Publications

This publication presents recommendations from diaspora youth on including youth perspectives in migration policy processes. It is the result of a co-drafting process between youth diaspora representatives, organised by the EU Global Diaspora Facility, and covers recognition of youth expertise, access to funding and inclusion in governance structures.

In 2023, an estimated 3 in 4 European employers struggled to find skilled employees. As the EU’s working-age population is expected to continue to decrease, existing gaps will become even harder to fill. Yet, over the same period, working-age populations are estimated to increase in many African, Asian, and Latin American countries. In this context, our latest policy brief aims to foster debate on enhancing skills mobility as a global priority and offers recommendations for EU and national policymakers as well as other key actors. This brief results from a project conducted by ICMPD with the European Policy Centre (EPC), the Egmont Institute and the Belgian Development Agency, Enabel, in the context of the EU Year of Skills.

This is the third Prague Process Policy brief on the topic of forced migration from Ukraine as the direct result of Russia’s military aggression. In this iteration, the brief deliberates forced migration flows from Ukraine under four potential war scenarios, ranging between a stalemate situation to a hypothetical victory of Russia. These scenarios are informed by observed migration patterns to date.

This Policy Brief explores the status quo of migration in and out of Central Asia two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, focusing on anticipated and unexpected developments that continue to shape migration realities in this part of the Prague Process region. 

This Policy Brief explains the digital products and services available which facilitate labour migration, as well as the current barriers to the use of modern technology. This paper also analyses existing policy measures as well as looks at recommendations on how digitalisation can be leveraged to enable labour migration.

Data show that trafficking in human beings (THB) for sexual exploitation continues to be the most prevalent form of trafficking. Moreover, women continue to constitute the great majority of victims identified in Europe. Much fewer trafficking victims are identified in agriculture, construction, hospitality, domestic work, or begging. This Policy Brief provides a statistical overview of the victims identified across the EU (2017-2018) and aims to assess why identification programmes struggle to identify and assist male victims and those facing exploitation outside the sex industry. The key question raised is whether identification efforts are biased towards trafficking for sexual exploitation and female victims.

One year after the invasion, Russia’s emigration potential is nearly depleted. Neither new mobilisation nor increased combat will result in a new exodus of Russians from the country in the coming years. The countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus are faced with the challenge of properly regulating the influx of Russians in order to reap benefits without exacerbating social tensions in the hosting communities, which may require international actors to interfere. The EU member states will have to develop a more uniform strategy for accepting Russians from risk groups, as well as legal migration pathways for Russians who may benefit the EU labour market. This Policy Brief looks at the main patterns and key developments of migration from Russia after 24 February 2022.

Return and reintegration programs provide travel and post-arrival assistance for migrants returning from a country of temporary residence to a country of origin. These programs are not always commonplace in migration management, with some countries preferring to manage departures and any associated departure assistance under general border security functions. In the last eighteen months, the number of return and reintegration programs has doubled in Prague Process non-EU participating states. High-level responses to migration flows are encouraging neighbouring or like-minded countries to find common ground for cooperation and networking for these programs. Some of these programs have the potential to function as part of a broader regional network. Mapping the existence and functionality of these programs provides a starting point for more specific dialogue and action within the Prague Process and beyond.

In August 2021, the radical Taliban movement took control of almost the entire territory of Afghanistan. Fearing for their lives, many Afghan citizens want to flee the country. The prospect of a migrant influx from Afghanistan greatly concerns the Central Asian countries, since radical Islamists may also cross the border along with the displaced population. To effectively counter and be prepared for different scenarios, the Central Asian countries have been strengthening their borders and enlisting the support of fellow member states of regional associations, such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This publication describes the situation in Afghanistan and the related policies of the Central Asian countries in terms of possible forced displacements.

This Policy Brief will focus on one of the widely recognized global processes: the decline of human populations. Rapid population growth accompanied development during the second half of the previous century. Demographic decline or the potential for decline will underlie development over the first half of the present century. This Policy Brief will draw attention to some of the inherent tensions created by this process and specifically its linkages with migration, both internal and international. It will flag up the overall demographic trends across the Prague Process countries, identify differences across the countries, and highlight policy issues that will need to be addressed.

