News

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.

The year 2025 proved another successful year for ICMPD and its partners, remaining resolute more than ever, in connecting partners and empowering communities through better understanding of their needs. 

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

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

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.

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 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.

Climate change has become one of the most severe and far-reaching challenges of our time, with existential consequences for ecosystems, biodiversity, and human populations – as pointed out by the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion. Its impacts extend well beyond the environmental sphere, positioning it as a defining governance challenge with direct implications for human rights, economic resilience, geopolitical stability, and migration patterns. Across all regions, rising temperatures, droughts, floods, storms, and land degradation are already reshaping living conditions, undermining livelihoods, and transforming patterns of human mobility. 

Statement of ICMPD on the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum

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.

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. 

This year ICMPD’s flagship initiative - Migrant Resource Centres - marks a decade of frontline service delivery, growing from a single pilot centre in Lahore, Pakistan, to multi-country model that supports migrants, returnees and communities across the full migration cycle. 

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.

The Seasonal and fair employment blueprints (SaFE) project held an expert workshop for EU Member States on 10-11 June, focusing on promoting ethical recruitment and decent living and working conditions for seasonal migrant workers in the EU. This is part of the project’s objective to support Member States in enhancing their existing seasonal work schemes for non-EU workers, or creating new schemes, in line with the EU Seasonal workers Directive.

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 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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.