OSCE trains officials on gender-sensitive labour migration policies in Central Asia

An OSCE regional training course on gender-sensitive labour migration policies concluded on 8 October 2013 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Government officials and civil society from five OSCE participating States – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – learned how to develop and implement labour migration policies that benefit both female and male migrant workers.

“For Kazakhstan, attracting specialists and qualified workers from abroad, regardless of their gender, is an important element of the government’s migration policy. Gender-sensitive migration policies that guarantee a fair and non-discriminatory selection process are essential," said Miirgul Baizhanova, representing the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Alexander Peytchev of the OSCE Centre in Astana said: “More than half of the 232 million international migrants are women. However, despite their important contributions to the socio-economic development of the countries of origin and destination, many policies continue to ignore the specific challenges female labour migrants face. OSCE participating States need to implement more gender-sensitive labour migration policies, which recognize migrants’ professional qualifications, avoid gender-biased discrimination and ensure labour migrants’ rights.”

Participants learned about relevant OSCE commitments and international standards and made use of OSCE tools including the Training Modules on Labour Migration Management – Trainer’s Manual, the Guide on Gender-Sensitive Labour Migration Policies, the Gender and Labour Migration Trainer’s Manual and the Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies in Countries of Origin and Destination.

The training course was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Affairs and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Astana.