News

ICMPD organised a training on human rights, equality, and inclusion for the Migrant Resource Centres on 22-24 September 2026 in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In cooperation with the Swedish Migration Agency, participants received practical guidance on applying rights-based approaches in counselling, case management, and referral services.

Moldovan authorities review border security developments and advance a thematic analysis of risks related to the smuggling of narcotic drugs and other illicit substances.

Nigeria is not short on anti-trafficking policy. The country has a dedicated national agency in the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), a legal framework that criminalises trafficking, and anti-trafficking content built into the national school curriculum. Like many prevention systems, the gap has not been in policy but in reach; the ability to protect school-age children at the earliest points of the trafficking cycle, where recruitment and grooming take root long before institutional responses can follow. 

ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab opened the Euro-Mediterranean Migration Partnerships Forum in Malta last week with a commitment towards a stronger cooperation between the two regions. On 29-30 September in Valletta, Ms Raab joined Malta’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Chris Fearne at a high-level panel discussion that examined the migration cooperation architecture of the Mediterranean; setting the stage for participating senior political and institutional leaders to explore operational cooperation and leadership in building regional resilience.

More than 400 participants joined public authorities, international partners and local communities in Cahul on 26 September 2026 for the fourth edition of Border Marathon. Supported by the SCOP project, the event promoted healthy lifestyles, resilience and cooperation in Moldova’s southern border region.

Regional workshop in Accra translates dialogue among border and security officials into six priority actions and a practical workplan for implementation.

ICMPD and the Oyo State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Ibadan on 18 September 2026, formalising cooperation on the Denmark-funded Youth Empowerment and Reintegration Project (YERP), which builds agricultural livelihoods for 700 returnees and rural youth in Oyo State.

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 81^st 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.

Marking the 75^th year since the adoption of the Refugee Convention, Prague Process and UNHCR convened a training-workshop to strengthen access to asylum and protection-sensitive systems. The event on 15-16 September 2026 in Geneva brought together asylum and migration practitioners from across the Prague Process region, alongside representatives of UNHCR, the European Commission, EU Agency for Asylum, and IOM.

Over 100 participants from 23 countries and 10 partner organisations, along with 13 private-sector partners were hosted in Islamabad on 16-17 September 2026 to strengthen private-sector engagement in skills-based labour migration partnerships. For the first time in the Working Group’s meetings, the private sector is directly at the centre of its discussions, where participants examined how labour-market demand can be better matched with skills development, qualification recognition and fair recruitment across the Silk Routes region.

Adopting a national border policy provides a framework for action. Putting that framework into practice requires engagement with the institutions and communities working along the country's frontiers. In Côte d'Ivoire, this process is now taking place region by region, with ICMPD support through the Demand-Driven Facility (DDF) of the EU-funded FMM West Africa Phase II project.

The fifth Regional Exchange Meeting of Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) government partners took place in Islamabad on 14-16 September 2026. The meeting brought together government counterparts and representatives from Bangladesh, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to exchange experiences, strengthen regional cooperation and mark the 10^th anniversary of the MRCs.

Representatives of the European Union, Ukraine and Czechia, international organisations, and the Ukrainian diaspora gathered to celebrate the Ukrainian Consultation and Community Centre in Prague formally joining the Unity Hub Network, with its growing reach and scope of work for Ukrainians. The event included the official signing of a cooperation agreement to extend the U-CARE project, which ICMPD implements.

For decades, Pakistani workers have travelled abroad in search of employment, contributing their skills and labour to economies across different regions of the world. The scale of this movement is considerable: according to government data, more than 14 million Pakistani workers have proceeded abroad for employment through formal channels since 1971, with recent annual outflows often reaching well above 700,000.

For Tajikistan citizens considering work abroad, preparation means knowing whether an employment offer is genuine, what rules apply in the destination country and where support can be found if difficulties arise. The Migrant Resource Centre in Dushanbe was established to make reliable guidance easier to access. The Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of the Population describes it as “an important link between citizens, government institutions and foreign labour markets”, helping people enter those markets better informed and prepared.