On 23 September 2020 IOM gathered staff of the new Livelihoods Agency established (under the Ministry of of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia) to discuss issues related to integration of foreign nationals and implications of integration work.

The participants were welcomed by Ms. Sanja Celebic Lukovac, IOM Georgia Chief of Mission. The workshop was led by Senior Labour Mobility and Human Development Specialist from IOM Vienna Regional Office, Mr. Michael Newson and Regional Labour Mobility and Human Development Assistant, Ms. Ionela Timofte. Mr. Newson reflected upon immigration statistics and noted various migrant communities in Georgia and their integration prospects. Ms. Timofte discussed the importance of intercultural communication in the context of provision of integration services and presented various scenarios and expectations resulting from different concepts of culture and intercultural competences. One of the presenters included the UNHCR Assistant Protection Officer who presented legal framework for integration of the international protection holders and discussed existing gaps and opportunities to enhance services available to these vulnerable groups.

The highlight of the workshop were personal accounts and experiences of the two speakers, community leaders from India and Egypt. Mr. Darispan Prasher, Chairmen of NGO Cultural Diversity for Peaceful Future, shared with the participants his extraordinary work in the field of integration of Indian students and spoke about his love of Georgia. In fluent Georgian, Mr. Prasher described his personal integration journey but also highlighted some issues that the foreign students have been facing in light of the pandemic. Mr. Prasher added: “I hear Georgians sometimes worry about losing their identity due to many foreigners that have recently moved to Georgia. Let me tell you, Indians who come here are mostly students, who will leave after they finish their studies. An old culture like this will never be lost. I myself am struggling not to lose my Indian identity instead”. The workshop participants also heard about integration journey of Mr. Hossam Masoud, a refugee from Egypt, currently volunteering as a community facilitator within  UNHCR funded project. Mr. Masoud brought to the attention of the participants some of the everyday challenges faced by his community members in Georgia and shared his personal discoveries in relation to life in Georgia and the people.

The next workshop focusing on models of service provision in the context of integration is scheduled to take place in October. Until then, as a result of the discussion and points raised during the first workshop, IOM will ensure facilitation of communication between the government of Georgia and migrant communities, with an aim to facilitate communication and help address existing gaps to ensure protection of migrants rights as envisaged under the project.

The workshop was organized with the support of the Government of Norway under the EMERGE project implemented by IOM.