News

On 11 February 2025, a two-day training on Irregular Migration, Migrant Smuggling, and Human Trafficking was successfully conducted in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, implemented under the NORAQ cooperation framework. This capacity-building initiative was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in the scope of projects “Migration Awareness, Access to Reintegration, and Strengthening Capacities in Iraq (MAARC)” and “Sweden-Iraq Cooperation on Migration Governance (SICOM)”.

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.

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.

ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger met with Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, to discuss the newly established Ministry of Unity that he will lead as Minister, as well as ongoing cooperation on border management and supporting the needs for the return and reintegration of Ukrainians. 

The Strengthening Border Security (SBS) project in Ghana has successfully concluded, marking a major step in enhancing national and regional border security. Funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in collaboration with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the initiative has advanced Ghana’s border management capabilities, contributing to improved security across West Africa.

As of 2025, JVAP Follow-up has entered a new phase with the launch of an updated website and a revamped data collection platform. This marks a significant milestone for collaboration and transparency in addressing migration among African and European partners.

ICMPD has opened a new Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I). The MRC promotes safe and regular migration processes for prospective migrants, combat trafficking and people-smuggling through raising awareness, pre-departure counselling for emigrants, post-arrival briefings to migrant workers, and re-integration support for returnees and internally displaced populations.

Vienna, 17 January 2025 – ICMPD selects a new Director General this year. This follows the end of the second and final five-year term of the incumbent, Director General Michael Spindelegger, in December 2025.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has released its annual forecast of the 10 migration issues that can shape international migration in 2025. For the first time in years, irregular migration and asylum figures in Europe have decoupled from global trends on displacement. Much suggests that this trend is the result of more restrictive migration policies globally, but it is still too early to speak of a sustainable development. The downward trend, however, will reinforce political debates in Europe that primarily focus on control, externalisation and return. 

In December 2024, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) reached a significant milestone with the successful conclusion of the Modernising the Nigeria Immigration Service Workforce (MoNIS) Project. Supported by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Government of Denmark, this initiative has redefined standards for institutional efficiency, inclusivity, and innovation within the NIS.

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.