OSCE Office co-hosts conference on return and reintegration of migrants in Armenia

YEREVAN, 3 April 2006 - Support for sustainable return and reintegration through economic development will be the focus of a conference that opens tomorrow in Yerevan.

The two-day event, "Return and Reintegration: Meeting the Economic Challenges of Displacement," is organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Danish Refugee Council, in partnership with the United Nations. It will bring together over 150 participants, including government officials, representatives of the micro-finance sector, the international community, as well as NGOs.

"There is much to be done to ensure the sustainable return of migrants and help them integrate into society," said Blanka Hancilova, the Office's Democratization Officer.

"The economic factor plays a key role in this respect. That is why we will be discussing opportunities that the micro-finance sector may create for returnees. This conference should help better co-ordinate the efforts of the international community, civil society and the national authorities to address the needs of returnees and migration-related issues in general."