Behind every decision to work abroad is a person with different questions, circumstances and needs. Reliable information is essential, but it is most useful when it reflects the realities people face. Access to reliable, relevant information can help people considering work abroad assess opportunities, understand potential risks, and prepare for migration. For the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Uzbekistan, working with organisations that have direct links to communities provides an additional perspective on the information and support different groups may need.
Opened in Tashkent in August 2025, MRC Uzbekistan was the first centre of its kind in the country and the third in Central Asia, following centres in Dushanbe and Osh. Established through cooperation between the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the European Union and ICMPD, it provides prospective migrants, returnees and their families with information and support on safe and regular migration.
As part of a wider network with a decade of experience across the Silk Routes and Central Asia, MRC Uzbekistan can draw on migration knowledge and approaches developed across several countries. Its emerging cooperation with civil society organisation (CSO) “Barqaror Hayot” provides an additional channel for exchanging experience and engaging with community-level perspectives.
Shortly before approaching the MRC, Oliya Ilmuradova, Director of CSO Barqaror Hayot, had returned from a professional exchange in Armenia focused on migration projects and approaches being implemented in the country. The visit prompted the organisation to explore opportunities for similar cooperation in Uzbekistan.
From our first discussion, it was clear that our organisation and MRC shared common interests and similar views on a number of migration issues. We saw good potential for closer cooperation and an exchange of experience.says Oliya.
The cooperation has already resulted in practical engagement. Representatives of Barqaror Hayot served as trainers in two sessions for private employment agencies (PEAs) organised through the MRC. For the organisation, the sessions provided an opportunity to exchange experience, gain new knowledge and consider existing approaches from different perspectives.
Being part of two PEA trainings was useful for us, particularly as an opportunity to gain new knowledge and ideas, share experience and look at existing approaches from different perspectives.says Oliya.
The cooperation complements the MRC’s existing work, including regular assessments of information needs, providing country-specific and pre-departure information, and cooperating with relevant institutions. Barqaror Hayot’s engagement with communities provides an additional perspective on how migration information and support can reach different groups, including people who may face particular vulnerabilities.
This community-level perspective can help inform future outreach, particularly among young people considering work abroad, by highlighting the types of guidance they may need to assess opportunities, recognise risks and prepare before departure. It may also help strengthen outreach to migrant workers’ families on issues such as financial literacy, longer-term planning and the effective use of remittances.
Barqaror Hayot also highlights continuing needs for digital and legal literacy, language learning and preparation for life and work abroad. These needs are particularly relevant for people considering migration outside established recruitment and information channels, where access to reliable guidance may be more limited.
For us, it is important that the MRC shares our understanding of many of the current issues and needs in migration and is open to dialogue.says Oliya.
The cooperation remains at an early stage, but continued exchange and joint planning can now turn these shared priorities into practical activities.
For MRC Uzbekistan, cooperation with civil society can provide an additional source of information about the needs and concerns of prospective migrants and their families. Regular exchange with community-based organisations can help the MRC identify emerging information gaps and adapt its outreach and counselling to remain relevant to different groups.
For people considering work abroad and their families, closer cooperation between MRCs and civil society organisations can help bring reliable information and practical guidance closer to the communities that need it, supporting safer and better-informed migration decisions.