The AWDA AMINA action supports the objectives set by the Commission Decision on the Special Measure for ‘Addressing migration and forced displacement challenges in Asia and the Middle East: A comprehensive regional EU Response’. Its overall objective is to contribute to the Government of Iraq’s efforts to strengthen the governance of migration through a comprehensive approach, including institutional support and community-based reintegration services. With this overall objective, the action seeks to address several challenges Iraq is currently facing, which are prioritised through the Action Document - namely, social tensions due to the high number of displaced and returnee population, poor socio-economic opportunities for the reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees in Iraq, and a lack of adequate capacity of governmental institutions to enable fast, effective and sustainable migration management.

Project objectives (phase I):

• Improved GoI migration governance structure and policies, in view of developing a migration policy.
• Activities, including specialised training and assessments of governance frameworks and consultations, with the aim of increasing the technical and institutional capacities of relevant ministries for sustainable return, and on migration governance.
• Strengthened coordination of reintegration infrastructure in return areas. This will be achieved through the establishment and operation of a Community Center in Dohuk (KRI) and of three Community Resource Centers (CRCs)^[1] in Tikrit (Salah ad-din), Hamdaniya (Nineveh) and Qhanaqin (Diyala). These will serve as coordination, information, and referral hubs, where all community members (IDPs, returnees and host communities) can receive information on the available services provided by government and humanitarian and development partners, including their locations and registration information.
• Activities that entail the provision of access to information for communities, the profiling and needs assessment of beneficiaries, the strengthening of reintegration co-ordination and services, the establishment of a localised network of partners and service providers, the creation of referral pathways, and the training of NGOs/CSOs in project management and service delivery.
• Enhanced socio-economic inclusion of conflict-affected populations. Activities under this result entail livelihood and employability support, counselling and socio-economic orientation sessions, business development training and support for beneficiaries, referrals to available services, social cohesion and trust-building activities, and women’s empowerment and community mobilisation activities.

Phase II of the project focuses exclusively on support to the government of Iraq to implement and operationalize the recently validated National Migration Strategy. Primary support will be to government counterparts through the migration Technical Working Group and corresponding Taskforces with the aim to:

• Strengthening migration governance and legal frameworks through the Legal Affairs Taskforce.
• Strengthening knowledge and ability to collect, use and report migration data through the

             Migration Data Taskforce.

• Strengthening knowledge and ability to address the human mobility impact of environmental

             crisis, degradation, or climate change.

EU Contribution

EUR 9 million

Start-end

2018-2023

Location

Iraqi governorates of Diyala, Salah al Din, Ninewa, Dohuk, Baghdad, Erbil, Basra, Missan

Beneficiaries

The Iraqi population, Ministry of Migration and Displacement and relevant line ministries.

Implementing partner

IOM

Funding Instrument

Development and Cooperation Instrument