Database for migrants launched with IOM support

Migrant workers of Bangladesh
File photo

The ministry of expatriates' welfare and overseas employment (MoEWOE) on Monday launched a digital platform, Returning Migrants Management of Information Systems (ReMiMIS), to collect, analyse, and store data of returning migrants to Bangladesh, reports UNB.

To address the needs of a nationwide returnee database, International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting the government of Bangladesh to develop the ReMiMIS under the project titled "Sustainable Reintegration and Migration Governance in Bangladesh", known as Prottasha, funded by the European Union (EU).

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the sustainable reintegration of the returnees and the progressive achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 10.7 to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people including through the implementation of planned and well-managed policies in Bangladesh.

The comprehensive ReMIMIS system will contribute to better migration data management and development of targeted reintegration support programs.

In addition, stakeholders will have access to information on the skills profiles of returning migrants and potentially contribute to skills transfers to communities/ sectors in demand.

The data will support policymakers to understand the needs and vulnerabilities of returning migrant workers and help facilitate the creation of targeted and evidence-based reintegration and safety-net programmes.

The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), custodian of the ReMIMIS, will work closely with Union Development Centers (UDC), District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMOs) to input migrants' data into the system.

Launching the digital platform at an event at BMET, the MoEWOE minister Imran Ahmad, MP, said the need for a database to capture the information from returning migrants became very essential after the outbreak of COVID-19.

"The database will help us target support to those in need and with greater knowledge on their skills and qualifications, we will be able to use the skills of migrants to avoid them becoming a burden on the State," he added.