The Academy for Migration and Refugee Studies (AMRS), a joint
initiative of IOM and the Iranian government, will host the ECO
region’s  first regional workshop on irregular migration
with a focus on human trafficking on the Iranian resort island of
Kish, 9-11 March 2008.

ECO – the Economic Cooperation Organization – is a
grouping of ten nations comprising Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan.

The AMRS workshop, which is funded by Australia, is the first
regional event in a series of specialized trainings on migration
and refugee-related issues for officials and policy makers of ECO
member states who are involved in migration management.

Some 80 delegates representing the Ministries of Foreign
Affairs, Interior and Labour, the judiciary, law enforcement
agencies and academia from nine of the ten ECO countries are
expected to attend, together with observers from Australia,
Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Topics under discussion at the workshop will include the
international legal framework, migrant rights, strategies to
prevent human trafficking, the protection of victims and the
prosecution of traffickers. 

Since AMRS’ establishment in Tehran in 2004, over 450
participants have taken part in its training programmes.

For further information, please contact:

Pedram Varshowkar

IOM Tehran

Tel. +98.2188060442/443 Extension 114

E-mail: "mailto:pvarshowkar@iom.int">pvarshowkar@iom.int