Representative of HHRO Involved in a Training Workshop on Supporting Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees in Iraq Society
By: Mohamad Noor Ahmad
As a part of the plan designed by the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO) to enhance the information available to its research team participating in the GAPs project and the importance to enriching its field research portfolio, Dr. Khalid Albayati, a member of the HHRO research team, participated in the training course entitled "Supporting Sustainable Reintegration in Iraq," organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) from March 4th to 7th, 2024, at the Ramada Hotel in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. The training course aimed to support sustainable reintegration of returnees in Iraq.
Among the participants were representatives from the following entities: the Iraqi National Security Advisory Office, the Iraqi Intelligence Agency, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Migration and Displaced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Interior for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Ministry of Migration for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the IOM Legal Representative, the Head of the International Organization for Migration in Iraq, and representatives from civil society organizations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The training course took place from March 4th to 7th, 2024, at the Ramada Hotel in Sulaymaniyah. Its objectives were to familiarize participants with the legal standards applied to reintegration, readmission, and integration, as well as the frameworks for cooperation, reacceptance, challenges, and solutions. It also aimed to highlight the human rights applicable to the continuity of rapid response and risks, the legal obligations of states in managing return and readmission operations, and the discussion of reintegration programs for returnees and deportees from the European Union to reintegrate them back into society.
One of the outcomes of the training course was the unveiling of a program prepared by the Ministry of Migration and Displaced, which has been presented to the Iraqi Council of Ministers and will be implemented before mid-year 2024. The program, called "Good Intentions," includes instructions and privileges specifically for Iraqi returnees deported from European Union countries. Financial resources have been allocated to this project to ensure the success of its goals.
Furthermore, it was announced during this event that approval has been granted to open five offices in five European countries under the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced Persons law. These offices will carry out media tasks and provide consultations to encourage voluntary return to Iraq for Iraqis.
Dr. Khalid Albayati, one of the Iraqi researcher team, conducted several individual introductory interviews with the participants of the training course to familiarize them with the GAPs research project and its objectives. Coordination has been made with them to conduct extensive interviews and involve them as stakeholders in the field of return and returnees in future activities.