ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), has formally launched the Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees and Improved Migration Management project, known as R&R Pakistan.
Funded by the European Union in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the intervention aims to improve the socio-economic reintegration of Pakistani returnees and develop rights-based, gender-responsive reintegration policies and processes.
R&R Pakistan aims to provide better opportunities for sustainable reintegration of returnees, particularly women and persons with disabilities, within their communities while employing gender, human rights, including labour rights, and age responsible approaches.
It will also enhance post-arrival assistance for Pakistani returnees and mid- to long-term services for sustainable reintegration;
Its other objectives are to strengthen capacities of stakeholders in developing a gender-sensitive National Reintegration Policy and other policy related documents, as well as in programming and service delivery.
Moreover, it will increase awareness on safe and orderly migration, including the dangers of irregular migration and avenues for sustainable reintegration among returnees, potential migrants, their families and communities.
The developmental approach of the project is emphasised, which includes strengthening systems and tools and building capacities for sustainable reintegration of all returning Pakistanis.
Secretary Dr. Arshad Mahmood hosted the launch, in the presence of the Chargé d’Affaires a.i./Deputy Chief of Mission of the European Union to Pakistan, Mr Philipp Oliver Gross, ICMPD Deputy Director General, Ms. Sedef Dearing and other representatives from the government, private sector and civil society. The event presented the opportunity to introduce the scope of work and cooperation with key stakeholders and partners, including the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, Federal Investigation Agency and Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Punjab. Personal stories from returning Pakistanis were also shared.
“Return and reintegration align with Pakistan’s strategic development priorities, by contributing to the economic development and welfare of the communities that migrants return to. I welcome efforts to achieve these goals on two fronts: to develop concrete reintegration via effective and strengthened services; and to develop Pakistan’s strategic policy framework for reintegration. We hope to achieve the same level of ownership for return migration that Pakistan has demonstrated for the outgoing migration of labour migrants,” emphasised Dr. Arshad Mahmood, Secretary MOPHRD.
“The European Union is equally committed to migration management, globally and in Pakistan. The tragic events involving Pakistani nationals underscore the necessity to continue shared efforts in strengthening the whole chain of migration and border management in Pakistan”, recalled Mr. Philipp Oliver Gross, Deputy Chief of Mission of the European Union to Pakistan. “On one hand, that means that we need to continue our efforts to combat illegal migration from Pakistan; on the other hand, we need to accompany migrants”.
The project is aligning with the objectives of the European Union-Pakistan Migration and Mobility Dialogue established in 2022. It will also contribute to the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum (2020), the EU Strategy on Voluntary Return and Reintegration (2021), the EU updated Skills Agenda for Europe (2020), and the EU Strategy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025).
“We thank the European Union for the support and the Government of Pakistan for the opportunity to be part of this very important endeavour. I am especially proud of our human rights-centred approach that gives specific attention to the most vulnerable groups of migrants and returnees, not least a gender perspective in which women are empowered. Single women, disabled, elderly, and victims of human trafficking can be easily forgotten in the migration and reintegration landscape; and so our aim is to place them at the centre in both service delivery and policy development,” ICMPD’s Ms. Dearing said.
This project is part of a broader support of the European Union, in partnership with ICMPD, to Pakistan’s migration and border management efforts. It links with its already established network of Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar with the support of ICMPD. The concept of MRC paired with government capacity building in many migration-related areas, including return and reintegration, has been established and developed in Pakistan and numerous other countries in Central Asia and the Silk Routes region.
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