Iraq - IOM this week (28/10) hosted a job and training fair for Iraqi nationals returning voluntarily to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The event was held in Erbil, organized under the framework of IOM’s MAGNET II Project.

Developed in cooperation with the governments of the six European Union (EU) Member States, MAGNET II provides job placement assistance, training referral and support to Iraqi nationals returning voluntarily from the six European countries to the KRI in order to facilitate their long-term socio-economic reintegration.

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “It is most important to make return to Iraq sustainable, particularly in these times when the country is facing serious socio-economic challenges – this is what MAGNET tries to achieve.”

IOM Iraq is implementing the MAGNET II project activities in the KRI in close coordination with the Bureau of Migration and Displacement (BMD) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG.)

The project, currently in its 2nd phase (April 2014 - March 2016), following a pilot phase (January 2012 - June 2013), has to date, enrolled 78 returnees, of whom 39 have found employment through the assistance of the MAGNET II project team.

“The project responds to the needs of Iraqis who have returned to Iraq and encounter difficulties in finding employment, having spent extended periods of time abroad. At the same time, studies have shown that businesses in the KRI regularly struggle to fill job vacancies. The MAGNET approach aims to bring together returnees who are looking for work, and local businesses which are in need of staff,” said MAGNET II project manager Nazanine Nozarian.

The job and training fair - the first of three to be held under MAGNET II - featured international companies, including Pepsi, Carrefour and Asia Cell, and local companies including Barza Company and Jihan Group. NGOs and training institutes also took part.

Representatives from the Governorate of Erbil, BMD and MOLSA also participated in the event, which was attended by over 40 returnees. Two similar events are planned for KRI’s Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah governorates before the end of the year.

Speaking at the event, MOLSA Deputy Director General Dlawar Anwar Kawani also highlighted the importance of IOM support for vocational training, such as carpentry and blacksmith trainings, conducted by his Ministry, with the support of IOM Iraq’s Community Revitalization Programme.

MAGNET II is primarily funded by the European Return Fund and co-funded by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (FEDASIL), the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), the French Ministry of Interior (Immigration Directorate), the Dutch Repatriation and Departure Service (Ministry of Security and Justice) and the UK Home Office.

For more information on MAGNET II, please visit www.magnet-project.eu

For further information, please contact Wria Rashid at IOM Iraq, Tel: +964 (0)750 491 2207, Email: wrashid@iom.int. Or Nazanine Nozarian at IOM France, Tel: +33 (0)1 40 44 06 84, Email: nnozarian@iom.int.