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The sixth edition of the Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) took place on 19-20 October 2021. It provided an indispensable opportunity for thought leaders, decision-makers and practitioners in the migration sphere to convene, connect and engage in strategic discussions on migration.

Magda Abu-Fadil

Among the OECD, Germany has become one of the main migrant-receiving nations. According to statistical data, 20.8 million of Germany’s population of 82 million are statistically recognised as migrants. Statistically the migrant population is divided almost equally between foreigners (Ausländer, 9.9 million), who do not hold German citizenship and those with a so-called migration background (Migrationshintergrund, 10.9 million) (Statistisches Bundesamt 2019). Among the group of foreigners, about half are citizens of another EU country (EU-28). Still, the Turkish constitute the largest nationality among the group of foreigners (1.5 million) (Statistisches Bundesamt 2019). Migration to Germany has a relatively long history. Migrants in Germany are thus a diverse group, reflecting different phases of migration since the post-war period. This publication provides an overview of the main phases and groups.

The city of Grenoble has experienced many arrivals of migrant populations during the 20th century (coming in particular from Italy, due to the proximity of the Franco-Italian border, but also from Armenia, Algeria and more generally from the Maghreb, Chile, etc.) and has developed a strong tradition of hospitality and solidarity as well as an excellent community dynamic. At the end of 2015, the city of Grenoble reaffirmed this tradition of hospitality and set up a mission "Grenoble Terre d’acceuil” (“Grenoble where welcome is assured”), supported by the elected representatives of the municipality and led by the Directorate of International and European Action. "Grenoble Terre d’accueil" has led to an integrated and unconditional approach, making the reception and inclusion of migrants residing within the city, whatever their administrative status, a mission shared amongst each of the municipality's departments. The aim is to take into account migrants residing within the city through all the undertakings it supports and to foster partnerships with the various actors within the region in order to strengthen local action.

The framework for local policies and integration initiatives is provided by the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.In this regard, the City Council approved its 2030 Strategic Plan, the central objective of which is a shared city that advocates for more inter-related, better connected contexts, with an awareness of its advantages and opportunities.In addition, the central focus of the Strategic Plan relates to equity and participation.The migrant issue is dealt with in the Strategic Plan specifically in Strategy 5.1 on the promotion of the role of the tertiary sector and partnering with a view to providing aid, among other things, to migrants.The Plan also assumes the characteristic of inclusive multiculturalism for the city, paying specific attention to the inclusion of migrants and refugees. The migration policies of the city of Seville are implemented under principles of political and social consensus, as well as cooperation between administrations and public and private sector institutions.

More than 82 million people – equal to the population of Germany – are forcibly displaced across the globe. An increasing number of refugees and internally displaced persons are living in long-term situations of vulnerability, dependency, and legal insecurity. This is despite the fact that every displaced person has the capacity and resources to build a new future in displacement, but is rarely given the chance to do so by current aid, development, and migration policies. This policy brief makes the case for a paradigm shift towards a people-centred approach to displacement policy that 1) considers the human capital and social networks of displaced people and 2) enables them to use and further develop their potential, including through mobility. As the world’s most powerful countries, the G7 are well positioned to play a game-changing role in reducing the scale of global displacement. This brief suggests ways that G7 countries can take a global leadership role in reframing the search for solutions by:

• promoting displaced people’s professional expertise so they can make better use of their skills;
• strengthening human capital by promoting education and apprenticeship opportunities;
• leveraging the power of family networks so that its easier for them to support one another; and
• scaling up support for the most vulnerable individuals.

Authors: Andrea Salvini and Georg Bolits

The policy brief reflects on the criteria a Prague Process country of origin (CoO) can use to orient out-migration in a manner that maximises outcomes for its migrants, its society and its strategic governance goals.
These criteria consider the labour shortages in countries of destination (CoDs) and their immigration regimes and, consequently, economic and social payoffs for migrant workers. Furthermore, authorities in CoOs are interested in minimising risks linked to the recruitment process and favour corridors that help them reduce labour surpluses in their internal labour market, and in tandem limit the incidence of brain drain and maximise that of brain gain. The choice of migration corridors to incentivise regular migration, often through bilateral agreements, is also influenced by capability considerations. Which countries can value the skills and competences of their nationals best? Finally, evidence shows that corridors are also built between countries with linguistic, geographic and cultural proximity.
How these parameters characterize corridors is illustrated through case studies to distil lessons on how to choose better partners for cooperation agreements, and select tools to set up joint governance of migration across the two ends of a corridor. A labour demand approach first identifies potential CoDs with attractive vacancies and visa regimes that allow in-migration of migrant workers from a certain skills tier. In a final step, the paper addresses “filters” applied by employers and policy makers in CoDs, before concluding with a discussion on suitable recruitment channels.

Dr. James Dennison

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027.