IOM Georgia and Batumi Municipality City Council will cooperate to support the returning migrants’ reintegration process in Adjara.

To this end Chief of Mission of IOM Georgia, Mrs. Sanja Celebic Lukovac met with Mr. Archil Chikovani, Mayor of Batumi Municipality in Batumi, Adjara to discuss the future cooperation in the framework of the “Sustainable Reintegration and Community Revitalization Pilot Initiative in Communities of Return” program funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the International Organization for Migration Development Fund (IDF).

Batumi, as the largest municipality in Adjara region is facing complex migration dynamics including high number of returnees for various countries.  

“We had very productive meeting with Batumi Mayor, we have discussed the future cooperation related to how do we expend and strengthen the services for returning migrants in the municipality of Batumi,” said Chief of Mission of IOM Georgia, Mrs. Sanja Celebic Lukovac. 

As a first step IOM Georgia, in mid-June, will organize the workshop with the municipal representatives in Batumi in order to discuss the needs and possibilities, how to cooperate in the future with them in the area of reintegration of returnees.

“Cooperation with our international partners is always important for us. Together with IOM Georgia we agreed on a specific collaboration that will be novelty in terms of services development and community awareness rising, especially for the returned migrants, who are in need of useful information regarding various ongoing of planned social-economic programs and services in Adjara,” stated Mr. Archil Chikovani, Mayor of Batumi Municipality.

As a next step, IOM Georgia and Batumi Municipality cooperation will lead to the establishment of the information-consultation and referral services for returnees and local community members in Batumi, which finally will lead to their improved socio-economic conditions and sustainable livelihoods.   

In the framework of the “Sustainable Reintegration and Community Revitalization Pilot Initiative in Communities of Return” program, in close cooperation with the municipalities of Georgia, 10 service hubs to support the returnees’ reintegration, have already been established in Guria, Kakheti and Imereti municipalities and one in Tbilisi. The municipal authorities on their turn allocate staff and space to support the activities and IOM Georgia contributes with the methodology and capacity building trainings for their successful functioning.