On 27th March the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) released the 2017 Vienna Migration Conference report. The Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) is ICMPD’s flagship event to discuss critical migration issues and to drive policy development across Member States. The 2017 VMC was held at the Austrian Academy of Sciences on 23–24 October. The publication summarises discussions, findings and conclusions presented at the VMC, and outlines a couple of recommendations to strengthen migration partnerships as frameworks for “safe, orderly and regular migration”.
The VMC invited participants to focus on sustainable migration partnerships, operational cooperation and crisis management. To open proceedings, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger presented five migration partnership priorities based on ICMPD’s long-standing experience in the migration field. “We believe that migration partnerships have to go beyond the margins set by migration policy. Private sector investment and know-how will be crucial factors in making a real difference. They will bring new opportunities for economic cooperation and development,” the Director General said.
First held in 2016, the VMC has become the leading forum to tackle migration challenges. The 2017 VMC gathered more than 300 participants. It drew together ministers, state and deputy state secretaries, and high-level representatives from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Nigeria, the EU Commission, the European External Action Service and the European Investment Bank. “The discussions at the Vienna Migration Conference set the priorities for further developing policy proposals with our Member States and all our friends and partners,” the Director General said.
DG Spindelegger announces next Vienna Migration Conference: Looking 25 years into the future
The next VMC will coincide with ICMPD’s 25th anniversary. The conference will encourage participants to evaluate the past 25 years of migration challenges and policy development, and to look 25 years into the future of global cooperation on migration.
“The Vienna Migration Conference addresses a need for all who work in the field of migration to come together to develop migration partnerships. Accordingly, interest in the conference continues to increase. The 2018 VMC will be informed by our analysis of ICMPD’s contributions to migration policy since 1993. We invite Member States, international agencies and private sector representatives to join with us to promote sustainable, fair and holistic migration policies,” the Director General said.