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Between 23–25 March 2026, ICMPD organised three self‑evaluation workshops in Edineț, Chișinău and Cahul for the Border Police Regional Directorates, supporting the launch of the new IBM Programme 2026–2030 and Moldova’s preparations for future evaluation missions.

On 26 March, border-management authorities from Moldova and Ukraine convened at the Palanca–Maiaki-Udobnoe Border Crossing Point for a one‑day meeting of Moldova’s National Joint Risk Analysis Working Group. 

Sweden and Ukraine signed a joint declaration confirming their cooperation on the opening of a Unity Hub for Ukrainians in Stockholm in summer 2026. The signing on 16 April 2026 marked an important step in strengthening information support for displaced Ukrainians in the EU, and enhancing ties with Ukraine; and in the broader EU-Ukraine cooperation in the migration sphere.

In an increasingly complex global environment, joint responsibility for border governance must integrate security, mobility, sovereignty and adherence to international obligations. At the same time, effectiveness and respect for fundamental rights must go hand in hand in a consistent and credible way. This was the key message of Malin Frankenhaeuser, Director of Policy, Research and Strategy at ICMPD, at a keynote address to this year’s World Border Security Congress on 14-16 April 2026 in Vienna.

With the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in June 2026 and the EU Return Regulation fast approaching, return and reintegration have moved to the centre of the EU’s migration agenda. Against this backdrop, the Expert Conference on Return and Reintegration Facility highlighted the need for coordinated and evidence-based interventions, along with sustained dialogue.

Exercise at the Romanian external border prepares Member States for migrant arrivals exceeding reception and processing capacities in asylum centres

In global development, civil society expertise and active community engagement are vital for the success of partnerships. This is evident how, in 2025 and only in just a few months, 29 civil society partners of the Migration and Mobility Dialogue (MMD) Grant Facility have organised and launched seven projects across 25 African countries and two in Europe. In cultivating local community development, these projects also showcase the work and expertise of civil society organisations (CSOs) at an international level through conferences and high-level meetings

The European Union Ambassador to Uzbekistan and the Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs and the Federal Minister of the Interior visited the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Tashkent on 7 May 2026. EU Ambassador Toivo Klaar, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, were joined by ICMPD Deputy Director General Sedef Dearing; along with MRC counsellors and project coordinators, and Austrian media.

Less than a month into the official roll-out of the European Union Pact on Migration and Asylum, ICMPD commits to support the implementation of one of the foremost reforms in European migration and asylum policy. Following its work with Member States in developing their National Implementation Plans (NIP), ICMPD has been working to align national systems and procedures with the requirements of the EU Pact on asylum procedures, border security, screening, Solidarity responsibility mechanisms, and protecting vulnerable persons. 

The European Union and the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic, and ICMPD opened the second Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Kyrgyzstan on 22 May 2026. The Centre will expand access to services for potential migrants across the region on safe and legal migration, and raise awareness on the risks of irregular migration and threats of human trafficking.

On 21 May 2026, the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 11) officially launched its 11th phase with an Opening Conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The event brought together more than 80 representatives of border and law enforcement agencies, government institutions from the five Central Asian countries, EU Delegations, international organisations, and implementing partners, who presented the Programme’s objectives, thematic priorities, and implementation approach.

On 26 May 2026, the National Joint Risk Analysis Working Group met in Chișinău with support from the SCOP Project. Representatives of key national authorities reviewed border security developments and advanced the joint risk analysis process.

The Swedish Ministry of Justice hosted the opening of the Unity Hub in Stockholm for Ukrainians holding temporary protection in Sweden. On 15 June 2026, Minister Johan Forssell, Sweden’s Minister for Migration, and Deputy Minister Ilona Havronska of Ukraine’s Ministry for Social Policy, Family and Unity led the opening ceremonies together with ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab.

Ten years after the first Migrant Resource Centres were established, the evolution of the MRC model can increasingly be measured not only through information campaigns or awareness-raising activities but through tangible services that shape employment, reintegration and future opportunities.

A project on preventing human trafficking and improved border management in Côte d'Ivoire has strengthened coordination between institutions, and prevention actions in vulnerable areas.

ICMPD and the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) brought together senior officials in Warsaw to discuss post‑conflict recovery, migration governance, and emerging policy priorities. The meeting on 9 June 2026, under the ICMPD Steering Group chairmanship of Poland, opened with welcoming remarks and a keynote by Maciej Duszczyk, Undersecretary of State at the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration. 

Since 2016, Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) have expanded across the Silk Routes region, adapting to changing migration realities while continuing to support people in making informed migration decisions: helping people make informed migration decisions through access to reliable information and support.

Long before there were Migrant Resource Centres (MRC) — before the counselling sessions, community outreach campaigns, and the networks reaching thousands of people across regions — a simple observation emerged from a Budapest Process meeting in Pakistan: “Too many people were making life-changing migration decisions, with too little or no reliable information,” says Sedef Dearing, now Deputy Director General at ICMPD.

At this year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland, Director General Susanne Raab reaffirmed ICMPD’s commitment and long-standing cooperation with Ukrainian stakeholders, ICMPD Member States, and European Union Member States and institutions. The three-day gathering in Gdansk on 24-26 June 2026 hosted heads of state, ministers and heads of agencies, and civil society in high-level meetings, workshops and exhibitions, and panel discussions on the most pressing aspects of Ukraine’s recovery from Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Senior Officials´ Meeting of the Prague Process on 23-24 June 2026 highlighted the role that each participating state and partner plays in finding whole-of-route solutions to common migration challenges. At the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia, plenaries and panel discussions also centred on the evolving migration dynamics in all Prague Process¹ countries, including European Union Member States, the Schengen Area, Türkiye, the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Central Asia.

ICMPD and Bangladeshi organisation BRAC have formalised long-term collaboration to promote safe and regular migration, mobility, return and reintegration, and tackle irregular migration. Signed through a Memorandum of Understanding on 29 June 2026 in Dhaka, both organisations will focus on facilitating legal and skilled labour mobility pathways for Bangladeshi workers to Europe, as well as supporting the sustainable reintegration of returning migrants.

Migration continues to shape economic and social life in Uzbekistan, influencing labour mobility, remittance flows and regional connectivity across Central Asia. At the same time, the rapid growth of online recruitment channels, informal intermediaries and misleading migration-related content has increased the need for accessible, reliable and practical information for prospective migrants and their families.

At this year’s Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, ICMPD cited political and technical dialogues, whole-of-route cooperation, and state capacity as vital pillars in countering migrant smuggling. On 1 July 2026, high-level representatives of government, EU and UN agencies, and international organisations highlighted the need for operational cooperation and political commitment; and reflected on strengthening situational awareness and cooperation with countries of origin and transit, and supporting joint responses to migrant smuggling.

Twenty years ago, representatives from Europe and Africa gathered in Rabat with a shared conviction: migration can only be addressed effectively through constructive dialogue, partnership, and shared responsibility. The meeting resulted in the adoption of the Rabat Declaration on 11 July 2006 and laid the foundations for what would become the Rabat Process, bringing together countries of origin, transit and destination along the migration routes connecting Central, West and North Africa with Europe.