ICMPD Migration Outlook Eastern Europe & Central Asia (EECA) 2024

Published March 2024

*Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Summary

The Regional Migration Outlook for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) presents an analysis of the key events and trends that shaped migration in the EECA region in 2023. Simultaneously, it offers a cautious outlook into areas and issues that may affect migration and mobility to, within and from EECA in 2024. In a non-exhaustive way, the publication addresses developments in the twelve EECA countries (based on ICMPD’s regional division) – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The analysis is based on ICMPD’s regional expertise and desk research from official and public data sources.

Unaccompanied and Separated Children in the Mediterranean Region

Study

Published March 2024

Morocco / Jordan / Lebanon / Greece / Spain

#Migration Dialogues #Asylum and International Protection

Summary

This work was designed to shed light on past and current dynamics that influence international migration (from and within the region), gather the perspectives and analyse the narratives of Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC) in an attempt to understand the reasons that underpin the mobility of unaccompanied and separated children from and within the region, also with a view to provide recommendations on how to better provide for their specific needs in different contexts. The study placed a special emphasis on 3 selected countries in the MENA region (Morocco, Jordan and Lebanon) while valuable information and data gathered in 2 European Union (EU) countries, Greece and Spain, were also used.

The Role of Ukrainian Diaspora in Crisis Response, Future Return and Reconstruction of Ukraine: Case Study from Germany, Czech Republic and Poland

Study

Published March 2024

Ukraine

#Governance #Capacity Development

Summary

The Ukrainian diaspora emerged as a crucial and proactive force in responding to the crisis following the Russian military attack on Ukraine in February 2022, playing a pivotal role in various aspects of humanitarian aid and support efforts. The Ukrainian diaspora was quick and efficient, mobilising resources, both financial and organisational, to provide immediate assistance to Ukrainian refugees who sought shelter in different parts of the world, particularly in European countries. Through establishing numerous organisations and collaborations with international entities, the diaspora engaged in activities such as humanitarian aid, legal assistance, healthcare provisions, educational support and social integration initiatives for displaced Ukrainians. The report on the Role of Ukrainian Diaspora in Crisis Response, Future Return and Reconstruction of Ukraine: Case Study from Germany, Czech Republic and Poland aims to analyse the activities of Ukrainian diaspora organisations and migrant communities in the three destination countries as well as demonstrate the diaspora’s role as a cornerstone for shaping a hopeful and prosperous future for Ukraine. The report was completed by Dr. Valeria Lazarenko (PhD) and edited by the project implementation team. 

Communication and Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration

Study

Published March 2024

#Return and Reintegration #Migration Dialogues

Summary

Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programmes have emerged as a migration governance tool used by many national governments and supranational organisations in the 21st century. They fund—typically irregular or stranded—migrants to return to their origin countries whereafter they provide support aimed at “sustainable reintegration”. AVRR reintegration support is classified by the International Organization for Migration, which administers around 95% of AVRR programmes globally, as “economic”, “social”, and “psycho-social”. However, AVRR programmes have received several criticisms from academics and activists. The academic literature on measuring reintegration, identifying the causes of reintegration success, and identifying the causes of AVRR participation are nascent but provide a basis by which policymakers can understand how to improve AVRR outcomes. Therefore, this study identifies how communication can contribute to AVRR objectives.

Diaspora Engagement Frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa: A Review

Study

Published March 2024

Algeria / Egypt / Jordan / Lebanon / Morocco / Tunisia

#Diaspora #Migration Dialogues

Summary

This report set out to unpack dynamics and characteristics of diaspora engagement policies in the MENA region, drawing on an in-depth review of six countries’ frameworks and Gamlen’s typology of diaspora engagement policies. 

Migration Communication Campaigns: The state of the practice and an open database

Study

Published February 2024

#Migration Narratives and Public Opinion

Migration Outlook report: Electoral promises and quick fixes, asylum offshoring, and labour migration’s coming of age

Press release

Published January 2024

Summary

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.

ICMPD Migration Outlook 2024

Document

Published January 2024

Summary

ICMPD’s Migration Outlook presents a brief analysis of recent migration and policy trends and provides an outlook on developments and events to watch out for in 2024.

