ICMPD co-hosted the International Border Management Conference with the Ministry of Asylum and Migration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 18-19 November 2025. The event addressed border management challenges including digitalisation, border security, capacity building for operational staff, and transnational crime while advancing effective, human rights-based solutions.
Now on its eighth year, the annual Conference seeks to continue enhancing integrated border management practices within and across the borders of priority partner countries. More than 200 delegates 44 countries – both from the European Union member states and ICMPD partner countries – and various international organisations, agencies, civil society, and human rights institutions.
The challenges before us are great, but if we address them together we can improve the system. We can enhance security across the entire Schengen area and beyond, helping prevent irregular migration and cross-border crime. At the same time, we will facilitate legitimate travel and trade as much as possible.said HE Mr David van Weel, Minister of Asylum and Migration of The Netherlands.
Some of the key plenary sessions, panel discussions, and case studies centred on how national and regional border management can adapt to realities amidst renewed geopolitical uncertainty, crises, and challenges, as well as evolving international cooperation. It also included exchanges on:
- The role of innovation and digitalisation in enhancing operational resilience while avoiding over-militarisation, and safeguarding fundamental rights in cross-border cooperation; in light of hybrid criminal networks, disinformation, and digital fraud;
- The EU’s evolving border management architecture in the context of implementing the EU Pact, safeguards for vulnerable people, and the role of national independent monitoring;
- Virtual reality for trainings, ethical use of technologies, modern approaches to knowledge-sharing, and best-practices to operationalise human rights safeguards and legal standards
Through interactive engagements on- and off-stage with the panellists and keynote speakers, this year’s IBMC participants strengthened their knowledge and cooperation networks, harnessed insights into current trends, exchanged experiences, and enhanced their sectoral expertise. Apart from the plenary discussions, there were breakout sessions around integrating human rights in daily border management operations, highlighting real-world examples of safeguards, proportionality, and legal standards applied by practitioners; promoting integrated responses and strengthening cooperation to address irregular movements; identity and document fraud; and women empowerment in border management.
ICMPD is honoured to co-host this year’s Conference with our Member State, The Netherlands. In leveraging its strategic geographic location, extensive international partnerships, and deep expertise in integrated and innovative border management, The Netherlands is uniquely positioned to host the event. The themes in this year’s Conference are also very timely, with growing significance in tackling the most pressing issues in migration governance.says ICMPD Director General elect Susanne Raab
Among other high-level speakers at the event, Ms Raab and Minister van Weel were joined by Dutch Deputy Director General for Ministry of Asylum and Migration Victor Cramer; European Commission Director for International and Horizontal Affairs Corinna Ullrich and Deputy Director-General for MENA Michael Karnitschnig; ECOWAS Director of the Free Movement of Persons and Migration Albert Siaw-Boateng; FRONTEX Executive Director Hans Leijtens and Fundamental Rights Head Jonas Grimheden; Mixed Migration Centre Regional Head Ayla Bonfiglio; Clingendael Institute General Director Monika Sie Dhian Ho; and EU Agency for Fundamental Rights Head of Migration and Asylum Adriano Silvestri.
Also joining them were high-ranking officials and experts for foreign affairs and migration, security, planning, and border management from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cote d’Ivoire, Czechia, Egypt, Finland, Ghana, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Kosovo , Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Romania, Tunisia, and Ukraine.
As a gateway to Europe with major transport hubs, The Netherlands also plays a central role in European and global complex cross-border flows. As hosts of the Conference, the country leads dialogue and policy alignment around future developments including the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, and the operationalisation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).
The full agenda and list of high-level plenary and session speakers can be accessed here.
Read the Press Release of the Ministry of Asylum and Migration, Kingdom of the Netherlands, here.
Welcoming address by Susanne Raab, ICMPD Director General elect