On 30 June 2026, the EU-funded PROTECT project held a roundtable at Westminster International University in Tashkent to promote evidence-based dialogue on migration and mobility in Uzbekistan. The event, titled “Migration and Mobility in Transition: Challenges and Opportunities for Uzbekistan,” brought together representatives from universities, research institutions, public authorities, civil society, and migration practitioners to discuss labour mobility, remittance flows, human capital development, and migration governance.
The roundtable was part of the PROTECT project, a €9 million EU initiative running from 2023 to 2026 and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The project aims to improve migration management and migrant protection across selected Silk Route and Central Asian countries, focusing on all phases of migration by empowering migrants and strengthening national capacities.
Ms Renata Wrobel, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan, highlighted the Migrant Resource Centre in Tashkent, established in August 2025, as a practical example of cooperation between national institutions, international partners, and local actors. She reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to cooperative, human-centred approaches to migration and mobility, stressing that no single actor can address these challenges alone.
The roundtable underscored the growing need for reliable migration information amid rising online recruitment, misinformation, and fraudulent employment schemes affecting prospective migrants and their families. By convening researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, the event advanced regional discussion on migration, mobility, and development in Central Asia, while strengthening cooperation between academic institutions, public authorities, and civil society partners.
The EU’s support for informed, safe, and regular migration governance in Uzbekistan and across Central Asia was reaffirmed through practical cooperation, awareness-raising, and multi-stakeholder dialogue.