Dushanbe hosted the First Technical Expert’s Group Meeting of the Almaty Process, a regional interstate initiative on migration, on 12-13 February 2019. Government officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, as well as UN experts, have gathered to continue dialogue and exchange views on migration issues and refugee protection challenges in Central Asia and the wider region. 

The Almaty Process on Refugee Protection and International Migration is a regional consultative process to cooperatively address challenges arising from the complex migration dynamics in the region. The meeting in Dushanbe is the first event held under Tajikistan’s chairmanship, since its foundation in 2013. Tajikistan will continue to chair the Almaty Process throughout 2019 and 2020. 

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan are currently members of the Almaty Process, with Iran and Pakistan observing. The International Organization for Migration – the UN Migration Agency (IOM), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), are providing organizational, logistical and expert support to the process. 

Cristina Tranca, Chief of Mission of IOM Tajikistan, says, “The Almaty Process is an important platform for Central Asia governments to continue dialogue on human mobility and the rights of migrants in their region. Migrant protection, combating human trafficking and irregular migration, promoting migrant integration and whole-of-government approaches to migration management, continue to be the most relevant topics in Central Asia’s migration landscape. The process brings together migration professionals towards coordinated action for safer migration”. 

The First Technical Expert Group Meeting is organized within the framework of the IOM project “Asia Regional Migration Programme”, and is funded by the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Government of the United States (PRM-PIM USA).