News

In the framework of the ICMPD EMLINK project Compact Acceleration Course, 10 Georgian startups participated in a comprehensive 10-day tour to Belgium from 14-24 October 2024, designed to immerse them in the country’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem and startup infrastructure. The tour offered a strategic platform for Georgian startups to broaden their networks and establish connections with investors, accelerators, incubators, and research institutes. Furthermore, they gained invaluable insights into EU projects and available support for startups operating in both Belgium and Georgia.

The research project “Re-thinking approaches to labour migration. Potential and gaps in EU Member States’ Migration Infrastructures”, mapped labour market needs and analysed the national migration systems of all 27 member states between early 2023 and early 2024. After an initial presentation in late November during the annual conference of the Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network, ICMPD makes available a mapping of labour migration pathways across the EU countries.

ICMPD’s EU-funded Project PROTECT hosted a training on “The Role of Media in Forming Migration Questions” last November in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, as a part of a monthly training series on migration themes organised for the country’s Migration Service.

Migration has become more central to political and policy discourse in Europe, particularly in recent years. Political parties that use migration as a rallying piece in their platforms have become more prominent, building on the narrative of increasing irregular migration. Often, such discourse draws on data in an inflammatory way, suggesting ever mounting numbers. But a new Policy Brief, which accompanies a more detailed working paper and a new public database, suggests there has been no definitive change in the number and share of irregular migrant population in the region since the estimates made in the Clandestino Project in 2008.

ICMPD and the Ministry of Interior of Tunisia hosted the seventh International Border Management Conference (IBMC) in Tunis, on 27-28 November 2024 with the theme, “Border Management and Capacity Partnerships: Joint Leadership and Shared Responsibilities to govern and partner in the present to adapt to or shape uncertain futures."

Three years since the Taliban took over, Afghans are now farther cut off from the rest of the world. While Afghanistan has been aid-dependent, post-Takeover sanctions slashed [aid] for the country practically overnight. Sanctions weakened the banking sector. With the de facto authorities unable to produce passports, people cannot travel – let alone seek refuge in and migrate to a different country. 

ICMPD hosted the first training on Reintegration for Migration Policy Makers and Programme Professionals in Baghdad, for senior officials from the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Under the Danish-funded Capacity Partnerships and Access to Information for Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees in Iraq (CAIR-II) Project, the training was hosted on 24-28 November at the Migration Training Centre at the Ministry of Migration and Displaced (MoMD).

From 01 to 03 December 2024, a three-day training on 'Counselling and Communication Skills' took place in Istanbul, Türkiye under the Sweden-Iraq Cooperation on Migration Governance (SI-COM) project.

The European Union Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) launched a new funding opportunity for diaspora organications based in Europe to implement development projects in the country of origin. The deadline to apply is 15 January 2025.

Marking its 10th anniversary, the Khartoum Process reflects on its achievements and evolving priorities. Since its establishment in 2014, the initiative continues to address migration challenges along the Horn of Africa–Europe route through partnership and cooperation.

From 11 to 13 November 2024, a study visit for Georgian Young Ambassadors was held in Vienna, Austria, at the headquarters of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). This event, organised under the EU-funded STREAMinG Phase 2 project, aimed to strengthen the Ambassadors' knowledge and skills in key areas such as migration and citizenship, migration and development, diaspora engagement, and integration.

The 2024 edition of the Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network (LMPN) took place on 18-19 November in Brussels, Belgium. Under the theme “Moving Talents: Scaling up Action in Key Sectors”, the in-person conference brought together 100 European practitioners in labour migration, skills recognition and employment.

Human trafficking, like migration, is a highly complex issue. It requires not only the resources but also the right data to address its underlying root causes and impact. Understanding human trafficking better involves taking stock of the community’s attitudes, perceptions, and perspectives – particularly those who are directly affected, including children.

Parents leaving for work abroad can have an impact on their children. In migrant-sending countries, children often remain in the country with either only one parent, or in the care of relatives. This phenomenon is often linked to children and young adolescents’ altered norms and perceptions of ‘family’; or anxiety and difficulty in coping with social pressures that, in turn, affect the social fabric of families and communities.

On November 6, 2024, Cabo Verde marked a milestone in its commitment to combating human trafficking with the National Observatory Against Trafficking in Persons, inaugurated by the Minister of Justice and supported by the OBSERVE-CV Project. With the establishment of the Observatory, the 2023 - 2026 action plan on proactive measures to prevent trafficking, support survivors, and strengthen institutional responses will be implemented.