Govt, UN launch joint programme to support migrant returnees
Supported by the UN's Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), the initiative will enhance social protection mechanisms and social inclusion, with a focus on vulnerable women, children and crisis-affected migrants.
The Government of Bangladesh and the United Nations (UN) have launched a joint programme to support migrants and returnees in rebuilding their lives and accessing the social support they need to recover.
Supported by the UN's Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), the initiative will enhance social protection mechanisms and social inclusion, with a focus on vulnerable women, children and crisis-affected migrants, said a press release issued today (8 October).
The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment will implement the project as the lead government ministry. The agreement was signed by Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Laura Tomm Bonde, IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh.
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In her remarks, Laura said, "Migration is not a linear process. Returning home should be the beginning of sustainable recovery for those in need with the necessary support structures in place."
She added that sustainable reintegration requires enhanced support at the individual, community and structural levels.
"Through this Joint Programme, the UN will bring their expertise together to support the Government of Bangladesh to continue building a coordinated and migrant-centred reintegration ecosystem," she added.
Secretary Shahriar said, "Returnees and their families need services, opportunities, and systems that help them rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities."
"This partnership will help strengthen that support through coordinated action by the Government and UN agencies," he said, stressing the need to create opportunities for returnee migrants.
He reiterated the urgency of better coordination among government agencies, UN agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) to create shared resources and effective partnerships for safe migration.
According to the press release, the joint programme will support government institutions and gender-responsive civil society organisations to identify vulnerable returnees and connect them with gender-responsive reintegration services.
The press release added that key interventions under the programme include tailored reintegration planning, capacity building for service delivery, and piloting targeted programmes such as labour market integration, financial literacy training, psychosocial support, community outreach, addressing discriminatory social norms and enhancing district-level coordination.
The 30-month joint programme brings together the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) to respond to the medium- to long-term reintegration needs of Bangladeshi migrants and returnees.
Key officials who attended the event included AKM Sohel, additional secretary and chief of the UN Wing at ERD; Saiful Haque Chowdhury, additional secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment; and Kazi Shahjahan, joint secretary of the UN Wing of ERD, along with representatives from ERD, MoFA, MoYS and other government agencie.
