There are some 1.5 million Bangladeshis living in USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe.

To help the government strengthen the process of labour migration, IOM commissioned five studies financed by the UNDP. The studies identified the areas which need immediate attention and recommended programs for further strengthening of management of international migration. The five studies are:

Recruitment and Placement of Bangladeshi Migrant Workers: An Evaluation of the Process
A study on Remittance Inflows and Utilization
A study on Cost-Benefit Analysis of Overseas Migration by the Bangladesh Labor
Contribution of Returnees: An analytical survey of Post Return Experience
The International Labor Migration Institutions of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka in Ferment: The Philippines as Catalyst





The Workshop participants will also discuss the studies' findings and recommendations. They will also developed a "Plan of Action" to strengthen the labour
migration which will be submitted to the government for adoption. The workshop will also attempt to initiate a process for joint management of migration by the government, private sector and civil society to gain benefit for migrants and for the development of Bangladesh.

For more information, please contact IOM Dhaka, Mr. Shahidul Haque Tel: 375.172.276.827.