Assessment of local authorities’ attitudes towards returned migrants and their readiness to reintegrate them

The assessment of local authorities’ attitudes towards returned migrants and their readiness to reintegrate them was implemented in the framework of  the “UNDP-IOM Seed Funding to fast-track joint response to the socio-economic impact of COVID-19:  Analyzing and improving evidence based social cohesion and returnee inclusion in response to COVID-19”. The main goal of this activity was to strengthen the evidence-based knowledge of UNDP and IOM/The UN Migration Agency on the attitudes of local authorities, their readiness to reintegrate returning migrants and their capacity building needs for leveraging inclusive approaches towards a sustainable recovery from COVID-19. To achieve this objective, a blended approach was applied using a qualitative study with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions as we all as individual questionnaires. The geography of the study covered 10 target communities from 4 regions (Osh, Batken, Chui, and Talas) of the Kyrgyz Republic affected by migration. The target audience included representatives of local governments and local keneshes,3 as well as local community leaders who work on or are aware of activities linked with Kyrgyzstani citizens returning from abroad, and migrants as well as their family members left behind. Overall, the findings of this assessment are expected to inform future joint UNDP-IOM strategic responses to enhance the positive contribution of returnees and reduce impediments for their sustainable reintegration back home.