Migration, mobility moot on Migrants Day held

Islamabad: The Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) Pakistan, in cooperation with the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), organisied a conference to mark International Migrants Day – before its official date.

The event explored two themes including youth, migration and sustainable development and promotion of safe migration through partnership and capacity building. The main objective of the conference was to bring together government officials and migration experts to exchange views on the intersection of youth and migration and the promotion of safe migration through partnership and capacity building. This conference brought together representatives from academia, government, civil society organisations, media and international organisations working in the area of migration to discuss these issues.

The propensity to migrate tends to be highest among young people. Migration can offer young people new opportunities, higher education, professional skills and prospects. Zulfiqar Haider, Secretary of MOPHRD while addressing the participants of the conference reiterated the importance of promoting informed and skilled migration and exploring avenues for legal pathways through dialogue.

In his comments, Stephan Amman, Senior Legal Officer of Interior Ministry of Austria, mentioned the work of the Migrant Resource Centres as an excellent example of how important and relevant information can be shared with communities at the grass roots level in a systematic way.

Dr. Khalid Mahmood, DG of International Cooperation NAVTTC, emphasised that skills identification and matching should be combined with a broader approach aimed at enhancing coherence between employment, skills and migration policies including through the active participation of government institutions and social partners.

Shahida Rehmani, Secretary for the Ministry of Industries and the Chairperson of the Women Caucus, expressed her views on women and migration, stating that socio-cultural factors, prevent some women from opting to move to a new country.