News

On 19 June, Michael Spindelegger, ICMPD Director General, attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and took part in the high-level panel “Humanitarian Approach towards Refugees and Migrants”. On the panel, he was joined by Mr Antonio Vitorino (IOM Director General), Dr. Kerem Kinik (Red Crescent/IFRC) and Dr. Savaş Ünlü (Director DGMM Türkiye). Andrea Sanke moderated the panel.

On 20th of December, the European Union Delegation in Türkiye hosted the signature ceremony of the contribution agreement for the ENHANCER Project (Enhancement of Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Integration), under the European Union Facility for Refugees in Türkiye II funds. This 4-year project marks one of the largest projects to be implemented by ICMPD, with a total budget of 26,358,336 EUR.

This is the second of two articles about Türkiye's approach to migration and the most immediate challenges arising from the ‘refugee crisis’. While the first article analysed EU-Türkiye relations, this blog gives and overview of the institutional set-up of migration management in Türkiye.

The number of member states of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has increased by one as of May 2018. Türkiye has become the 17th state to join ICMPD, an international migration policy organisation founded 25 years ago with Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. ICMPD already enjoys long-lasting cooperation with Türkiye and runs several projects and activities from its office in Ankara. 

On 17-18 February, ICMPD Türkiye held an online training seminar for public officials at the Directorate General for Migration Management in Türkiye on Integrated Data Collection and Analysis in Migration Management: Models, Systems and Good Practices.

This is the first of two articles about Türkiye's approach to migration and the most immediate challenges arising from the ‘refugee crisis’. While this article analyses EU-Türkiye relations, the second part zooms into the institutional set-up of migration management in Türkiye.

Afghanistan is second only to Syria in the number of refugees originating from within its borders in recent years. Officially, about 2.5 million refugees have left Afghanistan in the almost four decades of this country being marked by hostilities and terror. The unofficial figure for the number of people who have fled exceeds six million. The majority of them are currently in the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Iran as well as in Türkiye. It is in this context that the first information centre for potential migrants was opened in Kabul, the Afghan capital, this week. 

New field research conducted under the "Technical Assistance for Cooperation with Civil Society in the Field of Migration Project" sheds light on the potential for further strengthening cooperation between CSOs and public institutions in Türkiye for better migration management.

Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a global phenomenon. Türkiye has continuously improved its anti-trafficking response since early 2000s to prevent this crime and to support victims of trafficking and persons at risk.

On 02 - 03 February 2022, the NAVRR Pillar 1 project organised a consultation workshop on developing a National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme (NAVRR) case management system for Türkiye.

On 25-26 July, the project “Supporting the Implementation and further Strengthening of Türkiye's National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration System” (NAVRR) held an expert workshop in Ankara on developing visibility and outreach plans for Türkiye’s National Assisted Voluntary Return & Reintegration Programme.

On 28 May 28 2021, ICMPD’s SUPREME project held an online conference on Türkiye’s Priorities on Irregular Migration and Return. Constituting SUPREME’s final project activity, the conference brought together crucial national and international stakeholders in the field of irregular migration.

On 14-16 and 16-18 February, the NAVRR Pillar 1 project held two trainings on effective pre-departure and post-arrival assistance delivery, aiming to strengthen Türkiye's National Assisted Voluntary Return & Reintegration (NAVRR) programme. The trainings were organised for the participants from the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM), its provincial departments and the Turkish Red Crescent.

On 12-13 May, a workshop was held in Istanbul under the National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Project Pillar (NAVRR) entitled The Way Home: Enhancing Cooperation with Countries of Origin and Destination for Advancing Türkiye’s National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Mechanism.

The fourth session of the Talking Migration Webinar Series was conducted on the 25th of February by ICMPD Türkiye, discussing the impact of COVID-19 on asylum management. The session contributed to discussions on how the Turkish asylum system coped with COVID-19, and the increased use of new technologies in asylum management that stem from the needs identified during the pandemic.

From 22 – 24 September, ICMPD in the framework of the ReConnect project, held the Second Return Counselling Training for the stakeholders of the National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme (NAVRR), the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), its provincial departments and the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC).

ENHANCER project brought Türkiye's leading companies and entrepreneurs together. Turkish and Syrian entrepreneurs from textile, ready-made clothing, shoemaking, food and supporting innovative sectors came together with leading buyers, investors and representatives of funding sources. The event drew intense attention by hosting the titans with the highest turnover in their sectors in Türkiye.

The project "Improving Entrepreneurial Capacity for Sustaniable Socio-Economic Integration" (ENHANCER) is an EU-funded action, aimed at fostering opportunities for entrepreneurs by giving them access to national and global markets.

The SUMMIT project activities were kicked-off with an international conference on 06 November 2019, titled "Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees to Foster Implementation of the Development-sensitive Migration Policies". A total of 91 representatives from public institutions, private sector, academia and civil society organisations participated to the event.

On 9 February 2021, the SUPREME* project organised a webinar for the stakeholders of the Turkish National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme on Essential Elements of Reintegration Assistance in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On the 1-3 December 2019, ICMPD welcomed Deputy Ministers of Finance, Defence, Transport and Refugees and Repatriation from Afghanistan as part of a multi-agency delegation participating in the first formal meeting to develop a National Integrated Border Management Strategy and Action Plan for Afghanistan in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Vienna 18th October 2021—The number of ICMPD Member States has increased again: Greece has just become the 19th member to join ICMPD, an international organisation working to find innovative solutions to regional migration challenges. This accession takes place after Germany (2020), Türkiye and Malta (2018) joined ICMPD in recent years.

Launching in August 2025 and running through August 2026, the Seasonal and fair employment blueprints (SaFE) project will equip EU Member States with modular blueprints and tailored technical assistance to design or enhance seasonal worker mobility programmes for non-EU nationals. SaFE will deliver practical reference tools for the agriculture and tourism sectors, with a special focus on ethical recruitment and decent living and working conditions. By addressing critical labour shortages in these key sectors and closing policy and implementation gaps, the project promotes dignified, transparent seasonal work across the EU.

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.

On 3 April 2025, Radim Zak, Head of EECA region, and Violeta Wagner, EECA Regional Portfolio Manager concluded their three-day visit to Kyiv during which they met with Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of National Unity, Mr. Oleksiy Chernyshov.