The Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) on 21-22 October 2025 hosted discussions on the role of international partnerships in managing sustainable migration, global efforts to attract skills and talent, ongoing progress and challenges in implementing EU reforms, and return and reintegration in diverse contexts. This year’s VMC gathered over 300 delegates from government, the private sector, academia and research, think tanks, international organisations, and civil society.
Key issues discussed on stage included:
- Recent developments in Syria and Ukraine, and prospects for return and reconstruction
- Challenges related to the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, including swift migration procedures and managing expectations as to how much can be achieved
- The alignment of current labour needs and available migration pathways, as well as practical challenges during the mobility process
- The complexity of returns, and the challenges in finding common understanding across Member States and implementing safeguards in practice
- The pressure on the UN system and implications of funding cuts for refugees, migrants, communities, and institutions
Another salient discussion related to the potential for migration to act as an engine of development in countries of origin. The approach of the Philippines was shared, which places a focus on protecting its workers abroad, on providing opportunities to families back home, and on harnessing remittances on the micro and macro levels. Moreover, reintegration support was also highlighted by Nigeria, Pakistan, and Iraq as an area for further action to support individual returnees, communities, and national development more broadly.
The future of the international protection regime was also discussed. Seasoned voices from the humanitarian and policy spheres explored the evolving meaning, and viability, of international protection. Points covered ways to improve the existing asylum procedures through implementation and modernisation, as well as the need for solutions beyond asylum policy.
Panellists also spoke about the promises and limitations of new instruments that forecast trends related to displacement, vulnerabilities, arrivals, and returns of migrants, which can contribute to improved planning, policymaking, and service provision. Population and ageing projections were also highlighted as a tool for understanding labour needs and informing labour migration policy. Panellists underscored the need to support policymakers to interpret and communicate complex data and forecasts.
As migration experts and decision-makers, we should focus on the pressing issues of migration policy. But in light of current geopolitical developments, our work is also about helping to build a new international system that “is fit for our age,” and not built on the use of force. The ideas and perspectives from different backgrounds at the Conference, shared in a thoughtful and constructive way, show that an international system based on cooperation, partnership, and common rules is still in high demand – even if it may need some revision and change.said ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger at his closing statement
VMC2025 was supported by ORS Group, Raiffeisen Bank, and the City of Vienna.
VMC2025 Day 1 - 21 October 2025
ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger opens the 10th Vienna Migration Conference (VMC2025)
VMC2025 Day 2 - 22 October 2025
Vienna Migration Conference 2025
Photos by Nadine Studeny
Explore the full photo gallery and watch session recordings from the conference.
Event takeaways will be shared in the coming days on the VMC website and across ICMPD channels — including ICMPD Policy & Research on LinkedIn and the main ICMPD accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky, and X — with the VMC2025 report following later.