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An integrated border management (IBM) strategy remains top priority for the Iraqi government, in tackling human trafficking and irregular migration, and strengthening border security. This was the focus of the discussions in Iraq between ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger and Dr Ali Al-Yasery, Director General of Iraq’s National Joint Planning Centre.

Marking World Refugee Day and ten years since the so-called 2015 refugee crisis, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger reflected on Europe’s migration journey — a decade marked by real progress towards refugee integration, yet strained by the continued inflow and growing political tensions.

ICMPD convened government counterparts of its Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) to advance cooperation and coordinated responses to emerging migration trends and challenges; including legal migration pathways, reducing irregular migration, and supporting the integration of returnees. At the meetings, the European Union called on participating governments to ensure long-term sustainability for their MRCs, in the service of migrants and returnees.

Former Austrian Minister for Women, Family, Integration and Media will take office at ICMPD as of 1 January 2026

ICMPD successfully hosted the 12th International Summer School on Migration on 29 June-4 July 2025 in Armenia.

The 4th EU Global Diaspora Facility’s Future Forum brought diaspora organisations together with public institutions and policymakers from four continents to share practices and explore how inclusive partnerships make diaspora contributions to development in countries of origin more effective and sustainable.

ICMPD is advancing the operational practices and legal safeguards for migrants and asylum seekers crossing Moldova’s borders. Working with the country’s Border Police and the Ombudsman Office, ICMPD hosted a workshop and consultations focused on human rights at the border, including entry and exit, data protection, and asylum safeguards.

ICMPD has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Bangladesh to strengthen its strategic engagement and cooperation in the areas of border management, promoting regular migration, preventing irregular migration, and combatting human trafficking. The partnership includes bilateral and multilateral dialogues, as well as support to human and institutional capacity development of relevant border and migration agencies in Bangladesh.

The Network of Anti-Trafficking Coordinators of South-East Europe (NATC-SEE)¹ gathered to develop and exchange solutions on human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and labour exploitation including of foreign nationals in the region. At the meeting in Sarajevo on 13-14 November 2025, members of the network provided updates on their recent and upcoming regional collaborations to support victims of human trafficking; as well as case studies on identifying and prosecuting trafficking cases.

Director General elect Susanne Raab stressed the need for genuine alternatives for migrants to ensure access to legal pathways, to protect them from human traffickers and migrant smugglers. Ms Raab emphasised this at the second International Conference of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling in Brussels on 10 December; which opened with a Keynote Speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Three regional migration Dialogues are further strengthening the responses to human trafficking and migrant smuggling across African and European routes. The Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes marked an important milestone in interregional cooperation to enhance policies and cooperation to align with realities on the ground, ensuring that responses to these crimes remain fit for purpose.

ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab met with HE Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Mr Rebar Ahmad, to sign a Cooperation Agreement in strengthening strategic engagement in the areas of migration management, reintegration, and capacity building.

In 2025, EU Member States recorded a 26% decrease in irregular arrivals and a 21% decrease in asylum applications. It is the first marked decline in these figures in many years, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development’s (ICMPD) Migration Outlook report, released today, says that this should provide momentum to the EU’s Asylum and Migration Pact implementation.

The fraudulent use of identity and travel documents can facilitate transnational criminal activities, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling – particularly when people move across borders undetected. This has been endemic and poses a persistent threat to regional security across West Africa.

European Union and international partners, government representatives, civil society organisations, gathered in Dushanbe in December for a high-level briefing to strengthen long-term reintegration support systems for returning migrants in Tajikistan. Discussions centred on the multifaceted reintegration landscape in Tajikistan, highlighting the need for more coherent, predictable, and sustainable support for returning Tajik nationals.

ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab met with Poland’s Secretary of State, Mr Czesław Mroczek, on 27 January 2026 in Warsaw. The meetings focused on current national and regional migration dynamics, including external EU border and security-linked pressures; the situation of Ukrainians in Poland; and ways to elevate ICMPD–Poland cooperation. This was also Ms Raab’s first visit to an ICMPD Member State, since assuming office as new Director General this month. 

On 6-8 March 2023, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger visited Türkiye, where he met Mr. Süleyman Soylu, Minister of Interior, Mr. Savaş Ünlü, the President of the Presidency of Migration Management and other high-level officials. The aim of the visit was to express ICMPD’s condolences following the catastrophe and its commitment to support Turkish authorities in the relief efforts in the affected regions, as well as to exchange updates and ideas for mid and long term support efforts.

On 07 March 2024, the ENHANCER Business Networking Event was organised in coordination with the Directorate General of Development Agencies within the Ministry of Industry and Technology in Kayseri. Co-hosted by the Kayseri Chamber of Commerce, the event succeeded in hosting 174 Turkish and Syrian existing and potential entrepreneurs from Kayseri.

On 5 March 2024, The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) officially launched the project "Improving Migration Management in Selected Silk Routes and Central Asian Countries,". The project, funded by the European Union, is a testament to the EU and ICMPD's commitment to migration management. It will set up the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Osh in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration. 

On 16th April, ICMPD organised together with the Institute of Law Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences a workshop in Warsaw dedicated to enhancing human rights monitoring in the context of forced returns. The workshop took place within the framework of the Horizon Europe project “Finding Agreement in Return” (FAiR) which assesses the legitimacy and effectiveness of the EU’s return policies.

On 14-15 April 2024, a workshop on International Cooperation was convened in collaboration with the European Union Advisory Mission to Iraq (EUAM-I) and the National Security Advisory of Iraq within the framework of Iraq's National Integrated Border Management (IBM) Strategy in Baghdad. 

The ICMPD team from the Regional Office Silk Routes visited Baghdad for a round of high-level bilateral meetings and events. On 15 April, a meeting was held with the Ministry of Interior, one of the key partners for ICMPD in Iraq, focusing on enhancing the ongoing cooperation, particularly within the framework of border management initiatives.

On World Youth Skills Day, the EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) publishes recommendations from diaspora youth on how to integrate youth perspectives in migration policy processes and beyond. The recommendations cover recognition of youth expertise, access to funding and inclusion in governance structures.

On June 4 2024, the Nordic countries launched NORAQ (Nordic Support on Return and Reintegration in Iraq), a joint initiative aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges of migration management in Iraq. The inauguration ceremony took place in Baghdad marking a step towards enhanced cooperation and support for Iraq's migration and reintegration efforts.

On 25 and 26 June 2024, ICMPD’s Director General, Michael Spindelegger, participated in the Salzburg Forum Ministerial Conference 2024 in Laxenburg, Austria. The Salzburg Forum is a Central European security partnership focused on fostering dialogue on internal security among relevant stakeholders. In this edition, organised by the Austrian Chairmanship of the Salzburg Forum, the topic of migration and the fight against human trafficking was one of the focus areas of the conference.