The biggest international training programme for young people from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Southern and Central Europe on the critical issue of migration took place in Kachreti, Georgia from 30 June to 6 July 2019. Organised by ICMPD and funded by the European Union, this summer school targeted young professionals, government employees, students and civil society representatives. Violeta Wagner, ICMPD’s Regional Portfolio Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia who jointly with the ICMPD Team organised the event, highlighted its importance as follows: “This international summer school has profound implications for the future management of migration and integration in the region, as these early career professionals and talented students will one day be shaping these nations’ migration policies. The calibre and commitment of these young people has been astonishing and suggests that there is a bright future for migration policy making in the region.”

Whereas the summer school only targeted students from Georgia and Azerbaijan in the past, its sixth edition expanded to the participating states of the Prague Process. As a result, it gathered participants from 16 nations:  Georgia, Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. They received training on various migration-related issues ranging from economics, law, human rights, development, media, to statistics and integration. The summer school’s teachers and professors represented some of the world’s leading universities, including the Universities of Oxford and Sussex in the UK, the Universities of Maastricht and Leiden in the Netherlands and the Sorbonne.

Ana Latsabidze, 23 years old, Innovations and Reforms Center, Georgia: “It has been a great experience. The project enriched our understanding about migration issues and helped us analyse it from various points of view, and from basic facts to academic theories. It was a great opportunity to learn from the highly specialised researchers.”

“It was also the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge among young professionals from diverse nations and backgrounds. On top of improving my knowledge of the subject – from elementary to advanced level – I was able to learn practical skills and develop my previous knowledge of the issue. It was also fantastic getting to know people from different countries, establish friendships and have fun.”

The 2019 International Summer School on Migration was organised as a part of the EU-funded “Prague Process: Dialogue, Analyses and Training in Action” (PP DATA) initiative, as well as the “Sustaining Migration Management in Georgia” (ENIGMMA 2) and the “Support to the Implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan” (MOBILAZE) projects, implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The joint implementation of the Summer School allowed for broader regional cooperation between the academic staff, students and state institutions involved.

Find more information on ICMPD at www.icmpd.org and on ICMPD activities in Georgia and Azerbaijan here: www.enigmma.ge and https://www.facebook.com/ICMPDinGeorgia and https://www.facebook.com/ICMPDinAzerbaijan.

This press release was developed by students of the ICMPD International Summer School as part of their assignment.