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Regional workshop in Accra translates dialogue among border and security officials into six priority actions and a practical workplan for implementation.

ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab opened the Euro-Mediterranean Migration Partnerships Forum in Malta last week with a commitment towards a stronger cooperation between the two regions. On 29-30 September in Valletta, Ms Raab joined Malta’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Chris Fearne at a high-level panel discussion that examined the migration cooperation architecture of the Mediterranean; setting the stage for participating senior political and institutional leaders to explore operational cooperation and leadership in building regional resilience.

ICMPD organised a training on human rights, equality, and inclusion for the Migrant Resource Centres on 22-24 September 2026 in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In cooperation with the Swedish Migration Agency, participants received practical guidance on applying rights-based approaches in counselling, case management, and referral services.

Nigeria is not short on anti-trafficking policy. The country has a dedicated national agency in the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), a legal framework that criminalises trafficking, and anti-trafficking content built into the national school curriculum. Like many prevention systems, the gap has not been in policy but in reach; the ability to protect school-age children at the earliest points of the trafficking cycle, where recruitment and grooming take root long before institutional responses can follow. 

European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner launched the new IBM PAK €5 million EU-funded project in Islamabad, Pakistan to strengthen integrated border management and risk analysis. Concluding the National Risk Analysis Summit on 13 October 2026, the launch marks strengthened cooperation between the EU Pakistan and on migration and border management. Co-organised by ICMPD and Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Summit highlighted the progress made by the Agency’ Risk Analysis Unit (RAU), also established with EU support.

The European Legal Gateway Office in India brought together representatives from government, EU institutions and Member States, industry, skills development, higher education and research for its Partnership Building Workshop in New Delhi on 13 October 2026. Discussions explored how partnerships can connect Indian ICT professionals, students and researchers with opportunities in the EU through better information, employer engagement and institutional cooperation.

Ghana is quietly rebuilding two systems that decide whether people are recognised by the state: a child's birth record, and the protection owed to a refugee. Under two new Demand-Driven Facility actions implemented by FMM West Africa Phase II, the Ghana Births and Deaths Registry and Health Service are teaming up to close a registration gap that still leaves about one in four children under five without an official record. Meanwhile, the Ghana Refugee Board is turning a hard look at its own gaps into a plan for reform.

The ALBSaM2 project, funded by the Czech Republic, brings together staff members from Tripoli and Benghazi to strengthen secure communication, reporting and information exchange.

ICMPD gathered over 150 officials from 54 countries and organisations to develop integrated responses to counter human trafficking and migrant smuggling. At the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Rabat Process and Khartoum Process – two of the migration dialogues in which ICMPD serves as Secretariat – delegates exchanged perspectives and experiences in countering the evolving criminal business models and strengthening accountability mechanisms.

Researchers, policymakers and practitioners met in Geneva on 8–9 October 2026 to reflect on evidence from three and a half years of FAiR research.

In the past year alone, Cabo Verde has seen a steep increase in migrant arrivals on boats, mostly aiming for the Canary Islands — the closest European destination they can try to reach. Dozens arrived on the island of São Vicente; while in 2023, from those who survived the journey, 38 arrived in Sal and 90 in Boa Vista.

ICMPD Director-General Michael Spindelegger joined heads of state and ministers at the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli, Libya on 17 July 2024. In a statement, Mr Spindelegger called for strengthened collaboration between Europe and Africa to address the complexities of irregular migration.

Vienna, 31 July 2024 — ICMPD is growing with another member: Ireland is the 21st Member State to join ICMPD’s work in finding innovative solutions to regional migration challenges. Ireland’s accession is the latest after Germany (2020), Greece (2021), and the Netherlands (2023) joined ICMPD in recent years.

Addressing highly complex, often invisible crimes in a targeted way also requires a highly coordinated approach. As human trafficking and the online sexual exploitation of children increasingly become lucrative enterprises for the criminal syndicates globally and even more challenging to track, the best way to tackle them begins with having the right data.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) hosts its annual Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) on 22-23 October 2024. This year’s discussions take place during a pivotal election year and will feature diverse topics that are set to shape the European migration agenda. These include strategies for safer routes, handling irregular arrivals, and labour migration. The public sentiment on migration in light of socio-economic and geopolitical volatility, and ways forward to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, will also be prominently discussed.

ICMPD hosted the handover ceremonies for the next phase of the SCOP 3.1 project, in support of Moldova’s border management sector. Safety and surveillance equipment and transport facilities were formally turned over to national authorities, intended for border monitoring and coordination, preventing cross-border crime, and enhancing the operational capacity of the Border Police.

Human trafficking, like migration, is a highly complex issue. It requires not only the resources but also the right data to address its underlying root causes and impact. Understanding human trafficking better involves taking stock of the community’s attitudes, perceptions, and perspectives – particularly those who are directly affected, including children.

Of the 1.2 billion young people joining the global workforce by 2030, around 450 million of them are from Africa. With their dynamic strength, creativity, and skills, these young movers are not only stakeholders in migration and labour policies now – they would also be vital architects of the future. Meanwhile, Europe undergoes profound demographic changes marked by ageing populations and growing labour shortage in essential sectors.

ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger met with Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, to discuss the newly established Ministry of Unity that he will lead as Minister, as well as ongoing cooperation on border management and supporting the needs for the return and reintegration of Ukrainians. 

Strengthening the local economy while enhancing entrepreneurship capacities of migrants to contribute more productively with their skills and business ideas, as well as creating jobs enriches the host communities. This is the main thrust of the ENHANCER (Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Integration) Project, launched in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that saw enterprises and workers losing their businesses and jobs.

ICMPD’s EU-funded Project PROTECT hosted a training on “The Role of Media in Forming Migration Questions” last November in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, as a part of a monthly training series on migration themes organised for the country’s Migration Service.

The research project “Re-thinking approaches to labour migration. Potential and gaps in EU Member States’ Migration Infrastructures”, mapped labour market needs and analysed the national migration systems of all 27 member states between early 2023 and early 2024. After an initial presentation in late November during the annual conference of the Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network, ICMPD makes available a mapping of labour migration pathways across the EU countries.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has released its annual forecast of the 10 migration issues that can shape international migration in 2025. For the first time in years, irregular migration and asylum figures in Europe have decoupled from global trends on displacement. Much suggests that this trend is the result of more restrictive migration policies globally, but it is still too early to speak of a sustainable development. The downward trend, however, will reinforce political debates in Europe that primarily focus on control, externalisation and return. 

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, most displaced persons seeking protection in Europe initially expected to stay only temporarily. As the war persisted however, many reconsidered their plans and adapted to prolonged displacement.

Marking World Refugee Day and ten years since the so-called 2015 refugee crisis, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger reflected on Europe’s migration journey — a decade marked by real progress towards refugee integration, yet strained by the continued inflow and growing political tensions.