ECO, whose Secretariat is in Tehran, is the inter-governmental organization which brings together Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to promote economic, technical and cultural cooperation.
The MOU, which will be signed at IOM's Headquarters by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing and ECO Secretary General Khurshid Anwar, will focus on enhancing expertise in migration management in the ten ECO member states, eight of which are also members of IOM.
It also aims to strengthen cooperation mechanisms for labour migration; reduce irregular migration; raise public awareness of migration health issues and human trafficking; initiate counter-trafficking activities; promote voluntary return and reintegration options for migrants; improve legal and policy frameworks and support intergovernmental dialogue.
Closer cooperation between ECO and IOM could also contribute to development goals in the ECO region through projects that would improve migrant livelihoods, reduce poverty through more efficient channelling of remittances, manage borders more effectively to combat human trafficking and improve regional cooperation in post-disaster response and recovery programmes, according to IOM Regional Representative for Central Asia, Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa.
For further information please contact Pedram Varshowkar at IOM Tehran. Tel: +98-21-22045364 Ext. 116-117. Email: pvarshowkar@iom.int
