Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The European Union (EU), the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) have inaugurated the country’s first-ever Migrant Resource Center (MRC) in Tashkent.

The initiative is implemented under the EU PROTECT project: Improving Migration Management and Migrant Protection in Selected Silk Road Countries and Central Asia, the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan reported.

The center aims to expand potential migrants’ access to safe and legal migration services and raise awareness about the risks of irregular migration and human trafficking. The new MRC becomes the third of its kind in Central Asia, following centers in Dushanbe (2023) and Osh (2024).

Representatives from the Government of Uzbekistan, EU countries, embassies, UN agencies, ICMPD, and local development partners attended the opening ceremony.

“The European Union is pleased to support the establishment of Uzbekistan’s first-ever Migrant Resource Center. Such centers play a crucial role in providing people with the information needed to make informed migration decisions. In line with the Global Gateway strategy, the EU collaborates with partners across Central Asia, investing in sustainable, people-centered infrastructure to create opportunities both domestically and abroad, thereby reducing pressures that often drive irregular migration,” said His Excellency Toivo Klaar, Ambassador of the European Union to Uzbekistan.

According to ICMPD, the Tashkent MRC will join a network of 14 similar centers worldwide and provide Uzbek citizens with:

• information sessions on legal labor migration channels;
• advisory services on employment and reintegration;
• awareness campaigns on the risks of irregular migration, human trafficking, and exploitation.

The center will cooperate with regional institutions, community leaders, and experts to raise public awareness and support the development of a more effective national migration policy.