EU-funded ENIGMMA project trains a new generation of migration specialists in Georgia

Last week, leading academics from around the world came to Kvareli, Georgia, to train a new generation of young migration experts in migration management. The aim of the training was to support Georgia’s development efforts, with a special focus on migration management and research.

Experts representing Oxford University in the UK, the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance in the Netherlands, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights in Austria, as well as the Vienna University, the Sorbonne University in France, the Tbilisi State University, international and national NGOs and Georgian Government agencies came to the Royal Batoni hotel in Kvareli to conduct theoretical and practical workshops for 30 Georgian students in areas related to international migration.

Students came from various parts of the world. The summer school included youths from Georgian universities, Georgian students from Austria, Greece, Finland, Norway, and the USA as well as young professionals pursuing careers at state institutions, NGOs and civil society organisations. Workshops and lectures were held on human rights, the links between migration and development, media and migration, economics of migration, social sciences and migration research methods. The course was designed and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), an international organisation which is based in Vienna, Austria, and has a field office in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Violeta Wagner, Head of the summer school and Project Manager at ICMPD said: “This was an amazing opportunity for young Georgian students and professionals to learn from some of the world’s leading experts on migration. The better Georgia is able to manage both immigration and emigration, the better it will be able to cooperate with other countries both within and outside the EU, which will be beneficial for all Georgians.”

Dr. Melissa Siegel, Head of Migration Studies at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance said: “It is crucial for the development of Georgia and its relationship with the EU that migration issues are effectively managed. This summer school has provided a vital resource for Georgia – a core group of future Georgian migration specialists who can help move the country forward.”

The summer school was held at the Royal Batoni Hotel in Kvareli, as part of the EU-funded Enhancing Georgia’s Migration Management (ENIGMMA) project in close cooperation with Georgian State Commission on Migration Issues. A second ENIGMMA summer school will take place in the summer of 2016.

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