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The United Nations and its Member States have committed to adopting a major agreement on international migration in 2018, the Global Compact for Migration. The worldwide consultation process to determine what this agreement should actually entail continues in Vienna this week with a thematic session on smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and contemporary forms of slavery, including appropriate identification, protection and assistance to migrants and trafficking victims. UN Member States, NGOs, the private sector and intergovernmental organisations, including ICMPD, will gather to give their input and recommendations, feeding into the drawing up of the Global Compact itself.

How can migration partnerships be improved to strengthen migration cooperation and governance? 

Community sponsorship’s ability to foster networks for refugee support lies at the core of its value proposition. How can network building enable the potential of community sponsorship to be more fully tapped?

Increasing the enrolment and retention of international refugee students can offer European countries and labour markets future talented workers, while at the same time expanding mobility opportunities that enable refugees to develop their skills and access employment opportunities.

Geopolitics is accelerating reform of the EU’s border and asylum regime. An external European frontier that once only existed on paper is taking shape. And Lukashenko’s hybrid attack may have accidentally given birth to the Union’s migration foreign policy.

European emigrants have been among those returning home during the pandemic. COVID-19 presents an important window of opportunity for origin countries to retain some of this returned talent.

As governments seek to address challenges and seize opportunities connected to trans-border mobility, policy debates have identified migration partnerships as integral to achieving progress. The concept has indeed evolved from a mere buzzword to a comprehensive instrument of international migration governance based on widely accepted tenets and numerous concrete tools. The principles are clear: Migration partnerships need to (1) build upon mutual trust and joint objectives, (2) guarantee a fair distribution of rights and obligations and (3) ensure that the costs and benefits are absorbed equally by all parties. Partnership, moreover, must be practised at all levels of migration governance, entailing joint agenda setting, political and technical cooperation and shared operational delivery.

A wealth of stakeholder ideas oriented around bolstering migration partnerships along key routes to Europe were brought to the fore during the Vienna Migration Conference 2021. More effective migration management will require robust frameworks and formats that enhance engagement across borders. But there is more than one perspective on what this means in practice.

Large-scale displacement from Ukraine has led to growing concerns about individuals who were considered vulnerable prior to the outbreak of war, as well as those deemed newly vulnerable due to their displacement. Despite the quick rollout of temporary protection, providing adequate support in light of the scale and characteristics of displacement from Ukraine remains challenging – including in Poland, the major destination country.

Takeaways from the special Vienna Migration Conference event held in Berlin under the auspices of the German Chair of the ICMPD Steering Group on 27 June 2022.

Takeaways from Vienna Migration Conference 2022, ICMPD’s annual flagship event, held 11-12 October 2022.

Takeaways from a senior expert discussion on 1 December 2021

Takeaways from the Vienna Migration Conference 2021, held 19-20 October 2021

Takeaways from a webinar held in the framework of the SprINg project on 18 October 2022.

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.

Takeaways from a webinar held in the framework of the SPRING project on 2 June 2022.

Narratives are among the most important determinants of public attitudes and behaviour – and a powerful source of (mis)perceptions. Migration narratives are shaped mainly at three levels of governance: international, national, and local. This article, introduces the concept of “governance of migration narratives”, examining three key questions: How do actors operating at the different levels craft and disseminate migration narratives?; How do these actors interact with one another?; and How does this interaction impact policymaking?

Ukraine presented its application for EU membership on 28 February 2022, five days after Russia’s military aggression. Moldova and Georgia followed suit on 3 March 2022, both applications being tabled in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. These developments bring important implications for the region’s migration policies, practices, and prospects.

The activation of the Temporary Protection Directive provides Ukrainian refugees with immediate access to employment in the EU. Skills assessments and competence checks are important tools to steer the first phase of labour market inclusion. Their aim is to match refugees’ skills with labour market demands to identify additional training needs and avoid underemployment, brain waste and brain loss.

Since the escalation of war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Ukrainian diaspora members worldwide have responded with an outpouring of grief and solidarity to pragmatically assist fellow nationals in distress and advocate for an end to the conflict. This article focuses on the immediate response of Ukrainians abroad following Russia’s invasion in late February 2022, which triggered a fresh surge of diasporic activities that has been unique in scale and creativity, displaying new ways of engagement.

The majority of the nearly 7 million Ukrainian refugees who have left their country since the outbreak of conflict in February 2022 are women who seek protection in neighbouring countries. Many of them are currently located in national capitals or large cities. Recent discussion on how to relieve the pressure on the infrastructure of these cities has focused on accommodating refugees in rural areas. Migration and integration research highlights several important aspects regarding the integration of refugees in rural areas.

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.

Over 2 million people have fled across Ukraine’s borders following Russia’s invasion on 24 February. Right now, attention is understandably focused on their entry and reception. But soon the EU will need to consider how to best help these newcomers settle in. Last week’s activation of the Temporary Protection Directive gives (mainly) Ukrainians the right to access key integration-related services and employment. National administrations now face an enormous challenge to make such access a reality.

This Thursday, 3 March 2022, an Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council meeting is expected to vote on a proposal by the European Commission to activate the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive for the first time for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. There are good reasons to do so. 

The EU Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) has now been activated for 18 months, providing immediate assistance to millions who fled the war in Ukraine. While it has been praised for its success, uncertainty remains about what will happen once it ends. Discussions have put forth ideas ranging from EU-wide approaches to individual national solutions. The urgency of this matter, however, has yet to fully resonate with policymakers and commentators, even as we reach the halfway point of the directive’s maximum duration. Just 18 months remain to forge a plan for what will come after.