Marco Mogiani

This study aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the research project conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq between October 2023 and February 2024.

This report investigates the migration and reintegration experiences of Iraqi returnees, their influence on other people’s decisions about migration, and their potential role in the implementation of migration information campaigns. It does so in the framework of the Migration information and awareness raising on the risks of irregular migration in Iraq (MIRAMI) project, which aims, among other things, at increasing awareness on safe and legal migration and reducing irregular migration from Iraq through changes in perceptions and behaviour of potential migrants as well as of the key influencers of their decisions.

This background report serves as a foundation within the framework of the Migration Information and Awareness Raising on the Risks of Irregular Migration in Iraq (MIRAMI) Project. Building upon existing experiences and collaborations, such as the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) established in Baghdad, the MIRAMI Project aims at increasing awareness of safe and legal migration, reducing irregular migration, and improving reintegration support for returnees through the development of targeted migration information campaigns. The project targets various groups, including potential migrants, returnees, families, female migrants, and influencers like community leaders and media representatives. In doing so, MIRAMI contributes to the Iraqi government's vision of sustainable reintegration for returnees, aligning with national strategies for migration management.

As part of the Awareness Raising and Information Campaigns on the Risks of Irregular Migration in Pakistan – II (PARIM-II) project, this report explores the role of returnees in migration decision-making processes and investigates their potential engagement in the design and implementation of migration information and awareness raising campaigns.

The results of PARIM-II project, which are discussed in this report, draw not only from extensive qualitative and quantitative research conducted in the field between August 2023 and January 2024, but also from the previous project (PARIM-I), which looked instead at the migration intentions and information needs of Pakistani nationals wishing to migrate out of the country, including through irregular channels.1 By outlining the results of the current project and combining them with the previous one, this report aims at bringing together, analysing, and discussing the entire research component in a targeted way, providing insights for the potential information campaigns and communication strategies in this area.