ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab met with HE Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Mr Rebar Ahmad, to sign a Cooperation Agreement in strengthening strategic engagement in the areas of migration management, reintegration, and capacity building.
The agreement is with the KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC), sustaining the strong and productive partnership between ICMPD and JCC-KRG including the establishment of Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah; and targeted capacity-building initiatives in priority areas.
This agreement comes at a very timely moment following the recent parliamentary elections in Iraq, along with the expanding operations of our MRCs in the region. As cooperation with the JCC continues to grow, this agreement is an opportunity to further strengthen collaboration and maintain the momentum for joint priorities in 2026 in migration management, institutional capacity building, and reintegration support.Ms Raab said
Ms Raab also welcomed Dr Abdulrahman Ismael, Minister Advisor; Ms Srwa Rasul, Director General of the JCC; Mr Saad Salim, Chief of Relations and Protocol; and Ms Naz Jalal, Director of the JCC in Erbil. Also at the meeting were Dr Mustafa Ramazan, Representative of the KRG to Austria, and Ms Maryam Sindi; along with Sedef Dearing, ICMPD Deputy Director General and Head of the Migration Dialogues and Cooperation; Marija Raus, ICMPD Head of Silk Routes Regional Office and Head of the Budapest Process Secretariat; and Ms Fatimah Jarkas, Head of ICMPD Office in Iraq.
The Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, hosted in JCC premises, are central pillars of the ICMPD–JCC-KRG cooperation, demonstrating government ownership, institutional trust, and coordinated service delivery at the community level. The MRCs provide services such as counselling, reintegration support for returnees, migration awareness campaigns, and outreach to tens of thousands of beneficiaries, while also strengthening institutional capacities.
The ongoing partnership has also been an avenue to provide capacity-building initiatives for government officials with a focus on monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and project management, with reintegration as a core theme. These initiatives have enhanced service delivery, operational practices, and attracted interest from regional and international partners. By moving from individual trainings to embedding knowledge into daily operations, ICMPD has contributed to sustainable institutional development.
Furthermore, the partnership paves the way for future efforts that focus on enhancing the reach and impact of MRC operations, expanding capacity-building initiatives, and exploring the development of legal pathways for labour migration.
ICMPD reaffirms its commitment to supporting migration governance through strengthened cooperation, promoting sustainable and rights-based approaches, improving access to reliable migration information, and preventing irregular migration.Ms Raab emphasised
The Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC) serves as a central hub for several migration-related cooperations, and hosts key structures such as the MRCs. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) continues to navigate evolving migration and displacement dynamics shaped by recovery efforts, labour mobility, and return movements.
