News

On the 1-3 December 2019, ICMPD welcomed Deputy Ministers of Finance, Defence, Transport and Refugees and Repatriation from Afghanistan as part of a multi-agency delegation participating in the first formal meeting to develop a National Integrated Border Management Strategy and Action Plan for Afghanistan in Istanbul, Turkey.

ICMPD and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) organised two trainings of trainers (ToT) on the newly developed fundamental rights and forced-return monitoring training for escort officers in Member States (MS). Both the trainings took place in the framework of the Forced-Return Monitoring III (FReM III) project in Warsaw on 27-28 and 28-29 November 2019, respectively.

On 11-12 November 2019, the second Euro-Mediterranean Communicator’s Workshop and a high-level event on public communication and migration and were held in Athens, Greece in the framework of the EUROMED Migration IV (EMM4) programme. The joint event was hosted by the Greek Ministry for Citizen Protection, General Secretariat for Migration Policy, Reception and Asylum of the Hellenic Republic and co-organised with the Club of Venice.

In Amman, on November 18, ICMPD together with the Government of Jordan, the European Union (EU), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), launched the Integrated Border Management (IBM) project.

From 21-22 November, ICMPD hosted the Vienna Migration Conference for the fourth time. Entitled "Breaking the gridlock and moving forward: recommendations for the next five years of EU migration policy" the conference aimed to progress the dialogue on migration policy in the next 5 years. The conference took place at the Aula of Sciences in Vienna and hosted 5 ministers and a record-number of participants.

In Lisbon on 9 and 10 November 2019, the EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) organised its first activity, the ‘Diaspora Consultation: Southwest Europe’.

In its fourth year, the "Vienna Migration Conference" organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), convenes a broad number of decision makers and key stakeholders to discuss pragmatic, constructive and future-oriented recommendations for the next five years of migration policy making in and for Europe.

Within the EU funded project Forced-Return Monitoring III (FReM III), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) organised the 2nd Training for Forced-Return Monitors on 11-15 November 2019 in Rome. The training was hosted by the Office of the National Guarantor for the Rights of the Persons Detained or Deprived of Liberty in Italy – one out of 22 FReM III project partner countries – and organised jointly with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).

ICMPD and ILO organised a Listening Session for the European Higher Education Virtual Fair India 2019 (EHEVF 2019) in conjunction with ICM at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi, which gathered 94 students from/around New Delhi.

On 10 and 11 November 2019, the Migration EU eXpertise Initiative, funded by the European Union and implemented by ICMPD, presented the "Guiding Principles for Shelters Working with Victims of Human Trafficking". They are a result from its latest action in support to the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The SUMMIT project activities were kicked-off with an international conference on 06 November 2019, titled "Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees to Foster Implementation of the Development-sensitive Migration Policies". A total of 91 representatives from public institutions, private sector, academia and civil society organisations participated to the event.

On 5 November, ICMPD organised a consultation meeting dealing with the question of how to retain international and domestic talents in Lithuania. The meeting was organised in cooperation with the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy and Innovation and the Government Agency Invest Lithuania and funded by the European Commission Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS).

On 23-24 October 2019, ICMPD organised the 2nd International Conference on Comprehensive Border Governance in Yerevan, Armenia. The Conference was attended by the experts with practical and technical professional backgrounds, including those from academia, policy-makers and decision-takers from various public institutions and agencies, as well as private sector representatives working in border governance.

On Thursday 24th October, ICMPD Director General, Michael Spindelegger, spoke at the opening plenary of the Europe Conference ‘From Tampere 20 to Tampere 2.0: Towards a New Programme (2020–2024) for EU Migration and Asylum Policies 20 years after the Tampere Conclusions?’ which focused on highlighting relevant proposals and ideas for the next EU Commission.

The European Union supports the Ecuadorian Presidency of the Global Forum on Migration and Development 2019 (GFMD) through the MIgration EU eXpertise (MIEUX) Initiative, implemented by ICMPD. In this context, MIEUX together with UNDP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, hosted a regional workshop on 16 and 17 October 2019 in Lima.