Tirana – As part of the  “ARISE-ALL”, which contributes to influencing the change of behavior of the groups with high potential to migrate irregularly as well as key “enablers” in Albania, IOM Albania, on 1-3 September 2021 organized a training with 14 peer-to-peer “influencers” (12 local-ones for each municipality, and two “influencers” from diaspora (one in Belgium and one in the Netherlands) for effectively communicating in their communities, opportunities for life improvement and job placement available in Albania as well as risks associated with irregular migration to the European Union. They will be one of the key actors for the implementation of the project “ARISE ALL”. 

In addition, 3rd Steering Committee Meeting of the Project “ARISE ALL” was held on 20 September 2021.

“Thanks to the support and contribution of our partners, we have consolidated the project Communication Strategy and tailored an approach which we believe will have an impact on the prevention of irregular migration based on the findings of the preparatory research,” says Alketa, the Project Coordinator. 

The main message was agreed, around which the campaign will be built. The aim of the Campaign is to contribute to the prevention of irregular migration, while promoting safe and regular migration paths while emphasizing local alternatives that allow for the personal, professional, and economic development of Albanian citizens. Through this research, more insight was collected on the current reasons that lead Albanians to migrate, their profile, their knowledge, and perceptions about the Schengen area and asylum, as well as their main source of information. The project promotes safe and regular migration through 360* creative awareness-raising activities. 

Together, we can take steps towards increasing awareness and contribute that informed decisions are made to avoid risks associated with irregular migration as human trafficking and smuggling of persons.

The project is funded by European Union and co-funded by the SPF Interior Belgium and Ministry of Justice, the Netherlands.