News

The 2024 edition of the Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network (LMPN) took place on 18-19 November in Brussels, Belgium. Under the theme “Moving Talents: Scaling up Action in Key Sectors”, the in-person conference brought together 100 European practitioners in labour migration, skills recognition and employment.

Human trafficking, like migration, is a highly complex issue. It requires not only the resources but also the right data to address its underlying root causes and impact. Understanding human trafficking better involves taking stock of the community’s attitudes, perceptions, and perspectives – particularly those who are directly affected, including children.

Parents leaving for work abroad can have an impact on their children. In migrant-sending countries, children often remain in the country with either only one parent, or in the care of relatives. This phenomenon is often linked to children and young adolescents’ altered norms and perceptions of ‘family’; or anxiety and difficulty in coping with social pressures that, in turn, affect the social fabric of families and communities.

On November 6, 2024, Cabo Verde marked a milestone in its commitment to combating human trafficking with the National Observatory Against Trafficking in Persons, inaugurated by the Minister of Justice and supported by the OBSERVE-CV Project. With the establishment of the Observatory, the 2023 - 2026 action plan on proactive measures to prevent trafficking, support survivors, and strengthen institutional responses will be implemented.

EU Member States¹ and partner countries² have agreed on a Joint Declaration outlining six key priorities for 2025-2030, including expanding legal pathways, tackling irregular migration, enhancing international protection, prevention of racism and discrimination, and stronger support for integration.

The upcoming online Moving the Migration Policy Agenda Forward (MMPAF) programme in spring 2025 has an open call for scholarship applicants. This initiative is funded by the European Union (EU) through the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF) of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and implemented by UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University. Applications are open until 20 November 2024.

Following the Rules for the Appointment of the Director General of ICMPD, we are opening a call for candidates for the position of Director General (DG) as the current DG’s second term concludes in 2025. This recruitment process, conducted every five years, adheres strictly to the selection procedures set forth in the aforementioned rules. Each Director General serves a five-year term with the possibility for reappointment.

On 18 October 2024, the Continent-to-Continent Migration and Mobility Dialogue (C2CMMD) held its Senior Officials' Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, convening high-level representatives from the European Union (EU) and African Union Commission (AUC), underscoring the renewed focus on strengthening EU-AU cooperation on migration issues.

The Vienna Migration Conference on 22-23 October 2024 highlighted discussions on pathways for safe and regular migration, addressing irregular arrivals, enhancing approaches to labour migration, and the efforts needed for the implementation the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. Hosted by ICMPD, this year’s VMC gathered over 300 delegates from government, private sector, academia and research, think tanks, international organisations, and civil society.

Advancing Libya’s Border Security and Management (ALBSaM) celebrated the conclusion of the project with a Closing Event on 14 October 2024 in Tripoli, Libya. Implemented from January 2023 to October 2024 with financial support from the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, the project aimed at contributing to the progress of border security and management institutional reforms in Libya. Key achievements include supporting the development of a draft Integrated Border Management (IBM) Strategy. As the project draws to a close, this event provided an opportunity to reflect on its achievements alongside our Libyan partners.

The Joint High-Level Meeting of the Khartoum Process and Rabat Process gathered representatives from 53 African and European partner countries, to discuss innovative pathways for labour migration, skills development, and talent mobility. On 16-17 October 2024 in Lisbon, over 150 high-level delegates exchanged strategic ways-forward on the growing importance of labour migration, skills development and talent mobility for both Africa and Europe.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) hosts its annual Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) on 22-23 October 2024. This year’s discussions take place during a pivotal election year and will feature diverse topics that are set to shape the European migration agenda. These include strategies for safer routes, handling irregular arrivals, and labour migration. The public sentiment on migration in light of socio-economic and geopolitical volatility, and ways forward to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, will also be prominently discussed.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Migration, and Employment (MOLMEP) in Tajikistan, has launched the Migration Media Awards 2024 to commemorate International Migrants Day on December 18. The awards aim to evaluate the objectivity and ethical standards of media coverage on migration in Tajikistan, highlighting works published between July 1, 2022, and September 30, 2024.

Online, 4 October 2024 – In a significant step towards enhancing migration research and cooperation between Europe and Africa, the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) held a joint workshop within the framework of the Continent-to-Continent Migration and Mobility Dialogue (C2CMMD), which is implemented as part of the wider EU-funded MMD Support Programme. Hosted by the European External Action Service, the event brought together representatives from different EU and AU institutions and services to explore the potential for collaboration on migration research. Hindsight, insights and foresight were the three key words of the workshop.

ICMPD hosted the handover ceremonies for the next phase of the SCOP 3.1 project, in support of Moldova’s border management sector. Safety and surveillance equipment and transport facilities were formally turned over to national authorities, intended for border monitoring and coordination, preventing cross-border crime, and enhancing the operational capacity of the Border Police.