News

On 4 July 2023, Türkiye and ICMPD organised a high-level event titled "Migratory flows and regional challenges - Türkiye's way forward on migration" in Brussels. The European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, delivered a keynote speech. The President of Türkiye's Presidency of Migration Management, Savaş Ünlü, Deputy Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Johannes Luchner and ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger participated in the panel moderated by ICMPD's Brussels Mission Director Ralph Genetzke.

The NAVRR Project, implemented by ICMPD, recently conducted a study visit to Tashkent Uzbekistan, between the dates of 19-20 June 2023 to establish and strengthen migration dialogues between Türkiye and Uzbekistan on the axis of return and reintegration within the framework of Türkiye's National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (NAVRR) Mechanism.  

On 6 July, ICMPD organised a workshop with Moldovan stakeholders as part of the project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Reception System for Moldova” (CareFor) to update the national migration data indicators’ framework. The data indicators on migration and asylum require adjustment to European standards, especially after Moldova recently gained the candidate status and became an observer to the European Migration Network.

On 19-21 June 2023, the MOBILAZE 2 project organised a study visit on migration policy sectors - management and implementation - for a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tallinn, Estonia.  The purpose of the study visit was to further strengthen the capacities of relevant Azerbaijani state institutions in the area of migration management to learn about the Estonian experience in migration policies development and implementation including migration procedures and residence regulations, visa policy, integration policies, digitalisation, e-residencies, Start-up visas, etc.

Dhermi, 12 June 2023 – the official Project Closing and 2nd Handover Ceremony took place at the Border Police station to hand over equipment worth EUR 2.4 million to the Border and Migration Police of the Albanian State Police of the Ministry of Interior of Albania.

After Russia's military aggression against Ukraine in 2022, millions of Ukrainians sought refuge in EU countries. To assist them, the EU Council activated the Temporary Protection Directive, granting access to healthcare, accommodation, employment, education, and social protection. Despite ongoing war, Ukrainian refugees face challenges in settling and rebuilding their lives. The RRR-MFA/SMS project, funded by Germany and the Czech Republic, established Ukrainian Consultation Centers in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. We interviewed the project team to learn more about this flagship initiative.

On 13 - 14 June 2023, the MOBILAZE 2 project in cooperation with the Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan organised training on Ensuring the Rights of Vulnerable Migrants, Migration and Asylum Management and Monitoring Mechanisms in Nakhchivan for the law-enforcement agencies involved in migration management.

On 9 June, a training on human rights pertaining to forced return operations has been delivered to relevant actors in Moldova. The training was organised by ICMPD, in partnership with the Moldovan Ombudsman Office, within the framework of the project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Reception System for Moldova” (CareFor).

In May 2023, ICMPD’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office established three Ukrainian Consultation Centres in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic within the framework of the RRR-MFA/SMS (Resilience, Reinforcement and Recovery of Ukrainian Migration and Consular Services) project. The project is funded by the Ministry of Interior of Germany and the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic and implemented by ICMPD.

On 22 – 25 May 2023, ICMPD organised a training for Libyan officials on assisting citizens abroad during times of crisis. The training was conducted within the framework of the EU- and Swiss co-funded Libya’s Migration Technical Assistance Facility (LIBMITAF) project. 

On 23 May 2023, in Warsaw, Poland, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in collaboration with the Polish Migration Forum Foundation (PFM) and the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), organised the second 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 16 May 2023, Michael Spindelegger, Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), delivered keynote remarks during the 5th meeting of the Private Sector Engagement (PSE) for Reintegration in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Funded by the Return and Reintegration Facility (RRF) – an ICMPD-led and EU-funded programme -  the PSE aims at setting up operational coordination mechanisms to better match returnees with potential employers from the private sector. 

The workshop was organised in March 2023 to train GIS staff in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation on setting indicators to monitor the implementation of GIS activities and their contributions to the fulfilment of the Strategic Plan. The workshop was designed to improve participants' knowledge, skills and ability to apply MEL frameworks, concepts, and principles.