News

On 21 December 2022 in Vienna, Mr. Lukas Gehrke, the ICMPD Deputy Director General, and Director for Policy Research and Strategy, and H.E. Mr. Levent Eler, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the UNOV and other International Organizations in Vienna, signed a Seat Agreement between ICMPD and the Republic of Türkiye. The Seat Agreement marks a milestone in the already strong, longstanding cooperation between ICMPD and Türkiye which has further intensified after Türkiye became an ICMPD Member State in 2018.  

The SUPPORT PMM Project held nine training sessions on Outreach and Community Engagement for Upscaling Türkiye’s National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (NAVRR) Mechanism in Ankara, between 12-22 December 2022.

The creation of sophisticated encryption tools is closely connected to the efforts of the armed forces and state authorities to conceal their communications and strategic documents, which are important for the functioning of the state, security system and protection of citizens. Special encryption tools are also employed in the private sector, helping to protect corporate know-how from economic espionage. However, Cryptography in the hands of criminal entities makes it more difficult for law enforcement and border authorities to detect, document and investigate serious crime related to smuggling and trafficking in human beings. 

Georgia’s Diaspora Awards is a high-level event aimed at the recognition of achievements of the prominent professionals of Georgian origin who have contributed to the promotion of Georgia’s positive image abroad. The event is organised in Georgia annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in cooperation with ICMPD. 

On 8 December 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, ICMPD in collaboration with the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM), and the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), organised the first international seminar as part of the ICMPD-led project “Comprehensive Support for People in a Vulnerable Situation in the Polish Migration Management System (KOMPLEKS).”

During the week of 11-18 November 2022, an assessment mission took place in Chisinau, Moldova within the framework of the ICMPD’s “Support to the Complex Improvement of Migration and Border Management in Moldova (SCOP)” project under its Component 1, funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) of Germany. ICMPD Project Manager and the group of experts tasked with the assessment of HR management with regard to business processes at the Bureau of Migration and Asylum (BMA) of Moldova conducted a series of coordinated field activities, including organisation of workshops and meetings with key stakeholders in the country.

The unprecedented influx of displaced people from the neighbouring Ukraine boosted the need for enhanced integration capacity in Moldova. With the support of the CareFor project, a dedicated IT module on foreigners’ integration has been developed.

On 23 to 27 January 2023 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, in close collaboration with the EU-funded STREAMinG project held the Coordination Meeting of Consular Officers of Georgia Abroad. The event was aimed at gathering consular officers assigned in various countries of the world in order to insure improvement of delivery of services and overall protection of human rights of Georgian citizens abroad.

2023 set off as a year of reforms in the area of migration. With the support of the CareFor project, the newly established Inspectorate-General for Migration initiated the revision of the legislative framework pertaining to migrants’ custody, among others.

As of 24 February, the State Customs Service of Ukraine officials received an unlimited access to the functionality of the analytical and legal system “ZakonOnline”, and can also work fulltime with the analytical system on compliance, market analysis, business intelligence and investigations "YouControl". This was made possible in the framework of the "EU Support in Strengthening IBM in Ukraine –Resilience (“EU4IBM - Resilience") project funded by the European Union.

On 22 February 2023, the EU Support to Strengthening IBM in Ukraine (EU4IBM) project trained State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) officers on the use of mobile mini-scanners for the inspection of light vehicles in order to prevent smuggling of illicit objects, including small arms and drugs. 12 scanners for non-destructive inspection, worth EUR 420,000, were procured, and delivered to Ukraine a week earlier.

On 20-23 February, the SCOP project organised a study visit on migration and digitalisation for the representatives of the Inspectorate General for Migration (IGM) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova, in Tallinn, Estonia.

On 14 and 15 February 2023, the Inspire project team held three information sessions in Tirana, Albania as a follow-up to their bilateral exchanges with ICT and Construction companies in November 2021.

On 7–10 March 2023, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the ICMPD Anti-Trafficking Programme held a validation workshop on the newly developed Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) of the National referral mechanism for victims of trafficking.

On 16 March, ICMPD organised a workshop for Moldovan stakeholders as part of the project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Reception System for Moldova” (CareFor) to exchange experience on rendering psychological services to the residents of the two temporary accommodation centres managed by the Inspectorate-General for Migration. The workshop gathered representatives of relevant public authorities, NGOs, project partners, ICMPD expert and project team.

On 14-16 March, a workshop on protecting personal data in migration area with a  focus on information and communication technologies was organised for the representatives of the Inspectorate General for Migration (IGM) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova.

Between the 5^th and 7^th of September 2022, under the scope of the KOMPLEKS project, ICMPD organized a study visit for representatives of Polish local authorities and project partners to Norway.

Between the 7^th and 9^th of November 2022, under the scope of the KOMPLEKS project, ICMPD organized a study visit for representatives of Polish local authorities and project partners to Austria.

The NAVRR Project implemented by ICMPD held the training on Monitoring and Evaluation to further strengthen Türkiye’s National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (NAVRR) Mechanism in Ankara between the dates of 27-28 March 2023.

On 14 April 2023, ten canine teams of the State Customs Service of Ukraine successfully completed a two-week specialized training that was provided by the "EU Support in Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine – Resilience”, the European Union-funded project.

On 18 April, ICMPD and GIZ signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim to further deepen their partnership, engage in innovative joint initiatives, mutual learning, evidence-based programming and policy-making.

On 3 April, a roundtable discussion gathered representatives of the Inspectorate General for Migration (IGM) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova together with SCOP project team and experts working on the analysis of the status quo at IGM and in the area of migration management.

2022 was defined by a new chapter of interstate war in Europe – with far-reaching consequences for Ukraine itself as well as neighbouring countries and even those on the other side of the globe. The war has shaped, and will continue to shape, ICMPD’s work and support to Member States and partners.