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Development actors are well suited to play a meaningful role in scaling up complementary labour pathways for refugees, yet their current contribution falls far below its potential. Exploring how development actors can engage to support refugee labour mobility is a worthwhile endeavour that can help increase the size, scope, and sustainability of these pathways.

In the past year alone, Cabo Verde has seen a steep increase in migrant arrivals on boats, mostly aiming for the Canary Islands — the closest European destination they can try to reach. Dozens arrived on the island of São Vicente; while in 2023, from those who survived the journey, 38 arrived in Sal and 90 in Boa Vista.

ICMPD Director-General Michael Spindelegger joined heads of state and ministers at the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli, Libya on 17 July 2024. In a statement, Mr Spindelegger called for strengthened collaboration between Europe and Africa to address the complexities of irregular migration.

BOMCA selected and provided EU funding to 12 projects in the framework of its second Call for Proposals. Continuing the established good practice of cooperation with NGOs from Central Asia, selected NGOs from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan began implementing actions aimed at improving living conditions in border areas in July 2024. The projects will be implemented throughout 2024-2025 with the overall funding of almost 635 000 EUR.

Stakeholders from various international organisations and the Government of Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration and accelerating efforts to combat human trafficking. During an event organised to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the emphasis was placed on protecting children and upholding the rights and dignity of those most at risk of exploitation.

Vienna, 31 July 2024 — ICMPD is growing with another member: Ireland is the 21st Member State to join ICMPD’s work in finding innovative solutions to regional migration challenges. Ireland’s accession is the latest after Germany (2020), Greece (2021), and the Netherlands (2023) joined ICMPD in recent years.

Addressing highly complex, often invisible crimes in a targeted way also requires a highly coordinated approach. As human trafficking and the online sexual exploitation of children increasingly become lucrative enterprises for the criminal syndicates globally and even more challenging to track, the best way to tackle them begins with having the right data.

As part of the European Union’s ongoing efforts towards improved reporting on migration issues and migrant safety and welfare, ICMPD hosted trainings for Iraqi journalists. 

This year’s Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Chisinau on 24-25 September 2024 marked the 15th anniversary of the Prague Process. Bringing together representatives from 26 participating states, the European Commission, European Agency for Asylum, IOM, UNHCR, ICMPD and Joint Coordination Platform, the meeting allowed to jointly reflect on the achievements reached to date and the priorities and lessons learned for the future.

ICMPD hosted the handover ceremonies for the next phase of the SCOP 3.1 project, in support of Moldova’s border management sector. Safety and surveillance equipment and transport facilities were formally turned over to national authorities, intended for border monitoring and coordination, preventing cross-border crime, and enhancing the operational capacity of the Border Police.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) hosts its annual Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) on 22-23 October 2024. This year’s discussions take place during a pivotal election year and will feature diverse topics that are set to shape the European migration agenda. These include strategies for safer routes, handling irregular arrivals, and labour migration. The public sentiment on migration in light of socio-economic and geopolitical volatility, and ways forward to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, will also be prominently discussed.

EU Member States¹ and partner countries² have agreed on a Joint Declaration outlining six key priorities for 2025-2030, including expanding legal pathways, tackling irregular migration, enhancing international protection, prevention of racism and discrimination, and stronger support for integration.

On November 6, 2024, Cabo Verde marked a milestone in its commitment to combating human trafficking with the National Observatory Against Trafficking in Persons, inaugurated by the Minister of Justice and supported by the OBSERVE-CV Project. With the establishment of the Observatory, the 2023 - 2026 action plan on proactive measures to prevent trafficking, support survivors, and strengthen institutional responses will be implemented.

Parents leaving for work abroad can have an impact on their children. In migrant-sending countries, children often remain in the country with either only one parent, or in the care of relatives. This phenomenon is often linked to children and young adolescents’ altered norms and perceptions of ‘family’; or anxiety and difficulty in coping with social pressures that, in turn, affect the social fabric of families and communities.

Human trafficking, like migration, is a highly complex issue. It requires not only the resources but also the right data to address its underlying root causes and impact. Understanding human trafficking better involves taking stock of the community’s attitudes, perceptions, and perspectives – particularly those who are directly affected, including children.

ICMPD’s EU-funded Project PROTECT hosted a training on “The Role of Media in Forming Migration Questions” last November in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, as a part of a monthly training series on migration themes organised for the country’s Migration Service.

The research project “Re-thinking approaches to labour migration. Potential and gaps in EU Member States’ Migration Infrastructures”, mapped labour market needs and analysed the national migration systems of all 27 member states between early 2023 and early 2024. After an initial presentation in late November during the annual conference of the Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network, ICMPD makes available a mapping of labour migration pathways across the EU countries.

Strengthening the local economy while enhancing entrepreneurship capacities of migrants to contribute more productively with their skills and business ideas, as well as creating jobs enriches the host communities. This is the main thrust of the ENHANCER (Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Integration) Project, launched in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that saw enterprises and workers losing their businesses and jobs.

In December 2024, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) reached a significant milestone with the successful conclusion of the Modernising the Nigeria Immigration Service Workforce (MoNIS) Project. Supported by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Government of Denmark, this initiative has redefined standards for institutional efficiency, inclusivity, and innovation within the NIS.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has released its annual forecast of the 10 migration issues that can shape international migration in 2025. For the first time in years, irregular migration and asylum figures in Europe have decoupled from global trends on displacement. Much suggests that this trend is the result of more restrictive migration policies globally, but it is still too early to speak of a sustainable development. The downward trend, however, will reinforce political debates in Europe that primarily focus on control, externalisation and return. 

ICMPD has opened a new Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I). The MRC promotes safe and regular migration processes for prospective migrants, combat trafficking and people-smuggling through raising awareness, pre-departure counselling for emigrants, post-arrival briefings to migrant workers, and re-integration support for returnees and internally displaced populations.

The Strengthening Border Security (SBS) project in Ghana has successfully concluded, marking a major step in enhancing national and regional border security. Funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in collaboration with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the initiative has advanced Ghana’s border management capabilities, contributing to improved security across West Africa.