News

On 24 January 2024, Greece and ICMPD jointly organised a high-level event titled “A holistic approach for balanced migration partnerships” in Brussels. The event marked the handover of the Chairmanship of ICMPD’s Steering Group from Türkiye to Greece with speeches by Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, Permanent Delegate of Türkiye to the EU, and Ambassador Ioannis Vrailas, Permanent Representative of Greece to the EU. Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dimitrios Kairidis, Minister for Migration and Asylum of Greece, and ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger participated in the panel discussion moderated by ICMPD’s Brussels Mission Director Ralph Genetzke. Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas delivered closing remarks.

Libya’s Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF) marks the successful conclusion of its project, implemented from 2021 to 2023 with financial support from the European Union (EU) and the Swiss Confederation. Throughout the project duration, LIBMITAF supported Libyan institutions in various areas of migration governance. As the project concludes, it is time to reflect on the achievements with our Libyan partners.

In a year full of European, national, and regional elections, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) expects migration to be a pivotal topic. While many governments implement quick fixes ahead of their electoral cycles, opposition parties are tying their campaigns to migration-related promises. ICMPD’s 2024 Migration Outlook report forecasts record displacement levels resulting from war and conflict, leading to a further securitization of migration and offshoring of asylum procedures, as well as a rise in secondary movements. These developments are taking place while labour migration is ‘coming of age’ in Europe.

This annual flagship event, which was supported by the Government of the Netherlands, the European Union, Austria, the Czech Republic, Kingdom of  Denmark, Germany, Swiss Confederation, organised in close collaboration with ICMPD's esteemed partners, has become a vital platform for practitioners, policy makers, donors, and experts to engage in dialogue on cutting-edge developments, good practices, and the latest trends in the field of border management.

On 21-22 November 2023, the Inspire project team conducted a consultative meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, aimed at further refining the skills partnership scheme between Georgia and France. Representatives from Georgia’s public sector, as well as the private sector, spent two days providing insights and inputs on the skills partnership scheme being developed.

On 7 December 2023, ICMPD organised the fourth international seminar in Warsaw as part of the ICMPD-led project “Comprehensive Support for People in a Vulnerable Situation in the Polish Migration Management System (KOMPLEKS)”, in collaboration with the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM), and the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP).

On 5 December 2023, Budapest Process Senior Officials gather in Istanbul to celebrate 30 years of dialogue on migration. Initial discussions on the need for a migration dialogue within wider Europe started in the early 90s including at a Ministerial meeting in 1991 in Berlin. In February 1993, the Budapest Process obtained its name after its successful Ministerial Conference in Budapest. Ministers and delegates from 41 countries and organisations gathered in the capital and agreed upon 32 recommendations to take forward and implement jointly.

On 28-29 November 2023, the Anti-Trafficking Programme (ATP) of ICMPD organised a training on managing shelters for trafficked persons, case management, and cooperation of shelters. The training took place in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire and participating organisations came from Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, and Togo.

ICMPD organised a virtual senior expert roundtable entitled "Building upon the Patchwork of Bilateral and EU Labour Migration Partnerships.” Participants discussed what the EU and its member states can do to better attract talent from outside the EU, and to become more appealing destinations in the global race for talent. 

On 13-17 November 2023 in Milan, Italy, the EU and Swiss co-funded Libya’s Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF) project organised a training for Libyan representatives on the topic of “Forensics and Identifying Deceased Persons”, including missing migrants and internally displaced persons.

On 15 November, the Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA) held an official reception in Tashkent marking the 20th anniversary of the EU flagship initiative for the region. The hallmark event gathered over 150 participants representing donor institutions, national counterparts, implementing consortium, and international stakeholders. The occasion provided the opportunity to reflect on achievements and success stories as well as to thank programme partners for their cooperation over the years. The event was held together with the Central Asia Drug Action Programme, the second flagship initiative for the region launched jointly with BOMCA. 

On 15 – 17 November 2023, ICMPD Türkiye has successfully organised two consecutive workshops dedicated to advancing reintegration efforts within Türkiye's National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Mechanism (NAVRR). The workshops held in Ankara were instrumental in fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among national stakeholders and pertinent Turkish NGOs.

On 19-20 November 2023, the Inspire project team organised a consultative workshop in Accra, Ghana, to discuss the design of the Ghana-Germany skills partnership scheme. The workshop brought together representatives from various stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society, and development partners, to exchange views and experiences on labour migration governance in Ghana and explore the potential of establishing a skills partnership scheme between the two countries.

On 31 October 2023, the Inspire team organised an online consultative workshop to gather insights for the establishment of an initial framework for the skills partnership scheme between Georgia and France. The event built upon a previous workshop held in November 2022 and the bilateral engagements that followed throughout 2023. 

On 6 November 2023, the ICMPD office in Armenia hosted a roundtable discussion on innovative diaspora investments in Armenia under the EU4IMPACT project. The aim of the event was to discuss and brainstorm potential diaspora investment opportunities beyond those provided by the EU4IMPACT project. This includes gauging interest in investing in Armenian securities and investment funds as well as other passive investment options.