This publication aims at contributing to the debate on preparedness in the area of international migration, to present a number of factors that shape the size and structure of migration flows, and to discuss how these drivers might develop in the coming years. 

More than two years since the Taliban takeover, Central Asian states have hosted a small, but overlooked population of displaced Afghans. While the fears of an exodus from Afghanistan into Central Asia did not materialise, those Afghans who fled to Central Asia face a precarious future with limited opportunities for permanent settlement or onward migration.

This policy brief provides an overview of the situation around Afghans exiled in Central Asia, the responses of local governments and the international community. Looking towards the future, the brief also outlines what policy responses are needed to address the needs of Afghans in the region.

This third collection of selected publications produced within the Prague Process Migration Observatory is released amidst Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has resulted in the largest human displacement witnessed in Europe since World War II. More than 14 million people were forced to flee their homes in search for safety. Nearly seven million people have fled to neighbouring countries and further afar, with women and children accounting for the vast majority of the externally displaced Ukrainian citizens. Two chapters address the migration repercussions of the war: First, special attention is given to the vulnerability among those fleeing the war to human trafficking. Secondly, the elaboration of possible post-war scenarios shall allow us to better understand the mid- and long-term migration repercussions of the war. 

The infographic represents a snapshot of migration from Russia following the partial mobilisation that was announced in late September 2022.  This visualisation was first published in the Prague Process Quarterly Review No 32 July-September 2022.

This report attempts to identify patterns and contradictions linked to internal displacement before and after 24 February 2022. It looks at the factors determining the legal status of IDP in the past, and the dynamics and peculiarities witnessed since the time of Russia’s invasion. The second part discusses the administrative, integration, financial and infrastructural traps that IDPs are facing and proposes concrete recommendations to resolve them. It also assesses the existing administrative resources and institutional progress made. One important observation is that most of the current problems largely existed since 2014 but have enormously grown in size in 2022.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

The recent past has seen Uzbekistan’s great efforts toward regulating organised labour migration. The country concluded a number of far-reaching agreements with countries hosting large numbers of Uzbek migrant workers, thereby supporting the employment of own citizens abroad. It also prioritized efforts on creating jobs and promoting employment within the country, especially among the youth, with 2021 proclaimed “The Year of Youth Support and Health Promotion” by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Meanwhile, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the domestic workforce, including returning migrants, negatively and forced the Uzbek Government to take additional measures to provide legal and social protection to labour migrants in order to mitigate these negative consequences.

This paper summarises the latest developments in this field and actions taken by the Government, ranging from the introduction of a system of economic, financial, organisational and legal assistance for migrants to the provision of training for in-demand professions, skills and languages.

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. 

The defining characteristic of the transnational market for human smuggling is the agentive choice by migrants to purchase services in order to facilitate their transportation across state borders. This broad definition includes a large variety of transactions between migrants and actors performing distinct roles, based on the nuances of diverse local dynamics. This analytical report applies a critical lens to the impact of counter-smuggling policies, in order to enable governments to set better-informed policy priorities. It is important that policymakers do not approach regulating human smuggling exclusively through the lenses of criminality, security, and law enforcement. Although human smuggling services are purchased through informal markets that infringe on national laws, these informal markets share many characteristics with other legal economic activities. A narrow focus on the criminal nature of the human smuggling industry would problematically draw policymakers’ attention away from understanding how the laws and regulations that they enact influence the lived experiences of migrants. By expanding this focus, this analytical report aims to provide government actors with a tool for understanding the nuances of the human smuggling market and the full effects of potential counter-smuggling policies.

A growing body of scholarship offers deeper insight into the disorganized and highly human interactions and transactions involved in irregular migration journeys. Rather than overemphasizing the role of transnational organized crime in human smuggling, this emerging field of research examines the role of interpersonal relationships and community knowledge in facilitating migration journeys and ameliorating potential risks. Broadly referred to as ‘social capital,’ information shared through diaspora communities about the reputation of smuggling service providers acts a regulatory mechanism in the absence of official government oversight. Individuals’ access to social capital is changeable and can fluctuate as the result of counter-smuggling policies, among other factors. Understanding the role of social capital in the market for human smuggling will allow government actors to design migration management policies that more effectively safeguard migrants’ wellbeing