Tashkent Hosts First International Migration Forum

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Tashkent hosted the first Tashkent International Migration Forum, dedicated to the social and legal protection of migrant workers and their families, officials said. The event was organized by the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and brought together more than 600 participants from over 40 countries across Central Asia, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

The forum served as a platform to discuss safe, orderly, and regular migration, as well as the role of migration processes in ensuring sustainable development and economic stability. According to data presented in the IOM World Migration Report 2026, there are around 304 million international migrants globally, including 168 million migrant workers.

Their combined contribution to the global economy and labor market is considered significant, while annual remittances sent to families amount to approximately US$905 billion.

During discussions, representatives of governments, UN agencies, the private sector, and civil society addressed the expansion of legal migration pathways, improvement of regulatory mechanisms, protection of migrant rights and welfare, and strengthening of international cooperation. New challenges, including the impact of climate change on population mobility, were also discussed.

According to data presented at the forum, Uzbekistan, with a population of more than 38 million, remains the most populous country in Central Asia and has one of the youngest demographic structures in the region. Currently, about 1.2 million Uzbek citizens work abroad, and remittances are considered an important driver of economic development.

Bezhod Musaev, Director of the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said the country aims to ensure its citizens are in demand globally due to their professional skills. He also presented labor market statistics, noting that the economically active population stands at 15.9 million people, of whom 15.1 million are employed, while around 600,000 people enter the labor market annually.

It was also noted that in 2025, remittances to Uzbekistan amounted to US$18.9 billion. The country has signed 76 intergovernmental migration agreements with 40 countries and around 500 companies across Europe, Asia, and North America. Special attention is given to migrant worker training, with 643 training centers operating nationwide, where more than 104,400 people have already completed language and vocational preparation programs.

Arthur Erken, IOM Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, said migration is now a key driver of global economic development due to labor shortages in some countries and labor surpluses in others. He stressed the need for migration governance systems that balance the interests of migrants and host societies.

The forum also highlighted that more than 63,000 migrant deaths and disappearances have been recorded globally since 2014, underscoring the need for safer and more regulated labor migration mechanisms.

Participants agreed that migration processes have become global in scale and require coordinated international solutions.