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Addressing highly complex, often invisible crimes in a targeted way also requires a highly coordinated approach. As human trafficking and the online sexual exploitation of children increasingly become lucrative enterprises for the criminal syndicates globally and even more challenging to track, the best way to tackle them begins with having the right data.

Vienna, 31 July 2024 — ICMPD is growing with another member: Ireland is the 21st Member State to join ICMPD’s work in finding innovative solutions to regional migration challenges. Ireland’s accession is the latest after Germany (2020), Greece (2021), and the Netherlands (2023) joined ICMPD in recent years.

Stakeholders from various international organisations and the Government of Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration and accelerating efforts to combat human trafficking. During an event organised to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the emphasis was placed on protecting children and upholding the rights and dignity of those most at risk of exploitation.

BOMCA selected and provided EU funding to 12 projects in the framework of its second Call for Proposals. Continuing the established good practice of cooperation with NGOs from Central Asia, selected NGOs from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan began implementing actions aimed at improving living conditions in border areas in July 2024. The projects will be implemented throughout 2024-2025 with the overall funding of almost 635 000 EUR.

The Khartoum Process has an open call for youth and women diaspora organisations to participate at the Diaspora Innovation Hub during its Thematic Meeting on 11-12 September 2024 in Helsinki, Finland. Civil society organisations (CSO) can express interest to participate until 31 July 2024.

By the end of June 2024, eleven Georgian start-ups were selected for a short-term mobility programme in Belgium. This followed a highly competitive selection process that evaluated sectoral matchmaking potential between the two countries. The call for applications was announced in the framework of the “Strengthening the Partnership between Belgium and Georgia through the Temporary Mobility of Entrepreneurs (EMLINK)” project, implemented by ICMPD.

On 7-12 July, ICMPD hosted students and youth at the 2024 International Summer School on Migration in Kachreti, Georgia. The participants discussed the impact of migration on international law and its legal aspects, media and the perception of migrants, migration’s role in the economy, migration and development, and integration and citizenship.

ICMPD Director-General Michael Spindelegger joined heads of state and ministers at the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli, Libya on 17 July 2024. In a statement, Mr Spindelegger called for strengthened collaboration between Europe and Africa to address the complexities of irregular migration.

On World Youth Skills Day, the EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) publishes recommendations from diaspora youth on how to integrate youth perspectives in migration policy processes and beyond. The recommendations cover recognition of youth expertise, access to funding and inclusion in governance structures.

On 19 June 2024, ICMPD and the OECD held a joint conference on Skills Mobility Partnerships (SMPs), in Paris, France. The event, organised under the auspices of Greece’s 2024 Chairmanship of the ICMPD Steering Group, brought together approximately 130 representatives from governments, international organisations, the European Commission, and the private sector to discuss challenges, opportunities, and innovations shaping the future of labour mobility initiatives and legal labour migration in general.

In the past year alone, Cabo Verde has seen a steep increase in migrant arrivals on boats, mostly aiming for the Canary Islands — the closest European destination they can try to reach. Dozens arrived on the island of São Vicente; while in 2023, from those who survived the journey, 38 arrived in Sal and 90 in Boa Vista.

On 27 June 2024, the Continent-to-Continent Migration and Mobility Dialogue (C2CMMD) convened a strategic update meeting in Brussels, marking the first in-person gathering since December 2019, and bringing together the co-chairs from the European Union (EU) and the African Union Commission (AUC), as well as respective thematic focal points. 

On Friday 28 June, the Director General of ICMPD, Michael Spindelegger, and the ICMPD Silk Routes regional office team met with a high-level Iraqi delegation in Vienna to discuss ongoing cooperation, key areas of work and the strategic pathway forward.

Europe needs more workers. But as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia dominate the global labour market¹, the European Union is caught in a ‘bruising worldwide battle’ to attract and keep workers in the region². Even as some Member States remain in strong positions, the EU collectively falls behind in recruiting and retaining international talent.

On 25 and 26 June 2024, ICMPD’s Director General, Michael Spindelegger, participated in the Salzburg Forum Ministerial Conference 2024 in Laxenburg, Austria. The Salzburg Forum is a Central European security partnership focused on fostering dialogue on internal security among relevant stakeholders. In this edition, organised by the Austrian Chairmanship of the Salzburg Forum, the topic of migration and the fight against human trafficking was one of the focus areas of the conference.