DUSHANBE, December 19, Asia-Plus  -- A program focusing on labor migration challenges, as well as a painting competition for young people with the theme "Labor migration through my eyes," were held yesterday in Khujand, the capital of the Sughd province, to mark International Migrants Day, press release issued by the OSCE Center in Dushanbe said..

The activities were conducted by the Regional Information Resource Centre for Labor Migrants, and financed by the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe.

"Tajikistan has hundreds of thousands of labor migrants. Our aim is to inform people about migration problems and the ways to solve them," said Bess Brown, Economic Officer at the OSCE Centre.

At least 800,000 citizens of Tajikistan go to Russia every year to earn money. It is estimated that the total amount of cash transferred to Tajikistan each year by labor migrants, working in Russia and other countries, is around 3 billion US dollars, over 30 per cent of Tajikistan''s GDP.

In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day.