A two-year IOM programme aimed at helping
migrant diasporas contribute to the reconstruction and development
of several post-war countries in Africa, Europe and South Asia has
just begun.

The programme aims to facilitate the temporary
return of qualified nationals living in the Netherlands to Sudan,
Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia Montenegro
and the province of Kosovo, where there is great need for skills,
expertise and experience to help rebuild the countries.

The project will focus on knowledge transfer
and capacity building in sectors to be identified by the
participating countries. As well as coordinating the temporary
returns in close cooperation with IOM missions elsewhere, IOM The
Hague will also match needs with available skills among the
diaspora in the Netherlands.

The 2.2 million Euro programme, funded by the
Dutch Foreign Ministry, complements Dutch government policy on
migration and development aimed at a greater integration of the two
issues.

"Getting migrants involved in capacity
building is an important challenge for the future, a challenge
Dutch development policy is already actively addressing by
supporting the IOM programme on Temporary Return of Qualified
Nationals," said the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation,
Agnes Van Ardenne.

IOM The Hague builds on expertise gained
during the Return of Qualified Afghans, a programme launched in
early 2002 that has helped 753 Afghan professionals from 29
countries find mainly public sector jobs in Afghanistan.

For more information, please contact:

Tricia Robbins

IOM the Netherlands

Tel. +31 70 31 81 536

E-mail: "mailto:trobbins@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">trobbins@iom.int