Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq: The support provided within the ICMPD-implemented Project “Capacity Building for long-term reintegration of returnees to Afghanistan and Iraq” (CAIR), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark, furnishes the leading reintegration programming actor, the Ministry of Migration and Displaced (MoMD) – and its branches – with unique opportunities to receive technical, programmatic and operational support in implementing its mandate. Despite the difficulties that exist for Iraqi returnees, the establishment of a system to identify and address the set-backs in the reintegration process is taking place.
Specific forms of ICMPD support range from capacity building activities to creating platforms for inter-governmental dialogue with non-governmental actors, and tapping into the resources available within the private sector and civil society. The provision of systematic capacity building for government institutions and community based organisations serves to develop inclusive reintegration practices and ensure better access to services for returnees, while integrating them into the national reintegration framework. As part of this framework of activities, the CAIR project organised a series of consultative meetings on 7-9th December 2021 dedicated to developing a Vision on Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees in Iraq, to serve as a guiding document for all relevant actors.
While MoMD is the central agent in steering migration management in the country, the insights provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) and Ministry of Planning (MoP), supported by a round of earlier consultations with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and Ministry of Interior (MoI), enabled ICMPD to create a holistic vision built on input and experiences from a number of sectors. This should contribute towards improving conditions for sustainable reintegration. ICMPD has also been consulting with non-governmental actors: European Return and Reintegration Network (ERRIN), European Technology and Training Centre (ETTC), Mercy Hands (MH) for Humanitarian Aid, German Center for Jobs, as well as Migration and Reintegration in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (GMAC) have all made their insights and good practices available to the Government in support of its reintegration programming.
With the objective of expanding the scope of support in mind, ICMPD currently works on improving the participation of the private sector around the reintegration of returnees in Iraq. To this end, a demonstration pilot project is being developed, which has been positively received and accepted by the relevant Iraqi Ministries during a consultative meeting in Erbil and was welcomed for implementation in 2022.
