News

On 2 February, ICMPD together with Moldovan stakeholders celebrated the results of FReMM in a project closing event, while kicking off on that same occasion the newly launched project called CareFor. The event gathered management-level representatives of the key national stakeholders and donor community.

From 1-3 February, the ECOWAS Commission held the 14th Annual Review Meeting of the Regional Network of National Focal Institutions against Trafficking in Persons Plus (RNNI-TIP+) in Niamey, Niger. Building upon the existing successful cooperation, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) supported the organisation of the meeting in the framework of the project “Organised Crime West Africa Response to Trafficking (OCWAR-T), funded by the European Union and the German government. Furthermore, the ICMPD-implemented a project on strengthening the cooperation between Niger and Nigeria, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, complemented these joint efforts.

On 02 - 03 February 2022, the NAVRR Pillar 1 project organised a consultation workshop on developing a National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme (NAVRR) case management system for Türkiye.

On 9 March, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger met with Hungarian State Secretary Péter Sztáray at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. His visit was aimed at understanding the realities of mass displacement from Ukraine and supporting ICMPD member states impacted by the conflict.  

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum invited ICMPD to participate in the panel on “Addressing irregular migration: A holistic approach” on 11 March 2022. ICMPD was represented by the Director Migration Dialogues and Cooperation, Martijn Pluim.

Complementary pathways to protection have been gaining increasing interest from policymakers and civil society as a way to enhance international responses to rising, and in many cases long-lasting, displacement. Complementary pathways to protection provide alternative routes for refugees to access protection, alongside the three traditional durable solutions (repatriation, local integration, and resettlement). Despite their considerable promise, complementary pathways remain small in scale.

Within the framework of the EU and Swiss Confederation co-funded LIBMITAF project, ICMPD organised a preparatory session and accompanied the Libyan Delegation to the Khartoum Process Senior Officials’ Meeting in Kampala, Uganda.

On 24 March 2022, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and ICMPD signed an MoU for the implementation of the second phase of the SMMIG project, funded by the Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On 29 March 2022, ICMPD, as part of the TRAFIG and SPRING projects, held a webinar focused on the labour market inclusion of people fleeing war in Ukraine. The panel featured a diverse range of experts and practitioners working in the field of the EU and ICMPD Member States.

On 12-13 May 2022, Austria and the Czech Republic in its capacity of Prague Process Chair hosted the Prague Process Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Vienna.

The GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum 2022 focuses on the essential challenges of today’s divided world and takes place on 2 – 4 June 2022. On this occasion, ICMPD’s Director General Michael Spindelegger points out the link between the war in Ukraine, wheat supply and possible migration movements.

On 24 – 26 May 2022, South Sudan hosted a Regional training for officials of border management agencies on international cooperation to combat cross-border crime. The event was the first as part of South Sudan’s workplan as Chair of the Khartoum Process.

Michael Spindelegger, ICMPD Director General, talks about the regions most affected by migration movements, how Europe can and should prepare for potential consequences and how ICMPD can help to build a well-functioning European migration system. The interview was first published in the ICMPD Annual Report for 2021. 

The ICMPD/ERRIN implemented CADRE project organised its last training session on Return Counselling with a special focus on counselling vulnerable people, namely victims of trafficking.  The face-to-face training took place on 3-5 May in Brussels, Belgium.

A new study by EUROMED Migration V examines expert knowledge and survey data on the aspirations of young people in Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia to find out how EU talent partnerships can be used to increase the employment and mobility of young people in and from these countries.

On 12-13 May, a workshop was held in Istanbul under the National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Project Pillar (NAVRR) entitled The Way Home: Enhancing Cooperation with Countries of Origin and Destination for Advancing Türkiye’s National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Mechanism.

The CADRE project, implemented by ICMPD within the framework of the European Return and Reintegration Network (ERRIN programme), organised its 3rd “Train-the-Trainers” session for return counsellors in Austria. The face-to-face training took place on 29-31 March, 2022

On 05 April 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in collaboration with the Polish Office for Foreigners (UdsC), the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), and the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM) launched a two-year project titled Comprehensive Support for People in a Vulnerable Situation in the Polish Migration Management System (KOMPLEKS). 

ENHANCER project brought Türkiye's leading companies and entrepreneurs together. Turkish and Syrian entrepreneurs from textile, ready-made clothing, shoemaking, food and supporting innovative sectors came together with leading buyers, investors and representatives of funding sources. The event drew intense attention by hosting the titans with the highest turnover in their sectors in Türkiye.

On 13 May 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, ICMPD, in collaboration with the Polish Office for Foreigners (UdsC), the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), and the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM), launched the first public discussion kicking off the project on Comprehensive Support for People in a Vulnerable Situation in the Polish Migration Management System (KOMPLEKS).

On 19 May 2022 in Brussels, Belgium, an information session on “EU Solidarity with Ukraine: protecting people fleeing the war” was held by the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs and the Mission of Ukraine to the EU. ICMPD, represented by Lukas Gehrke, is honoured to have been a part of it.

In May 2022, the EUROMED Migration V project in cooperation with the Training Institute for Migration Capacity Partnerships organised its first Training for Young Migration Professionals in Malta: a 5-day course for students from Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia, Libya, and Palestine.

On 2 June 2022, ICMPD, as part of the SPRING project, held a webinar on entrepreneurship as a driver of economic inclusion, focusing on good practices, challenges, and opportunities for (female) beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine. The panel featured a diverse range of experts and practitioners working in the field of the EU and ICMPD Member States.

On 2 June 2022, in Budva, Montenegro, the Network of the Anti-Trafficking Coordinators of South-Eastern Europe met for their annual meeting. The rationale of the meeting was a discussion of the effects of the Ukrainian crisis on the trafficking in human beings in the region based on the network countries’ experience in the past months.

Denmark supports Pakistan to strengthen rights based border management capacities of Federal Investigation Agency