Annual Report: Safe Migration in Central Asia - Year 2

The program began in 2018 and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-72011519CA00002. The initiative focuses on four intermediate results: strengthened bilateral and multi-country strategies, improved data collection and use, enhanced safe migration frameworks, and expanded assistance to trafficked persons. In Kazakhstan, the program implemented approaches to counter trafficking in persons (CTIP) and labor migration, which were coordinated and cohesive among source and destination countries. The initiative also improved the collection, availability, and use of data and evidence around trafficking in persons and CTIP. In addition, the program enhanced safe migration frameworks, with a focus on at-risk populations having information, services, and skills to safeguard their rights. In the Kyrgyz Republic, the program strengthened policies and mechanisms for victim identification, referral, and assistance. The initiative also improved the availability, quality, and access to victim services. Furthermore, the program increased prosecution of trafficking in persons (TIP) cases, with a focus on strengthening the capacity of criminal justice actors to identify and process TIP cases. The program also implemented activities in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, with a focus on strengthening bilateral and multi-country strategies, improving data collection and use, and enhancing safe migration frameworks. In Uzbekistan, the program improved the availability, quality, and access to victim services, and increased prosecution of TIP cases. The initiative also conducted a baseline assessment and implemented a Collaborate, Learn and Adapt (CLA) approach to monitor and evaluate progress. The program also tracked progress against annual targets and addressed cross-cutting issues such as sustainability and gender equity. Challenges faced by the program included those related to Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, where the Tajik community in Kazakhstan was a specific focus area. Overall, the Safe Migration in Central Asia program made significant progress in promoting rights-based migration and countering trafficking in persons in the region. The program's activities and achievements are reflected in the country summaries and monitoring, evaluation, and learning section of the annual report.