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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. 

The 2026 Café Kyiv opened on Tuesday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for continued support for Ukraine. “We have supported Ukraine financially, politically, and also militarily. We have been doing so for four years, and we will continue to do so. [We need] peace in Europe that is not dictated to Ukrainians and Europeans, but one that we shape together,” Chancellor Merz said.

The first fully operational Unity Hub in the European Union opened this week in the Czech Republic. Opened on 2 March 2026, the Ukrainian Consultation and Community Centre in Prague (UCCC) will serve as a unique model for EU states planning for establishing such facilities in support of Ukrainians and Ukrainian state authorities.

ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab welcomed Ambassadors and senior members of the diplomatic corps in Vienna, representing countries of origin and countries along migration routes towards Europe with which ICMPD closely cooperates. Amidst the current conflict in the Middle East, Ms Raab expressed the organisation’s commitment to strong partnerships and the crucial role of diplomacy in conflict resolution, and international cooperation on migration governance.

ICMPD, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), organised a two-day State Engagement Programme in Guwahati, Assam on 12-13 February 2026. Titled Linking India-EU Migration Opportunities and the Northeast Corridor, the dialogue strengthens cooperation on safe, orderly, and regular migration and mobility between India and the European Union and its Member States.

The Republic of Poland assumes the Chairmanship of the ICMPD Steering Group 2026. On 4 March 2026, Mr Paweł Dąbrowski, Plenipotentiary of the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration for International Cooperation, accepted the handover of the Chairmanship from Ms Eva Åkerman Börje, Director of the International Migration Department of Sweden’s Ministry of Justice; joined by ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab.

ICMPD welcomed Ukrainian diaspora organisations to the newly opened Ukrainian Community and Consultations Centre (UCCC) in Prague, the first fully operational Unity Hub in the European Union. 

ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab welcomed Kari Johnstone, Special Representative for Combatting Human Trafficking for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Deputy Co-ordinator Jean-Benoit Manhes.

ICMPD Deputy Director General and Director of Migration Dialogues and Cooperation Sedef Dearing met with officials from Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Inspectorate of Border Police, Ombudsman Office, the European Union Delegation to Moldova, Embassy of Ukraine, and the Diaspora Relations Bureau at the State Chancellery. Representing Director General Susanne Raab, Ms Dearing discussed last week ICMPD’s ongoing support and future cooperation for Moldova’s migration governance efforts, EU accession preparations, security challenges, border management, and diaspora engagement.

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.