IOM launches urgent appeal for $7 million to ease impact of COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers

AKIPRESS.COM - The International Organization for Migration launched an urgent appeal for USD 7 million to ease the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant communities in six countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) until the end of 2020. Over 100 people took part in the virtual launch, representing donors, embassies, migration experts and governments, together with senior IOM staff in Vienna, Moscow, Nur Sultan, and the other regional capitals.
Globally, IOM has launched a USD 499 million Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to respond to the largest mobility crisis of our times.
In one of the world's most mobile regions - where millions migrate for work between Central Asia and the Russian Federation - over 80 per cent of migrants surveyed by IOM and its partners report loss of or reduction in their incomes.
"We know from previous crises that migrants are ruthlessly exploited, by having their wages cut, or being threatened with being reported to the authorities," said Dyane Epstein, IOM's Regional Director for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. "Some will be forced into the shadow economy, where they are further exploited, compromising their physical and mental health."
IOM plans to provide support to governments and communities dealing with the impact of disruption to labour markets and severely reduced remittance flows. "Our initial research shows that over 90 per cent of labour migrants will be unable to send remittances home," warned IOM's Sub-Regional Coordinator for Central Asia, Zeynal Hajiyev. "They have no savings and the industries they depend on are mothballed."
"This is a clear and present crisis," stressed IOM's Chief Mission for the Russian Federation, Abdusattor Esoev. "Sixty per cent of migrants have told us they can't pay their rent, while more than 40 per cent can't afford food. Millions of people are teetering on the brink. We can provide a safety net but the time to act is right now."