News

The MOBILAZE 2 project organised a roundtable discussion on 28 April 2023, for the Azerbaijani government institutions, international organisations, local and international experts on the integration of migrants and refugees living in Azerbaijan in Baku Azerbaijan.

Michael Spindelegger, Director General of ICMPD, on the war in Ukraine and its consequences for neighbouring countries, the European Union and the present and future of ICMPD.

The Border Management Programme in Central Asia – Phase 10 (BOMCA 10) selected nine actions for the benefit of border communities within its first Call for proposals among Central Asian NGOs.

In order to facilitate further involvement of Georgian diaspora in country’s development processes, and ensure achievement of greater impact of diaspora engagement, the Government of Georgia in close cooperation with ICMPD continues formation of diaspora engagement mechanisms.  

The STREAMinG Project organised a study visit to Slovenia on visa and residence regulations to further strengthen the capacities of the Migration and Citizenship Unit of the Public Service Development Agency of Georgia, on 24-27 April 2023. The visit was funded by the EU and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The ICMPD-implemented SUPPORT PMM Project recently conducted a study visit to Pakistan's Islamabad, Lahore, and Gujrat from April 25th to 28th, 2023 to strengthen Türkiye's National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (NAVRR) Mechanism through individual and community-based reintegration assistance.

Exchanges held with public, private and relavant stakeholders from Ghana, Kenya and Germany on partnership formulas.

The Netherlands becomes the 20th Member State of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

On 28^th February, 2023, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), with support from ICMPD and funding from the Government of Denmark, organised a stakeholder consultation workshop on the next 7-year strategic plan of the GIS. The workshop was organised as part of the Strengthening Border and Migration Management (SMMIG) project.

On 16 May 2023, Michael Spindelegger, Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), delivered keynote remarks during the 5th meeting of the Private Sector Engagement (PSE) for Reintegration in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Funded by the Return and Reintegration Facility (RRF) – an ICMPD-led and EU-funded programme -  the PSE aims at setting up operational coordination mechanisms to better match returnees with potential employers from the private sector. 

On 23 May 2023, in Warsaw, Poland, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in collaboration with the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM) and the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), organised the second international seminar as part of the ICMPD-led project "Comprehensive Support for People in a Vulnerable Situation in the Polish Migration Management System (KOMPLEKS)."

The workshop was organised in March 2023 to train GIS staff in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation on setting indicators to monitor the implementation of GIS activities and their contributions to the fulfilment of the Strategic Plan. The workshop was designed to improve participants' knowledge, skills and ability to apply MEL frameworks, concepts, and principles.

In order to better understand, and thereby, enhance the Western Balkans diasporas’ contribution to socioeconomic development in their respective countries of origin, the study identified and analysed existing diaspora engagement frameworks in the research countries. 

On 22 – 25 May 2023, ICMPD organised a training for Libyan officials on assisting citizens abroad during times of crisis. The training was conducted within the framework of the EU- and Swiss co-funded Libya’s Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF) project. 

On 9 June, a training on human rights pertaining to forced return operations has been delivered to relevant actors in Moldova. The training was organised by ICMPD, in partnership with the Moldovan Ombudsman Office, within the framework of the project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Reception System for Moldova” (CareFor).

On 13 - 14 June 2023, the MOBILAZE 2 project in cooperation with the Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan organised training on Ensuring the Rights of Vulnerable Migrants, Migration and Asylum Management and Monitoring Mechanisms in Nakhchivan for the law-enforcement agencies involved in migration management.

In the framework of the EU-funded “Support to the Implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan (MOBILAZE 2)" implemented by International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), ICMPD and State Migration Service (SMS), is announcing an Integration Programme for migrants and refugees living in Azerbaijan.

Dhermi, 12 June 2023 – the official Project Closing and 2nd Handover Ceremony took place at the Border Police station to hand over equipment worth EUR 2.4 million to the Border and Migration Police of the Albanian State Police of the Ministry of Interior of Albania.

On 19-21 June 2023, the MOBILAZE 2 project organised a study visit on migration policy sectors - management and implementation - for a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tallinn, Estonia.  The purpose of the study visit was to further strengthen the capacities of relevant Azerbaijani state institutions in the area of migration management to learn about the Estonian experience in migration policies development and implementation including migration procedures and residence regulations, visa policy, integration policies, digitalisation, e-residencies, Start-up visas, etc.

On 6 July, ICMPD organised a workshop with Moldovan stakeholders as part of the project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Reception System for Moldova” (CareFor) to update the national migration data indicators’ framework. The data indicators on migration and asylum require adjustment to European standards, especially after Moldova recently gained the candidate status and became an observer to the European Migration Network.

On 4 July 2023, Türkiye and ICMPD organised a high-level event titled "Migratory flows and regional challenges - Türkiye's way forward on migration" in Brussels. The European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, delivered a keynote speech. The President of Türkiye's Presidency of Migration Management, Savaş Ünlü, Deputy Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Johannes Luchner and ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger participated in the panel moderated by ICMPD's Brussels Mission Director Ralph Genetzke.

From 3-7 July 2023, ICMPD and the African Union Commission (AUC) organised a “Training of Trainers” (ToT) in Nairobi, Kenya, with participants from across the African continent to be certified as trainers for the AU Migration Governance Training Programme.

Between the 27^th and 29^th of June 2023, under the scope of the KOMPLEKS project, ICMPD organized a study visit for representatives of Polish local authorities and project partners to the Netherlands.