Global Refugee Forum 2023

Speech / Document

Published December 2023

*Global

#Legal Migration #Asylum and International Protection #Migration Dialogues

Budapest Process Annual Senior Officials Meeting with a special celebration of the 30 years anniversary of the dialogue

Speech

Published December 2023

Türkiye

#Migration and Development

European Commission Vice-President Schinas & Migration Ministers to feature at Vienna Migration Conference 2023

Press release

Published October 2023

Austria

#Asylum and International Protection #Irregular Migration #Migration Dialogues

Communication on irregular migration

Study

Published October 2023

Malta

#Migration Narratives and Public Opinion

Summary

Public communication has the potential to do enormous good for humanity. Regarding migration, public communication can be used to meet widely agreed-upon policy objectives such as safe, orderly, and regular migration. Moreover, it can help governments uphold democratic legal- and rights-based policy frameworks against nefarious forces and contribute to maximising the potential benefits and minimising the potential costs of migration to origin, transit, and host country populations, as well as to migrants themselves. In line with ongoing research from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the EUROMED Migration programme on how to use public communication to re-balance migration narratives and protect the rights, safety, and opportunities of migrants, this report asks how we can use persuasive communication to achieve policy goals regarding irregular migration. It gathers lessons learned and provides practical recommendations, with a particular focus on the Euro-Mediterranean region and the activities of the European Union.

Creative approaches to boosting the employment of displaced Ukrainians in Central and Eastern Europe

Policy Brief

Published September 2023

Austria / Czechia / Estonia / Germany / Latvia / Lithuania / Poland

#Temporary Protection #Labour Market #Integration

Summary

Employment is a vital strategy for refugees from Ukraine seeking to rebuild their lives abroad or sustain themselves until it is safe to return. To this end, the first-ever activation of the EU Temporary Protection Directive provides for immediate access to the EU labour market. However, this is not the only innovation that has emerged since the seismic events of spring 2022, and represents but the first step in facilitating the employment of refugees from Ukraine.

Civil society organisations, private sector actors, and individual volunteers are all playing an active role in helping newcomers to find employment. For their part, many national, regional, and local governments from across Europe have responded with creative approaches. This briefing note details government approaches to boosting employment adopted or adapted in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It focuses on receiving countries in Central and Eastern Europe, which have received a large share of Ukrainian refugees, but, in many cases, have limited recent experience with receiving humanitarian migrants.

Local networking for the integration of forced migrants: Key insights from the TRAFIG project

Policy Brief

Published September 2023

*Global

#Policy #Humanitarian Protection #Integration

Summary

New displacement in 2022 pushed the number of people forcibly displaced globally to more than 108 million – more than the populations of Italy and Spain combined. Many forced migrants find themselves in ‘protracted displacement’ situations, where they experience long-term vulnerability, dependency, and legal insecurity, lacking or denied opportunities to rebuild their lives. The EU-funded Transnational Figurations of Displacement (TRAFIG) research project investigated why people fall into protracted displacement situations and what coping strategies they use, with a focus on networks and mobility. Over the course of three years, the TRAFIG team engaged with more than 3,100 people, including displaced persons, policymakers, and practitioners in 11 countries across East Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. This included a survey of 1,900 displaced persons: Congolese persons displaced within the DRC and people who moved from their countries of origin to Ethiopia, Greece, Italy, Jordan, and Pakistan.

TRAFIG research findings underscored the importance of networks for displaced persons looking to secure a sustainable future and for policymakers and practitioners looking to support them, including when it comes to their integration. This paper highlights the role of local networking in settling in and shares how humanitarian, development, and integration actors can take these findings on board in the search for more sustainable solutions to global displacement.

Report on the Baseline Study on Migration Data Management in Azerbaijan

Study

Published September 2023

Azerbaijan

#Mobility Partnership #Cross Cutting Topics #Capacity Development

Summary

A Baseline Study on Migration Data Management in Azerbaijan has been published by the EU-funded MOBILAZE 2 project. The study was conducted by ICMPD and EU member states’ experts. The main objective of this study is to provide comprehensive insight into the current state and practices of migration data management in the Republic of Azerbaijan, with a particular focus on the existing procedures and tools available for data collection, analysis, and application. The particular gaps and needs observed in this regard are then laid out and recommendations for improvement are given. The MOBILAZE 2 project team would like to thank all participating Azerbaijani state institutions who gave their valuable insight and recommendations for this study. 

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