16 participants, including 14 government officials and 2 staff from the Thai Red Cross attended a three-day Training of Trainers (TOT) on reducing the vulnerabilities of migrant populations to crises.

Government personnel included staff from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security from the five northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Tak, Lampang and Lamphun.

Drawing from materials developed by IOM with PRM funding as part of the implementation of the Guidelines to Protect Migrants In Countries Affected by Conflict or Natural Disaster (MICIC Guidelines), the training encouraged participants to consider how existing disaster preparedness and response strategies could better be adapted to consider the specific needs of migrants. They were also capacitated to deliver preparedness training specifically tailored to migrant populations.

On the third day of the TOT, eight Chiang Mai-based trainees had the opportunity to try their hand at cascading the preparedness training to 29 ethnic minority migrants from Myanmar. Following the community training, migrants indicated an improved understanding of local disaster risks, knowing what steps to take to prepare for disasters, and the intention to plan and prepare for disasters.

The training was led by IOM under the PRM-funded Asia Regional Migration Program, and is the first of three MICIC TOTs planned in Thailand this year.