In February IOM Georgia Chief of Mission – Sanja Celebic Lukovac visited Guria, Imereti and Kakheti regions of Georgia and held meetings with the representatives of local and regional governments – State and Deputy State Representatives and Heads of the State Representative’s Administrations in Guria and Kakheti regions, Mayors of the partnering municipalities - Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, Khoni, Bagdati, Tskaltubo, Kharagauli, Akhmeta, Telavi, Lagodekhi and Kvareli municipalities.

During the meetings, Sanja Celebic Lukovac, together with the IOM project staff, discussed IOM’s new initiative contributing to enhanced opportunities for returning migrants in Georgia and leveraging the potential of migration for socio-economic development, funded by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) and IOM Development Fund (IDF). The aim of the project is to assist Georgian returnees in reintegrating sustainably into an environment which enables them to contribute to social stability and economic well-being of the local community.  During the meetings cooperation plans and follow-up actions were discussed by IOM and local and regional government partners.

IOM delegation also visited Information- Consultation Service Hubs in Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, Khoni, Bagdati, Tskaltubo, Kharagauli, Akhmeta and Kvarelim established by IOM and the partner municipalities. Operating on the municipality premises, the Service Hubs provide up-to-date information to returned migrants and non-mobile members of the local communities on national and municipal socio-economic programmes and services of their interest, provided by the State and/or supported by the donor organizations.

The IOM Chief of Mission also visited funded local joint businesses, both start-ups and expanded, by the returned migrants in cooperation with their local partners. Site visits included businesses funded during the pilot project - small iron and concrete enterprise, established by three Georgian returnees in Ozurgeti, “Build the House of Future” – initiative operated by a forced Georgian returnee from Ukraine, offering various household support services in Chokhatauri, furniture workshop in Didvela village of Bagdati Municipality and Music Therapy Centre in Telavi.