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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.

On 9 July 2026, the Migration Resource Centre (MRC) hosted the latest edition of its “Yak Piyola Choy with Media” event, bringing together media representatives and migration stakeholders to strengthen cooperation on promoting safe and regular migration. The event also marked the 10th anniversary of the MRC network.

When the first Migrant Resource Centre opened in Pakistan, Syed Umer Wazir Shah was one of its first Counsellors. Ten years on, he helps oversee a network of MRCs across Pakistan and into regional initiatives in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.   

Earlier this year an Eritrean was convicted to serve 20 years in prison for smuggling migrants into the Netherlands, while his accomplice was extradited from the United Arab Emirates to face criminal charges in a Dutch court. Along with co-conspirators, they were charged with inflicting abuse and exploiting migrants in the Mediterranean, before smuggling them across treacherous waters into Europe. 

The Government of Sri Lanka and ICMPD along with national media organisations, gathered today to strengthen cooperation towards safe, regular and orderly migration. The meeting in Colombo sought to promote accurate, ethical and solution-oriented reporting to help the public with better-informed migration decisions. Through the Migrant Information Centre, the meeting brought together over 30 officials and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE); as well as media professionals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), and ICMPD through the Migrant Information Centre (MIC), convened today government institutions and recruitment agencies to advance safe, fair and ethical labour migration recruitment. Participating stakeholders discussed transparency, compliance, and practical cooperation to protect Sri Lankan migrant workers and job seekers.

ICMPD joined the Sri Lanka government in hosting the Conference on Combatting and Addressing Trafficking of Human Beings today, renewing commitment to prevention, victim protection, and coordinated action. To commemorate the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, more than 80 representatives of government, law enforcement and protection authorities, National Anti-Trafficking Task Force, and High Commissions and Embassies joined civil society, academia, development partners, international organisations, media, and survivor-support organisations.

ICMPD commemorated the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Pakistan, joining national institutions, UN and international organisations, civil society, and the diplomatic community in committing to a victim-centred, whole-of-route response to the evolving forms of human trafficking.

The Migrant Resource Centre in Kyrgyzstan, in collaboration with local partners DVV International Kyrgyzstan and Youth of Osh, provided training to 46 young people to prepare for their journey to live and study in Germany. Between 27 July and 5 August in Bishkek, three groups received training sessions essential soft skills, critical pre-departure knowledge, and a fundamental understanding of their legal rights and responsibilities, thereby empowering them to navigate and thrive in their new environments effectively.

The Migrant Resource Centre in Baghdad, along with Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement  and the Ministry of Interior, highlighted the experiences and challenges of victims of human trafficking and the importance of access to accurate information to protect their rights and safety.

Representatives of the European Union, Ukraine and Czechia, international organisations, and the Ukrainian diaspora gathered to celebrate the Ukrainian Consultation and Community Centre in Prague formally joining the Unity Hub Network, with its growing reach and scope of work for Ukrainians. The event included the official signing of a cooperation agreement to extend the U-CARE project, which ICMPD implements.

Adopting a national border policy provides a framework for action. Putting that framework into practice requires engagement with the institutions and communities working along the country's frontiers. In Côte d'Ivoire, this process is now taking place region by region, with ICMPD support through the Demand-Driven Facility (DDF) of the EU-funded FMM West Africa Phase II project.

For decades, Pakistani workers have travelled abroad in search of employment, contributing their skills and labour to economies across different regions of the world. The scale of this movement is considerable: according to government data, more than 14 million Pakistani workers have proceeded abroad for employment through formal channels since 1971, with recent annual outflows often reaching well above 700,000.

Over 100 participants from 23 countries and 10 partner organisations, along with 13 private-sector partners were hosted in Islamabad on 16-17 September 2026 to strengthen private-sector engagement in skills-based labour migration partnerships. For the first time in the Working Group’s meetings, the private sector is directly at the centre of its discussions, where participants examined how labour-market demand can be better matched with skills development, qualification recognition and fair recruitment across the Silk Routes region.

Marking the 75^th year since the adoption of the Refugee Convention, Prague Process and UNHCR convened a training-workshop to strengthen access to asylum and protection-sensitive systems. The event on 15-16 September 2026 in Geneva brought together asylum and migration practitioners from across the Prague Process region, alongside representatives of UNHCR, the European Commission, EU Agency for Asylum, and IOM.

ICMPD Deputy Director General Sedef Dearing joined high-level discussion on the role of migration dialogues as catalyst for cooperation in the face of mounting pressures and security and geopolitical tensions globally. At the sidelines of the 81^st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ms Dearing, along with co-hosts Malta, Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Denmark discussed the need to strengthen the resilience of migration governance through sustained, demand-driven partnerships.

More than 400 participants joined public authorities, international partners and local communities in Cahul on 26 September 2026 for the fourth edition of Border Marathon. Supported by the SCOP project, the event promoted healthy lifestyles, resilience and cooperation in Moldova’s southern border region.