ICMPD Deputy Director General Sedef Dearing joined high-level discussion on the role of migration dialogues as catalyst for cooperation in the face of mounting pressures and security and geopolitical tensions globally. At the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ms Dearing, along with co-hosts Malta, Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Denmark discussed the need to strengthen the resilience of migration governance through sustained, demand-driven partnerships.
Headlined Migration Capacity Partnerships for Resilience: Dialogue and Cooperation in Times of Regional Instability, the side event took place on 23 September 2026 at the headquarters of the UN in New York. Ms Dearing, who also serves as ICMPD Director for Migration Dialogues and Cooperation (MDC), exchanged views on imminent issues on migration, development, diplomacy and cooperation with Ms Karen Grønlund Rogne, Director for Multilateral Cooperation and Policy at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ali Albsoul, Director for International Organisations for Jordan’s Ministry Foreign Affairs, Mr Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary of Malta’s Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, and Mr Raed al-Sale, Minister of Disaster Management and Emergency Response for the Syrian Arab Republic.
Today's discussions at the UN General Assembly, including our very engaging exchange with Denmark, Jordan, Malta, and Syria confirmed something we at ICMPD have observed across the Mediterranean for many years: the region does not necessarily lack capacity. Rather, what is often needed is stronger connectivity between institutions, expertise, and partnerships. What these discussions also confirm and we at ICMPD has been working closely on for over three decades now, is the value of migration dialogues and cooperation as a catalyst for long-lasting solutions to the shifting geopolitics, the evolving realities for many countries.Ms Dearing said
The event, along with other parallel high-level discussions at the annual General Assembly, comes at a time when protracted displacement, changing migration routes, and a tightening in international funding are placing increasing demands on the institutions responsible for migration management; all while potentially weakening data systems, professional networks and institutional knowledge on which effective governance depends.
Against this backdrop, the panel explored how migration capacity partnerships help institutions and countries strengthen their resilience through sustained cooperation, shared priorities, continued exchange, and complementary capacities. They also emphasised on demand-driven approaches that are grounded in national institutional realities and designed to build capacities and relationships that endure beyond individual projects. Two concrete experiences from ICMPD’s work provided framing: the Migration Capacity Partnerships for the Mediterranean (MCP Med), and the BRIDGE programme in the Jordan-Syria context.
At the centre of the MCP Med approach, the Training Institute on Migration Capacity Partnership for the Mediterranean provides a platform for professionalisation, peer learning and institutional exchange. Since launching in 2021 in Malta, the Institute is jointly governed by Southern Partner Countries, donors and ICMPD; and is currently co-chaired by Denmark and Jordan. To date, it has designed more than 90 courses, including over 40 accredited programmes, reaching more than 2,400 participants across nine countries in areas including border management and security, migration governance and policy, trafficking in human beings, legal migration and professional development.
The BRIDGE programme, implemented by ICMPD, applies a similar partnership-based approach in the Jordan-Syria context. Initiated in 2025 in response to the Amman call, the programme provides a flexible framework for dialogue, institutional exchange, and capacity development, with a focus on institutional strengthening, enhanced border management, and capacities relevant to Syria’s ongoing recovery and reconstruction. The programme is supported by Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Discussions, which Ms Dearing and fellow panellists led, centred on how capacity partnerships can sustain migration governance during periods of regional instability and constrained resources; the lessons from MCP Med and BRIDGE; how demand-driven, institution-to-institution cooperation can contribute to implementation of the Global Compact for Migration; and where further partnerships and support may be required.
As an example to ICMPD’s diverse and cross-cutting work, over the years, the Migration Capacity Partnerships for the Mediterranean (MCP Med) Training Institute has demonstrated that sustainable migration cooperation is not simply about delivering capacity. It is about enabling institutions to build, retain, share, and mobilise expertise together. As we look ahead to 2030, we will continue these conversations; including at the upcoming Mediterranean @10 Forum, as partners reflect on a decade of Mediterranean cooperation.Ms Dearing concluded
