Ministers and senior officials from three continents, Europe, Africa, and Asia, will gather in Vienna next week to discuss how geopolitical and security developments, displacement and economic transformation are reshaping migration policies and international cooperation. Migration partnerships, recovery and reconstruction, as well as changing global labour markets are at the centre of this year's conference.

Migration links countries of origin, transit and destination in ways that make national policy choices interdependent: decisions taken in one country affect pressures and cooperation needs in others. It also remains politically sensitive at the domestic level, which is why states have been cautious about committing to binding multilateral frameworks. With ensuing geopolitics and conflicts, strained relations among states, aid cuts driving reprioritisation, and shifting migratory routes in(to) Europe and beyond, the case for sustained dialogue has become more pressing.

This year ICMPD’s flagship initiative - Migrant Resource Centres - marks a decade of frontline service delivery, growing from a single pilot centre in Lahore, Pakistan, to multi-country model that supports migrants, returnees and communities across the full migration cycle. 

Migration policy discussion is often future-focused. We look to how our future will be affected by changing migration routes, labour shortages, displacement, demographic change, integration, return, border management or the political debates surrounding migration. But an equally crucial question is: who will be dealing with these challenges tomorrow?

Like anywhere else, migration in Uzbekistan is not an abstract issue. It is a reality that affects families, individuals and communities, while also playing a vital role in the country’s labour market and economy. This is why, when we talk about protecting migrants, we must also address the risks associated with irregular migration, labour exploitation, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking. These, too, are not abstract issues.

Earlier this year an Eritrean was convicted to serve 20 years in prison for smuggling migrants into the Netherlands, while his accomplice was extradited from the United Arab Emirates to face criminal charges in a Dutch court. Along with co-conspirators, they were charged with inflicting abuse and exploiting migrants in the Mediterranean, before smuggling them across treacherous waters into Europe. 

When the first Migrant Resource Centre opened in Pakistan, Syed Umer Wazir Shah was one of its first Counsellors. Ten years on, he helps oversee a network of MRCs across Pakistan and into regional initiatives in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. 

The Government of Iraq, with support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, opened yesterday the fourth Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Iraq in Basra, to strengthen migration governance in Iraq by providing potential migrants, returnees and their families with access to reliable information, counselling and referral services. Implemented by ICMPD, the MRC will also promote safe and legal migration, and raise awareness on the risks of irregular migration and threats of human trafficking. 

Statement of ICMPD on the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum

The EU Pact on Asylum and Migration represents the most significant reform initiative of the European Union in the field of asylum and migration to date. The finalisation of the Pact presents a new opportunity for cooperation, highlighting a clearer direction for the future of the EU.