Around the world, more people are on the move than ever before. Many of them are seeking new opportunities and a better life for themselves and their families. Others are forced to move due to disaster or conflict. Gender is central to any discussion of the causes and consequences of regular and irregular migration and forced displacement.
On 1- 4 March 2016 the US Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), organized Women in Policing Regional Conference. This year marked the 5th anniversary of the conference that had taken place in Tbilisi, Georgia every year since 2012. The conference consistently aimed at professional advancement, career development empowerment of women in police.
This week IOM has been organizing an in-depth course in Batumi for specialized prosecutors and police officers on effective methods of investigating the crime of smuggling of migrants. Together with trainer Adrian Loxton and IOM's IBM specialist Mark Richmond, both from the United Kingdom, a group of 18 prosecutors, border control officers and Revenue Service officials has been going through theoretical and practical exercises to enhance their appreciation of how smuggling of migrants can be combated in an effective manner.
On 9 December 2015, IOM Georgia officially launched the project "Temporary Labour Migration of Georgian Workers to Poland and Estonia" funded by IOM Development Fund and held its first Steering Committee meeting in Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel in Tbilisi. All the activities planned within the project aim at developing the capacities of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs and its Social Service Agency, Public Service Development Agency, Ministry of Justice in coordination with the State Commission for Migration Issues of Georgia in managing temporary labour migration processes independently.The project sets precedent for state's involvement in the temporary labour migration management process in Georgia in an informed and prepared manner.
Under the EU-funded More for More project IOM provided document examination training for 18 officers from the Revenue Service at Sarpi border checkpoint in Adjara. Revenue Service has the responsibility for operating the frontline immigration control for heavy good vehicles and medium sized commercial vehicles and there it is imperative that its officers have a high level of travel document examination knowledge.
On 18 December 2015 IOM Georgia joined the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia, in celebration of the International Migrants Day by organizing an exhibition of paintings and drawings by returnees that are beneficiaries of the state and IOM-implemented reintegration assistance programmes.
IOM-მა მიგრანტთა საერთაშორისო დღეს მონაწილეობა მიიღო საქართველოს ოკუპირებული ტერიტორიებიდან იძულებით გადაადგილებულ პირთა, განსახლებისა და ლტოლვილთა სამინისტროს მიერ მოწყობილ გამოფენაში, სადაც სამთავრობო და IOM-ის სარეინტეგრაციო პროგრამების მონაწილე დაბრუნებულ მიგრანტთა ნახატები და ფოტოები იყო გამოფენილი.
We have seen some dark days in our world this year. In 2015 we have seen acts of sickening violence, the fury of nature, and – perhaps most poignant of all – the corpse of aSyrian baby boy, AylanKurdi, face-down on a Mediterranean beach.
But while the world is full of darkness, it is not surprising that so many cultures have created festivals of light. Hindus recently celebrated Diwali, and last month was Loy Krathong in Southeast Asia, where candles wereset afloat to give thanks. Soon it will be the holiday season for much of the Western world. Lights are already twinkling almost everywhere, from Central Park to Bondi Beach.
Under the EU-funded More for More project IOM arranged for Italian experts Giuseppe Corbo and Basilio Pelosi to train 20 Georgian Revenue Service officers in Body Language.
Under the EU-funded More for More project IOM provided document examination training on the Foster & Freeman VSC 40 machine procured by ICMPD. The training took place in Batumi on 30 November and 1 December and was attended by Forensic Laboratory document examiners from both Adjara and Tbilisi and Patrol Police officers from Adjara.
Under the EU-funded project "Reinforcing the Capacities of the Government of Georgia in Border and Migration Management" IOM organized a study visit in the Netherlands for nine representatives from Georgian authorities on the topic of document examination and identity fraud. Representatives from Patrol Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia (MIA), as well as a representative of the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA) of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, successfully completed Advance Level Document Examination Training Course offered by Dutch experts from Identity Fraud and Documents Centre of Expertise (ECID) of Royal Constabulary in Schiphol, the Netherlands.