News

ICMPD has released the "Study on Libyans living abroad: Profiling of Libyans living abroad to develop a roadmap for strategic and institutional engagement", which was developed within the framework of the EU-funded "Strategic and institutional management of migration in Libya" project. The Financial Times observed in an editorial in January 2015 that "(T)the Libyan diaspora, a repository of enormous talent, remains largely untapped ". The aim of this research is hence to shed light on this little explored community and on the current institutional framework for their engagement. This study is designed to serve as first step towards developing Libya’s engagement strategy towards Libyans living abroad.

ICMPD’s SUMMIT Project organised a meeting titled "Policy Recommendations to Increase the Participation of Syrian Migrants in Şanlıurfa into the Labour Markets and Inclusive Investment Incentive and Support Strategy at the Regional Level" on 3 November 2020 with the participation of Turkish and Syrian business owners.

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. After its establishment in 2013, the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) under the Ministry of Interior became the main coordinator institution in the identification, protection of trafficked persons and provision of support services to the victims.

In the framework of its mandate, the EUROMED Migration IV (EMM4) project held on 4 November 2020 a webinar titled "Migrant Vulnerabilities along the Mediterranean Migration Routes: A Perspective on Structural Challenges and Current Developments", at the request of the EMM4 national focal points.

From 28 to 29 October 2020, European Union experts jointly with the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) and the State Customs Service (SCS) of Ukraine completed the first field assessment mission to the border crossing point (BCP) Yahodyn–Dorohusk at the Ukrainian–Polish border.

On 20 October 2020 ICMPD completed a mission to Afghanistan where fruitful meetings were held with His Excellency First Vice President Amrullah Saleh as well as the Ministers and Deputy-Ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs, Labour & Social Affairs, Refugees & Repatriation, and Peace. Moreover, ICMPD met with the Afghan Border Police, the EU Delegation in Kabul, the Aga Khan Development Network as well as the Danish, Dutch and German representations to Afghanistan.

On 23 October 2020, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) organised a webinar in the framework of the EU-funded Forced-Return Monitoring III (FReM III) project. During the webinar, the FReM III project team at ICMPD presented the main results and recommendations of the assessment of how the pool of forced-return monitors (Pool) currently functions.

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.

The aim of the project "Youth work in the context of integration" (YRMA) is to bring youth workers and practitioners working in the field of integration closer together and create synergies between these two fields. Policy recommendations to foster this inter-sectoral cooperation have been developed in the course of the project and have now been validated during workshops in the four participating Federal Provinces, namely Vienna, Upper Austria, Vorarlberg and Salzburg.

2020 is a year of reflection, marked by the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). To mark the EU Anti-Trafficking Day 2020, ICMPD takes the opportunity to reflect upon the past years. Twenty years ago, the adoption of UNTOC was the first major step in the fight against transnational organised crime. Its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children provided the first legally binding modern definition of trafficking in persons (TIP) and an impetus to develop national anti-trafficking legislation.

Within the EU-funded "TALENTAS" project, ICMPD organised a virtual study tour for Lithuanian participants to Denmark. Due to Covid-19, the study tour took place in a digital from 5-9 October 2020, allowing participants to get insights from the decennial and frontrunner experience of Denmark in public-led talent attraction management, strategy and operations.

The intention of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum is to offer a "fresh start" for a system that manages and "normalises" migration. In the introduction, migration is framed as a "feature of human history" that brings growth, innovation and social dynamism, a vision fully embraced and promoted by the Global Initiatives Programme at ICMPD.

Preventing irregular migration and addressing the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, as outlined in the India-EU Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM) is a priority area. Equally important is facilitating Indian migration to meet the needs of European companies and the EU economy as a whole.

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.

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.

A new cooperation framework between the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the European University Institute (EUI) to enhance effective cooperation in the area of migration governance between the long-term partners.

At the end of 2020, with the support of a team of regional experts, EUDiF completed a global mapping of diaspora engagement, producing over 100 country factsheets spanning 6 regions: Africa, Asia, Central Asia & Easter Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, and the Pacific. The research gathered information on different policy frameworks, approaches and priorities in diaspora engagement and identified many opportunities for further research, discussion and peer-to-peer learning. A recurring question from both this research and diaspora-related research and dialogue over the years is: What is the role of the homeland government in diaspora engagement? And, linked to this, how do institutional frameworks relate to effectiveness of government-diaspora engagement?

One of the innovative tools proposed by the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum is the Talent Partnerships conceived as a single framework aiming to "offer cooperation with partner countries and help boost mutually-beneficial international mobility". In this expert voice series, ICMPD explores how Talent Partnerships could be shaped, put in motion and brought to fruition by sharing experience, research findings and practices. In this first article, reflections are made on the lessons learnt from the implementation of several Pilot Projects on Legal Migration, within the framework of ICMPD’s Mobility Partnership Facility (MPF), funded by the European Commission, Directorate General Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME).

This study is issued by the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies on behalf of EUROMED Migration IV, a programme committed to establishing a constructive framework for dialogue and technical exchange on migration policy in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Strengthening the Evidence Base for Migration Policies: A Central Migration Data Management Solution for Jordan (MIDAM)" project held its third Project Steering Group (PSG) meeting on March 22, 2021.

A new study, the first of its kind, casts light on how the conflict in Syria is making children, women and men more vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking in persons. Often people are trafficked or exploited simply because they are not able to meet their basic needs, according to research by ICMPD, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. To prevent this, investment in infrastructure and humanitarian aid in the main hosting countries is essential.

During his debut visit to Brussels, the newly-appointed Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Michael Spindelegger, met key European decision makers including Commissioners and addressed press for the first time. He points to four issues that Europe and its partners need to address to solve the current migration crisis. Spindelegger also outlined plans for his organisation, ICMPD. 

Newly-elected Director General of the Vienna-based International Centre for Migration Policy Development, Michael Spindelegger, met yesterday Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Austria / Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna, Austria, Mr. Khaled Abdel-Rahman Shamaa. The meeting, which was held at the Egyptian embassy in Vienna, tackled various key issues of relevance to ICMPD and Egypt, including the prospects of cooperation in the immediate future on several subfields of migration.

In 2015, about 1 million migrants arrived in Europe, with more than 2000 migrants losing their lives in the process. West African migrants featured in the top 5 countries of origin, which crossed the Mediterranean to arrive in Europe.

The Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Initiative Regional Consultation for Latin America took place on 17-18 February 2016 in San José, Costa Rica. This consultation was fully funded by the European Union and organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in cooperation with the Government of Costa Rica.