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2020 is a year of reflection, marked by the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). To mark the EU Anti-Trafficking Day 2020, ICMPD takes the opportunity to reflect upon the past years. Twenty years ago, the adoption of UNTOC was the first major step in the fight against transnational organised crime. Its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children provided the first legally binding modern definition of trafficking in persons (TIP) and an impetus to develop national anti-trafficking legislation.

Michael Spindelegger, ICMPD Director General, talks about the regions most affected by migration movements, how Europe can and should prepare for potential consequences and how ICMPD can help to build a well-functioning European migration system. The interview was first published in the ICMPD Annual Report for 2021. 

Marking two years of war, of resilience and resistance, of support by the EU public, and of institutional support through the Temporary Protection Directive, ICMPD hosted two events focusing on two critical topics: the recovery of Ukraine and the future for people under temporary protection. These events provided an important opportunity to commemorate, take stock, and look ahead, in conjunction with the Mission of Ukraine, with a focus on what can come after temporary protection and how Ukraine’s human capital can contribute to the recovery of the country. 

Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a global phenomenon. Turkey has continuously improved its anti-trafficking response since early 2000s to prevent this crime and to support victims of trafficking and persons at risk.

To mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2019, this ICMPD Expert Voice article puts the spotlight on a neglected and under-reported form of human trafficking in the context of mixed migration: trafficking for forced migrant smuggling. 

As the coronavirus has upended life as we know it around the globe, asylum systems have not been spared. With national governments acting in different ways to stem its spread, the pandemic has resulted in a series of measures that have far-reaching consequences for asylum systems and applicants for international protection.

As the coronavirus has upended life as we know it around the globe, asylum systems have not been spared. With national governments acting in different ways to stem its spread, the pandemic has resulted in a series of measures that have far-reaching consequences for asylum systems and applicants for international protection.

Takeaways from the ICMPD-MPC webinar ‘Far(ther) from home: Pathways to protection beyond the EU for those fleeing Ukraine’, held on 6 July 2022.

Between the 7^th and 9^th of March 2023, under the scope of the KOMPLEKS project, ICMPD organized a study visit for representatives of Polish local authorities and project partners to the Czech Republic.

Suppose an expert in international protection is contacted by Adnan, a 38 year old Syrian man from Aleppo. He asks for advice and wants to know where to go in order to receive protection from persecution and the war in Syria. What should a migration expert suggest to Adnan? First of all, the borders to neighbouring countries Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are almost completely closed. Therefore, in order to find refuge in any foreign country and to fulfil the refugee definition, a border needs to be crossed, and that needs to be done irregularly which may be dangerous itself. But which country provides promising prospects?

On 17-18 November 2022, ICMPD and SOLIDAR co-organised a SPRING workshop taking place in Brussels, Belgium, focusing on good practices in the integration of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and improved integration outcomes through mutual learning.

Lack of access to services and information, including changed border processes, repatriations, poor health care, among other factors, place South Asian migrants at risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the vulnerability of Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants, and rendered accurate information even more necessary. ICMPD’s Migrant Resource Centres reach out and provide reliable information to empower migrants in an effort to address this challenge.

On 17-20 August 2021, the official launch of the new project “Strengthen the National Observatory Capacity to Tackle Trafficking in Persons in Cabo Verde” (OBSERVE-CV) took place in Praia, Cabo Verde. This is the largest ICMPD bilateral programme implemented in Cabo Verde.

Speaking about the increasing numbers of people identified as victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK, the British National Crime Agency (NCA)’s Vulnerabilities Director Will Kerr stated that “the more we look, the more we find" (BBC News, “Modern Slavery and trafficking ‘in every UK town and city’”, 10 August 2017). This statement highlights both the extent of the problem and the limitations of relying on law enforcement alone to combat it. 

On 2 December 2022, the 31 member organisations of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT), have issued a Call to Action urging countries, in the context of increasing crises, to put in place effective responses and increase cooperation to combat this crime.

From 20 – 24 September, the Migration City-to-City project is organising the MC2CM Days, a four-day conference opened by a high-level dialogue in Brussels. ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger opened the conference and emphasised the role of cities and local governments in the sphere of migration.

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 war in Ukraine is having far-reaching repercussions on many countries around the world, including in Africa, where it is affecting food security, job markets and energy prices. This article investigates the early impact of the war on food shortages across Africa and what it could mean for displacement in the continent and beyond.

All eyes were on Hungary when it constructed the first border fence on the Western Balkans route in summer 2015 in an attempt to stop migrants and refugees from entering its territory. The fence, however, did not stop the flow, it detoured the people - and so did several other fences built along both the external EU borders as well as within the Schengen area. Despite the limited effect of physically closed borders to stem the flow or solve the migration crisis, countries along the so-called ‘Western Balkans route’ keep on introducing similar measures.

The EU is witnessing an influx of refugees from Ukraine on a far greater scale than in 2015-2016. What will be the status of the new arrivals; what can be done for non-Ukrainians trying to escape the conflict; and what does it mean for EU asylum policy in the medium term?