On 23-27 January 2023, the MOBILAZE 2 project organised a study visit on migration policy sectors – development and implementation for the Azerbaijani delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and ICMPD in Azerbaijan in Stockholm, the Kingdom of Sweden. The purpose of the visit was mainly focused on increasing the capacities of the Azerbaijani state institutions to introduce and practically adopt all relevant steps of the migration policy cycle, based on the relevant experience of the EU MSs, in particular, to learn about the Swedish experience in migration policies development and implementation.
The Azerbaijani delegation was hosted on the premises of the Swedish Migration Agency and practical meetings with relevant migration authorities including respective structural units of the Swedish Migration Agency, the Swedish Public Employment Service, the Country Administrative Board of Stockholm, Division for Migration of the Ministry of Justice, Government Offices of Sweden, etc. were organised to exchange experiences and practices on international cooperation, asylum procedure, detention and return of migrants, integration of migrants - migration, employment and labour market integration policy, regional and local integration measures, migration policy development and implementation, migration research, public information on migration strategies, digitalisation of migration management and e-services, etc. Each meeting was followed by discussions and comparisons between Swedish and Azerbaijani migration policy management and implementation.
The activity was organised by the ICMPD Azerbaijan in the framework of the EU-funded “Support to the Implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan (MOBILAZE 2)” project. The project is supporting relevant stakeholders in the Republic of Azerbaijan 1) to develop institutional capacities on migration policy development and implementation, 2) to institutionalise migration data collection, analysis and application, 3) enhance and standardise institutional procedures for capacity building on migration and border management and integration or refugees, 4) develop institutional and public awareness on migration policy agenda and irregular migration threats