Today is the International Migrants Day. On this occasion we reflect on our work in another year of continued or escalating wars and conflicts, rising climate change, and socio-economic deprivations that have displaced 120 million¹ people in their own countries or forced them to cross borders for their safety.

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.

On 20 November 2024, the conference "Migration and Border Cooperation in Central Asia - State and Civil Society Approach" took place in Brussels within the framework of the EU’s International Partnerships InfoPoint. The event, organised by the BOMCA and PROTECT projects - both implemented by ICMPD’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia - highlighted two key European Union-funded initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between civil society organisations and state migration authorities in Central Asia.

In the framework of the ICMPD EMLINK project Compact Acceleration Course, 10 Georgian startups participated in a comprehensive 10-day tour to Belgium from 14-24 October 2024, designed to immerse them in the country’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem and startup infrastructure. The tour offered a strategic platform for Georgian startups to broaden their networks and establish connections with investors, accelerators, incubators, and research institutes. Furthermore, they gained invaluable insights into EU projects and available support for startups operating in both Belgium and Georgia.

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.

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.