News

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

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.

Only days after Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union activated the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD). It effectively provided more than four million displaced Ukrainians protection from the war; legal rights to stay, work, and benefit from social services; as well as support for integration. As its name suggests however, it was always meant to be temporary.

ICMPD hosted a workshop in Chișinău for Moldova’s Joint Risk Analysis Working Group, bringing together key national agencies to assess border security challenges, share institutional updates, and explore the integration of CIRAM into national practices. 

ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger met with Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan, and Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy to discuss strengthening work together on the country’s migration priorities. On 14-15 May 2025, Mr Spindelegger and Deputy Director General Sedef Dearing were joined by senior ICMPD staff as part of their first official visit to Dublin, following Ireland’s accession as ICMPD Member State last year.

Cabo Verde is situated about 570 kilometres off the coast of West Africa, and 1,500 km to Spain’s Canary Islands – the closest and first entry of potential migrants into Europe. That route along the Western Atlantic is treacherous. But given its geostrategic location between Africa, the Americas and Europe, Cabo Verde may have become a transit point for organised criminal groups and their activities and a transit route for migrants from West Africa en route to Europe.

Moldova’s IBM Council met on 27 May to review progress and kick off the 2026–2030 border management program. The new policy document will be developed with SCOP project support, aligning with EU standards for smarter and safer borders.

High-level delegates from Bangladesh, Iraq and Pakistan, along with Türkiye and Hungary, and the European Commission, are strengthening efforts for sustainable reintegration for returning migrants in the Silk Routes region. At the Thematic Working Group of Budapest Process countries last week, delegates and representatives called for reintegration efforts to be embedded in broader national development frameworks, and that these must target the structural and community-level drivers of migration that often reflect the challenges returnees face on their return.

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.

From 29 April to 2 May 2025, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) held meetings with representatives of the Georgian diaspora in Rome, Italy. The discussions took place under the EU-funded STREAMinG Phase 2 project. The aim was to strengthen the capacities of Georgian diaspora organisations in the areas of reintegration, investment opportunities, and legal frameworks in both Italy and Georgia, with a special focus on women’s empowerment.

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.

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.

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.

A new initiative is equipping secondary schools across Ogun, Benue, Enugu, Delta, and Edo states to take an active role in preventing human trafficking. Through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), young leaders are being trained to raise awareness, educate peers and strengthen resilience within their schools and communities.

An impact-driven initiative in Ogun State, Nigeria, is placing local school communities at the forefront of efforts to combat human trafficking—a pressing threat to children across the country. The School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), funded by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), is positioning School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) as key agents of change in the fight against trafficking.