On International Migrants Day, 18 December 2020, IOM Belarus used cinema to create a positive narrative towards migrants and providing a safe space for discussion and debate.

As part of the Global Migration Film Festival, IOM Belarus, together with resident UN Agencies organized an online event for young people. Eleven per cent of international migrants are young people aged 19 to 24, and In turn, IOM prioritizes building innovative alliances, including those with the academia and young people. The latter is in fact well placed to produce creative out-of-the-box solutions the migrants and society at large need.

Attended by students of the Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University – a leading school for nurturing young leaders in the international relations field, the meeting featured a screening of the film “Women’s Country” directed by Şirin Bahar Demirel,  followed by a moderated discussion.

After the movie, the students got first-hand knowledge on the multi-faceted phenomenon of migration through the prisms of sustainable development, gender, public health, and HIV/AIDS, and were able to explore the activities undertaken by IOM and other UN Agencies in the field of migration governance and migrant protection.

“The main theme of this year's Migrants’ Day is reimagining human mobility," said Mahym Orazmuhammedova, Chief of IOM Mission in Belarus. In 2020, many migrants are still at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. They work in the healthcare, transportation, food service industries and help us overcome the challenges we all face in isolation. However, like many vulnerable groups, migrants are heavily affected by COVID-19 because of job losses, pay cuts, instances of stigma and discrimination, when people on the move are blamed for spreading the virus. During this difficult period, migrants are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation”.