On 12 March 2024, the closing event for the joint EU-ICMPD MIgration EU eXpertise (MIEUX) Initiative took place in Brussels. The event convened around 100 participants in representation of the wide variety of migration experts and partner institutions that MIEUX has brought together during its 15-year tenure.
Deputy Director General Lukas Gehrke and Ralph Genetzke, Director of the ICMPD Brussels Mission joined representatives from the Directorate General for International Partnerships Erica Gerretsen, Director for “Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace”, and Francesco Luciani, Head of Unit for Migration and Forced Displacement, alongside speakers from Cabo Verde, the COMESA Secretariat, Costa Rica, civil society networks of the Gran Chaco region, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, and Uganda, as well three European experts from Italy, Spain and Sweden and the MIEUX team to celebrate MIEUX’s impact.
The event presented highlights and achievements of 15 years through a combination of presentations and panel discussions that reviewed:
- the importance of the peer-to-peer element in migration governance
- the wider implications of capacity development for national, regional, and international levels of government
- the role of training institutions in sustaining the results of knowledge exchange programmes.
Celebrating 15 years of partnerships
One of ICMPD’s flagship projects, MIEUX started operations in 2009, supporting regional organisations, national ministries, local authorities, parliamentary bodies, judicial actors, and civil society organisations in improving the governance and management of migration and mobility.
“Over the past 15 years, MIEUX has played a pivotal role in building bridges between the EU and partner countries. It has been instrumental in deepening the knowledge base of key topics linked to migration and in fostering meaningful collaboration between institutions and individuals”, Ralph Genetzke, Director of the Brussels Mission International Centre for Migration Policy Development said.
Having supported institutions around the world to address real needs on the ground, MIEUX leaves behind a lasting legacy, including:
- Assisting in the formulation of national-level migration policy frameworks in Cabo Verde, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
- Supporting strategies on diaspora engagement in Ghana, Madagascar, and Moldova.
- Collaborating with the formulation of integration plans in Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Cabo Verde and Jordan.
- Inspiring communication plans, campaigns and assistance protocols to potential labour migrants in Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, and the Philippines.
- Contributing institutions to assist vulnerable children and families in their migration journeys in Brazil and Kazakhstan.
- Helping diplomatic delegations of El Salvador and Georgia in assisting their citizens abroad.
- Supporting new studies and fieldwork on environmental migration in Ecuador, Gran Chaco and Benin.
- Rolling out standardised training programmes in Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, and Uganda.
- Advancing knowledge exchange in the Dominican Republic and designing a handbook in Moldova on integrated border management.
- Partnering with regional organisations such as COMESA or national governments like Costa Rica and Mexico to work together on the topic of migration and health emergencies or crisis management.
Exchanging knowledge on migration between the EU and partner countries
As an EU Facility for the exchange of knowledge between the European Union and institutions in Africa, Asia, European Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods and Latin America and the Caribbean, MIEUX has received 188 requests to work on any topic related to migration, sourcing the knowledge required from European Public Administrations, the academic and the private sector.
Launching operations in 2009, the Facility has owed its success to three essential features: working on a demand-driven basis, reacting quickly to requests, and fostering peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge.
More than 100 countries across the world have benefited from capacity development activities involving 465 migration experts, nationals from EU 27 Member States and the United Kingdom. 48 Focal points in Europe have facilitated these deployments. In addition, 33% of migration experts deployed were nationals of countries outside the EU. These experts have trained an estimated 15,000 participants through workshops, conferences, training sessions and other activities.
Ownership as the foundation of lasting impact
By implementing a culture of mutual learning, with partner feedback in the driving seat, MIEUX has served as a laboratory for testing new approaches and methodologies, most notably in the last phase, active since April 2020, with a renewed Capacity Development strategy.
As Lukas Gehrke, Deputy Director General and Deputy Director for Policy, Research and Strategy, highlighted “MIEUX’s collaborative approach has allowed institutions and individuals to turn concrete needs around the world into innovative solutions in the area of capacity development on migration. As ICMPD, we will build on this legacy and continue driving innovation forward”.
The knowledge and practices shared are the building blocks of the lasting impact that the Facility will leave behind. These will remain embedded into the hundreds of institutions that have collaborated with the ICMPD team and indirectly, serve the needs of migrants worldwide, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 10, and other regional and international commitments on safe, orderly and regular migration.
For more information, visit the MIEUX website