News

On 7 February 2023, a meeting to kick off the Civil Society Facility on Migration (CSO facility) was organised, in the framework of the STREAMinG project. The CSO Facility foresees bettering the engagement of Civil Society Organisations in Migration Policy Dialogue and Policy Implementation, as well as strengthening CSO capacities through the financial support of the European Union and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 

On 23-27 January 2023, the MOBILAZE 2 project organised a study visit on migration policy sectors – development and implementation for the Azerbaijani delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and ICMPD in Azerbaijan in Stockholm, the Kingdom of Sweden.  The purpose of the visit was mainly focused on increasing the capacities of the Azerbaijani state institutions to introduce and practically adopt all relevant steps of the migration policy cycle, based on the relevant experience of the EU MSs, in particular, to learn about the Swedish experience in migration policies development and implementation.

The unprecedented influx of displaced people from the neighbouring Ukraine boosted the need for enhanced integration capacity in Moldova. With the support of the CareFor project, a dedicated IT module on foreigners’ integration has been developed.

On 23 to 27 January 2023 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, in close collaboration with the EU-funded STREAMinG project held the Coordination Meeting of Consular Officers of Georgia Abroad. The event was aimed at gathering consular officers assigned in various countries of the world in order to insure improvement of delivery of services and overall protection of human rights of Georgian citizens abroad.

On 8 December 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, ICMPD in collaboration with the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM), and the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), organised the first international seminar as part of the ICMPD-led project “Comprehensive Support for People in a Vulnerable Situation in the Polish Migration Management System (KOMPLEKS).”

On 19 January 2023, the ICMPD office in Armenia summarised the result of the first two Calls of EU4IMPACT project. The event was welcomed by Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Andrea Wiktorin, ICMPD Regional Portfolio Manage MS Violeta Wagner,  High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Head of Return and Reintegration Unit from Migration and Citizenship Service and Executive Director of IRIS BI foundation.

Georgia’s Diaspora Awards is a high-level event aimed at the recognition of achievements of the prominent professionals of Georgian origin who have contributed to the promotion of Georgia’s positive image abroad. The event is organised in Georgia annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in cooperation with ICMPD. 

The EU could see an influx of up to four million more Ukrainians in 2023, and Russia will seek to further weaponise migration from North Africa and the Middle East. These are just two of the forecasts made in the latest Migration Outlook report 2023 from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

The creation of sophisticated encryption tools is closely connected to the efforts of the armed forces and state authorities to conceal their communications and strategic documents, which are important for the functioning of the state, security system and protection of citizens. Special encryption tools are also employed in the private sector, helping to protect corporate know-how from economic espionage. However, Cryptography in the hands of criminal entities makes it more difficult for law enforcement and border authorities to detect, document and investigate serious crime related to smuggling and trafficking in human beings. 

The SUPPORT PMM Project held nine training sessions on Outreach and Community Engagement for Upscaling Türkiye’s National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (NAVRR) Mechanism in Ankara, between 12-22 December 2022.

On 21 December 2022 in Vienna, Mr. Lukas Gehrke, the ICMPD Deputy Director General, and Director for Policy Research and Strategy, and H.E. Mr. Levent Eler, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the UNOV and other International Organizations in Vienna, signed a Seat Agreement between ICMPD and the Republic of Türkiye. The Seat Agreement marks a milestone in the already strong, longstanding cooperation between ICMPD and Türkiye which has further intensified after Türkiye became an ICMPD Member State in 2018.  

On 20 December, ICMPD organised a workshop for Moldovan stakeholders as part of the project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Reception System for Moldova” (CareFor) to exchange experience on risk analysis, especially in light of the country's current state of emergency. The workshop gathered representatives of various public authorities, project partners, ICMPD expert and project team.

An event dedicated to December 18, International Migrants Day, on the topic of “Migrants in Azerbaijan: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion was jointly organised by ICMPD Azerbaijan and the State Migration Service in Azerbaijan. The event brought together up to 200 employees of the State Migration Service, ICMPD Head of Region EECA and ICMPD Azerbaijan representatives, high-level representatives of international organizations, government institutions, civil society institutes operating in the migration field, the private sector, diplomatic corps members, as well as migrants.