Recommendations for the Roadmap to Refugee Integration Policy in Azerbaijan

This roadmap was prepared within the framework of the project ‘Support to Implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan (MOBILAZE)’. This project aims to support the implementation of the Mobility Partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan with a specific focus on strengthening the capacity of the government to develop and implement the national migration policy, including areas related to the integration of beneficiaries of international protection.

This document was created on a basis of continuing research and other activities, which include:

- A review of the existing legislation, and statistical data;

- Discussions from the stakeholders’ meetings and conclusions from the workshop on integration of refugees held in June 20173 in Baku within the framework of the MOBILAZE project;

- Interviews conducted by the co-authors with relevant government and non-government stakeholders during the field visit to Azerbaijan in October 2017. During this visit, meetings were held with the representatives of the State Migration Service (SMS), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, UNHCR Representation in Baku, ICMPD, NGO Hayat International, and lawyers working with migrants and refugees in Azerbaijan.

The recommendations for a roadmap identify key issues related to refugee integration in the following fields:

- Access for refugees to the education system, housing, and labour markets in the Republic of Azerbaijan;

- Inter-sectoral cooperation in the field of creating, implementing, and evaluating the integration policy;

- Individual integration programs for refugees;

- Enhancing the intercultural dialogue and awareness-raising activities targeted at the host society.

In addition, the roadmap outlines possible solutions specifically tailored for the creation and further development of the Azerbaijani integration programs for persons granted asylum. It also outlines recommendations for further improvements of the legal and institutional framework to achieve a sustainable integration model.

This document mainly targets public bodies which are in charge of development, shaping, implementing, and possibly evaluating the integration policy in Azerbaijan. These bodies include the central and local administration, international and intergovernmental organizations, such as UNHCR, IOM, ICMPD, “Hayat” International Humanitarian Organization, as well as independent experts and practitioners (also those representing non-governmental organizations) cooperating with the Azerbaijani authorities in this field.