News

On 18-19 October, ICMPD's Director General, Michael Spindelegger, concluded his first visit to India, marked by a series of high-level engagements and bilateral meetings aimed at exploring opportunities to deepen ICMPD-India relations on migration and mobility. He had the pleasure of meeting ICMPD’s Member States and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) over the two days.

On 16 October 2023, a hybrid event was organised to kick off the EMLINK project that aims at strengthening bilateral cooperation between Belgium and Georgia by designing a pilot temporary mobility model for outstanding entrepreneurs. The event has gathered the main stakeholders of the project representing both countries and key players in the field of migration management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. 

On 13 October 2023, the EU-funded EU4IBM-Resilience project officially handed over 500 sets of mobile radio stations with accessories to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), worth over half a million euros. The enhancement of technical capacities of the Ukrainian border management services is one of the project's key initiatives financed by the European Union.

Thursday, 5 October, the Migrant Resource Centre Pakistan organised a significant community awareness session in Kharian, district Gujrat. The aim of this event was to raise awareness and empower more than 120 outgoing, aspirant, and returning migrants, and their families. The session focused on the importance of safe and informed migration practices. This event received substantial attention and participation from a diverse range of stakeholders dedicated to supporting migrant communities. Distinguished attendees included representatives from the EU Delegation, the Embassies of Norway and France, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Social Welfare and Labour Departments, local community organizations, and the media.

A central challenge of a modern-day response to human trafficking, nationally and internationally, is putting in place co-operative frameworks to enable state actors to fulfil their obligations to protect and promote the human rights of trafficked persons and co-ordinate their efforts in a strategic partnership with civil society. On the occasion of the European Union (EU) Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October 2023, the Anti-Trafficking Programme of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) stresses the importance of cross-border and multi-agency cooperation in combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.

With an eagerness to promote access to higher education and foster social harmony, the European Union has unveiled the 'European Union Scholarships Project.' Spearheading this initiative is the ICMPD Country Office in Türkiye, in collaboration with Ankara and Hasan Kalyoncu Universities, as well as Marmara Municipalities Union, as co-applicant consortium members, covering different regions in Türkiye.

On 2-3 October, ICMPD Director General, Mr. Michael Spindelegger, embarked on a mission to Ankara, Türkiye. This visit involved a series of productive meetings and engagements designed to promote cooperation and tackle key issues.

The eighth annual Vienna Migration Conference (VMC2023) took place on 10 and 11 October 2023, gathering key stakeholders from the migration policy world. Discussions centred on pressing topics in migration governance, including how to facilitate safe and regular migration, protecting migrants’ rights at borders, what the future of work might look like, and the role of policy in securing needed workers. A range of speakers took stock of where we stand and where we need to go, sharing successful initiatives and ideas for the road ahead.

The NAVRR Project actively supports the engagement of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with Türkiye's National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Mechanism (NAVRR). This initiative, led by ICMPD in close partnership with the Presidency of Migration Management, recently organised a significant event in Ankara on October 4-5, 2023.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) will hold the eighth annual Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) on 10-11 October. The most important migration conference in Europe will bring together decision-makers and high-level stakeholders from Europe, Africa and Asia ahead of key European and the EU 2024 elections, where, once again, migration will prove a central theme of the global debate.

On 27 September, ICMPD held an event in Chisinau, kicking off a new action in support of Moldovan migration sector development while also celebrating the results of two others. The event gathered management-level representatives of national authorities, the donor community, and partner NGOs. 

On 26 -27 September, an ICMPD delegation, led by Director General Michael Spindelegger, embarked on its first bilateral visit to Samos and Athens following Greece's accession to ICMPD in 2021. The delegation was welcomed by Mr. Dimitrios Kairidis, Minister of Migration and Asylum, and visited the Closed Controlled Access Centre in Samos.

On 14 September, the MOBILAZE 2 project officially handed over a Mobile Training Unit to the Border Control Commandment of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The modified mini-van provides training, communication and special document control equipment with a total value of 120,000 EUR. 

On 14 September, ICMPD’s Director General Michael Spindelegger was on mission to Bulgaria, meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Mariya Gabriel and the Minister of Interior, Mr. Kalin Stoyanov. 

The inauguration of the National Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (NAVRR) Coordination Centre located in Kumkapı/İstanbul took place on the 7th of September 2023. Among the participants were the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Türkiye Country Office, the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM), Turkish Red Crescent and the representatives of the British Embassy in Ankara.