The training programme organized by IOM was specifically tailored according to the needs of the LMSP employees and aimed at equipping them with knowledge and skills to service potential and actual migrants, as well as returnees and victims of labour exploitation and trafficking. In addition to providing general information on migration terminology and general understanding of regular and irregular migration, labour migration, its trends and characteristics, smuggling, human trafficking, and IOM’s Role and operations in Managing Migration in Armenia, the training programme addressed such topics as protection of migrant workers in the countries of origin (policy, registration and licensing, support services, including pre-departure orientation, pre-departure registration process, etc.); protection of migrant workers in the countries of destination (labour market research and assessment, pre departure trainings, information dissemination, international cooperation, etc.); protection of returnees and support in their reintegration process; the role of state and private employment agencies; the measures to prevent or reduce irregular labour migration (activities in countries of origin and transit, border control and visa policy, sanctions against those who facilitate irregular migration addressing illegal recruitment, trafficking and smuggling, and unauthorized employment); benefits of regular labour migration (remittances, development, etc.), amongst others. International and local legal frameworks for the protection of migrant workers and legislation on counter trafficking, with special emphasis on migration, labour and counter-trafficking legislations of the United Arab Emirates and the Russian Federation, were thoroughly discussed throughout the training programme. In addition, a session on practical recommendations on behaviour and tolerance was organized, which also provided trainees with information on contacts of consulates, NGOs, public and humanitarian organizations that migrants from Armenia can apply in when needed. The recently-adopted Armenian National Referral Mechanism on combating Human Trafficking was also presented during the training and local non-profit organizations providing direct Assistance to Victims of Trafficking were invited to present their activities and establish contacts with the LMSP-s for further cooperation. In order to solidify the knowledge with skills on how to deal with migrants, returnees, VoT-s, a special one-day workshop on “Skills and capacity to provide counselling and support to migrant workers: Communication Skills” was organized for the LMSP staff in cooperation with “Ego” Young Psychologists’ NGO.

The training relied on the OSCE/ILO/IOM “Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies in Countries of Origin and Destination,” “Instructions for legal migrants in Russia and Russian citizens leaving for abroad,” “The legal instructions to the migrant to Russia,” both developed by IOM and the Russian Federal Migration Service, the IOM Armenia “Manual on Organizing Counter-Trafficking Activities in the Communities,” and also other materials, including those specially drafted for the training programme.

The training was delivered by Mr. Sergey Brestovitsky of IOM Moscow as well as by Mr. Artur Sargsyan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Aram Kocharyan of the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues, Mr. Arsen Hasasyan of the Ministry of Territorial Administration (the last three were trained as IOM’s national trainers in Labour Migration during the 2007 ToT in Bakuriani, Georgia, within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Informed Migration – an Integrated Approach to Promoting Legal Migration through National Capacity Building and Inter-Regional Dialogue between the South Caucasus and the EU.” The staff of IOM Mission in Armenia (Ms. Kristina Galstyan, Ms. Nune Asatryan and Mr. Khachatur Kazazyan) also actively participated in the training and led the discussions on several topics.

Certificates were given to the eight successful participants of the Training Programme.

The comprehensive evaluation conducted among the training participants shows that the training was really successful and that thanks to IOM the LMSP-s understood that they will be combating illegal migration, labour exploitation and human trafficking not alone but as part of a large system of various state, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations.