On 13 October 2021, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) organised an international Migration Partnership Conference in an online format in the framework of the EU-funded “Support to the Implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan” (MOBILAZE 2) project. The conference also served as an official kick-off event of the MOBILAZE 2 project and brought together high-level practitioners and policymakers from Azerbaijan, EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, EU Member States, ICMPD, Eastern Partnership countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova), international actors and other stakeholders including civil society and academia in Azerbaijan. The participants discussed mobility partnership priorities and the main features of migration policy and management in Azerbaijan and in the region.
Mr. Vusal Huseynov, Chief of the State Migration Service (SMS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ms. Shafa Gasimova, acting Head of Humanitarian and Social Issues Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ambassador Peter Michalko, Head of the European Union Delegation (EUD) to Azerbaijan, Mr. Martijn Pluim, ICMPD Director for Migration Dialogues delivered keynote speeches on cooperation and partnership priorities among the Government of Azerbaijan, EU and ICMPD. As an official kick-off event, the MOBILAZE 2 project thematic areas and components were presented by the project manager.
The conference participants had an opportunity to hear experiences and best practices of migration policy and management in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova by high-level migration policymakers, followed with the presentation on migration policy cycle by Ms. Elaine McGregor, researcher of the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/ UNU Merit. The conference ended with Q&A sessions and concluding remarks by representatives of the SMS, the MFA, the EUD and ICMPD.