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High-level representatives from 45 partner countries and international organisations met in Portugal on 29-30 January 2025 to culminate the country’s Chairmanship of the Rabat Process, and hand the Chairmanship over to Nigeria for 2025. Portugal is the second country to chair the Dialogue since the adoption of the current multi-annual strategic framework, the Cadiz Action Plan 2023-2027.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has reported a 16% increase in the prevention of irregular migration attempts from the country in 2024, based on new border management systems developed with the support of ICMPD and international donors.

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.

The Government of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), has formally launched the Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees and Improved Migration Management project, known as R&R Pakistan.

Emerging human trafficking trends and countering terrorism in the Southeast Europe region need a proactive and more effective response. Against this backdrop, the Brdo Process endorsed its Strategy 2025-2029 of the Network of Anti-Trafficking Coordinators in South-Eastern Europe (NATC-SEE), reflecting the changing nature of human trafficking in the region and the complexities introduced by new technologies, migration patterns, and socio-economic factors.

Ministers and representatives from 40 countries¹ along with the African Union, the European Union and international organisations², jointly agreed on implementing the Cairo Action Plan. The plan includes addressing irregular migration, promoting skills mobility and pathways for regular migration, protecting refugees and displaced persons, fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and safe, timely, dignified and effective return.

The 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, took place on 11-13 April in Antalya. With the theme “Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World,” this year’s Forum gathered more than 6,000 participants including 21 Heads of State and Government, and 67 Ministers from 155 countries.

After Russia’s invasion in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians made the painful decision to leave everything behind. With their entire towns destroyed, and uncertain of what was ahead of them, crossing borders also did not bring immediate relief. How would one navigate a foreign country where the language, laws and systems are unfamiliar? Many of those forced to leave faced new struggles not only for survival, but also to regain a sense of stability.

The year 2024 was another of key milestones for ICMPD. Amidst elections dominated by migration in key regions, developments in the migration discourse including returns, conflicts, and the continuing challenges for both Europe and the migratory routes, ICMPD’s efforts remained on-course as relevant and as necessary.

ICMPD has opened the second Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Baghdad, in collaboration with the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced (MoMD). The new MRC expands the efforts to promote safe and regular migration processes for prospective migrants, combat trafficking and people-smuggling through information, pre-departure counselling and post-arrival briefings for migrant workers, and re-integration support for returnees and internally displaced populations.

An integrated border management (IBM) strategy remains top priority for the Iraqi government, in tackling human trafficking and irregular migration, and strengthening border security. This was the focus of the discussions in Iraq between ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger and Dr Ali Al-Yasery, Director General of Iraq’s National Joint Planning Centre.

ICMPD convened government counterparts of its Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) to advance cooperation and coordinated responses to emerging migration trends and challenges; including legal migration pathways, reducing irregular migration, and supporting the integration of returnees. At the meetings, the European Union called on participating governments to ensure long-term sustainability for their MRCs, in the service of migrants and returnees.

Former Austrian Minister for Women, Family, Integration and Media will take office at ICMPD as of 1 January 2026

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.

Over 60 officials from 16 countries and eight international organisations held the Budapest Process Thematic Meeting on Legal Pathways for Migration in Pakistan. The meeting specifically focused on strengthening the existing policies and pathways for legal migration and labour mobility, setting the strategic foundation for the dialogue's work in the coming years.

The Von der Leyen Commission plans to crack down on widespread abuse of Europe’s asylum system whilst doubling down on relocation as the solution to irregular boat arrivals in the Mediterranean. Can the Schengen area learn the lessons of the 2015-2016 crisis?

By 1 July, free movement should once again be a reality within the EU’s passport-free zone, more or less. The Union is re-opening the single market just in time to secure this year’s agricultural production and the tourist season. The big question now is whether and how to re-open to the rest of the world.

Governments are considering ‘immunity passports’ to allow those with COVID-19 antibodies greater mobility and to provide employers with an increasing pool of people to fill public-facing jobs. This may seem tempting but would lead to mass discrimination in the labour market, and also provide perverse incentives to potential migrants to become infected. There are alternatives.

Governments are seeking the balance between containing the COVID-19 pandemic and saving the economy. Migrant workers are essential in this regard, and the EU and its member states have to find ways to manage labour migration in an era of restricted mobility.

As the coronavirus has upended life as we know it around the globe, asylum systems have not been spared. With national governments acting in different ways to stem its spread, the pandemic has resulted in a series of measures that have far-reaching consequences for asylum systems and applicants for international protection.

Due to Covid-19 lockdown, the importance of ‘key workers’ performing ‘systemically relevant’ jobs is clearer. Many of these are migrants, most of them are women. An ICMPD data survey illustrates the importance of refugees to alleviate the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Sars-CoV-2 (Covid-19) is doing to travel and migration what the 2008 financial crash did to banks and the flow of capital. Instead of a ‘credit crunch’, the world economy is crippled by a global mobility shutdown. The road back will not be easy.

In the context of increased polarisation of the migration topic among the public and policy sphere in Europe, communication on migration has gained importance: In order to reduce information gaps, build trust and gain acceptance for migration policies, innovative ways of engaging the public are needed. An initiative from Austria lends itself as a good example.