Amidst the worsening conditions in Afghanistan, ICMPD's Migrant Resource Centres (MRC) remain agile and responsive. Through its strong engagement with communities, the MRCs adapt to the unique challenges of Afghans – especially women – since the fall of Kabul in 2021 that pushed over three million people to flee. Samim Ahmadi, ICMPD's Project Manager for the Silk Routes region, shares his insights on their ongoing response to the new and often confronting realities of Afghans, and how the...

In political discourses, migration is often linked with the legal or political conditions of migrants, and how this benefits them in their host countries. There are also prevailing, simplistic notions of "illegal" or "irregular" migration, with the narrative – including in the media – often focused largely on the status of migrants themselves. In this episode of the Migration Podcast, ICMPD experts Veronika Bilger and Maegan Hendow discuss the results of a study conducted under the MIrreM...

Brussels ushers in new leadership at the European Parliament in June. Migration, along with defence and the economy, will be a key issue to drive the changes in and for the next five years’ politics. To make sense of a future that this new set of leaders may draw up, it is vital to look back to the last five years’ key events that have shaped the migration narrative in Europe and beyond its borders. Between COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that triggered the Temporary Protection...

In a year full of elections, ICMPD expects migration to be a pivotal topic. While many governments implement quick fixes ahead of their electoral cycles, opposition parties are tying their campaigns to migration-related promises.  ICMPD’s 2024 Migration Outlook report forecasts record displacement levels resulting from war and conflict, leading to a further securitization of migration and offshoring of asylum procedures, as well as a rise in secondary movements. These developments are...

The Vienna Migration Conference is an annual event organised by ICMPD since 2016. It gathers decision-makers in the migration sphere and provides an informal platform to discuss and connect on anything migration. In this podcast episode, we are inviting ICMPD Deputy Director General Lukas Gehrke and ICMPD Head of Policy Malin Frankenhaeuser to take us behind the scenes of the Vienna Migration Conference. 

Where would you turn to if you had the wish to work abroad but were unfamiliar with the labour laws in the country of your destination? How would you ensure that the information that you find online is accurate and reliable?  In this episode, we delve into the critical role of Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs). Located throughout Central- and South Asia, they equip and empower migrants planning to work abroad,  as well as those who have already arrived in a country of destination or want to...

Sudan – Africa’s third largest county with a population of 45 million has recently made headlines, resembling a nightmare scenario. On April 15th, a military conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces broke out, who had previously joined forces in a coup against the ruling president in 2019. One month in, 1000 civil casualties were reported, 5100 are injured. In an attempt to escape, it is estimated that already more than 100 thousand people have fled the country....

When bombs started falling on Ukraine in February 24, fellow Europeans were fast to open their homes to provide shelter to Ukrainians. The EU was fast to react, too. On 4 March, 22, it pulled the so-called Temporary Protection Directive, for the very first time. One year into the war, the Directive, that had proved to be effective, was prolonged for another year. Nevertheless, the question remains: What can be ways out of the Temporary Protection Directive? ICMPD Senior Policy Advisor, Asylum...

Migration is a global phenomenon, however, the majority of  migration movements happen within regions. The International Centre for Migration Policy Development identified six priority regions, in which operations take place in close cooperation with local partners. These regions include Western Balkans and Türkiye, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Silk Routes, Mediterranean, West Africa, Pan Africa Initiatives. In this podcast episode, we invited Mr. Martijn Pluim, Director Dialogues and...

Europe and the EU are experiencing perhaps the most challenging times since the end of the Second World War, - in terms of the geopolitical situation and migration, flight and displacement. How will the war in Ukraine, economic recession, labour shortages and climate change affect migration in the EU in 2023? Martin Hofmann, ICMPD Principal Advisor provides an overview.  

Despite being one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, Tunisia has had one of the highest rates of asylum seekers in the EU in 2022. A decade after the so-called Arab Spring, Tunisia is struggling economically. To better understand the motifs, challenges and overall migration situation in and outside the country, Tunisia has carried out the very first National Survey on Migration, interviewing more than 180 thousand households over the period of one year. ICMPD has carried out the...

More than 1500 dead, 12 thousand injured and 30 million internally displaced – Pakistan is facing its biggest humanitarian crisis in 75 years, caused by unusual weather phenomena worldwide. Why is this country, which is responsible for just one percent of global emissions, among the top ten countries most affected by climate change? And what conclusions can be drawn for climate-change-induced migration in the long run? Ayesha Qaisrani, ICMPD researcher guides you through this complex issue in...

When the Taliban took rule over Afghanistan in August 2021, he was busy evacuating his staff out of the country: Samim Ahmadi, ICMPD Country Coordinator for Afghanistan, looks back on one year of Taliban rule and provides an update on current and persistent migration movements and measures to create save pathways.

When thinking about the Russo-Ukrainian war, one would not necessarily think of its effects on North Africa and migration. Our research officer Nesrine Ben Brahim has done that and uncovers the interdependencies of the skyrocketing wheat prices, political upheaval and possible new migration movements within and out of the African continent. This episode is moderated by Elisabeth Minkow, ICMPD Communications Officer.

The number of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian war has increased to almost 6 million international displaced in just over 2 months. A vast majority of them are now in the EU under the Temporary Protection Directive. And while the primary goal – ensuring physical safety – was carried out with unprecedented speediness, the question of integration is becoming more urgent now, for both the newly arrived and the residents in the host countries. In this podcast episode Justyna Seges Frelak (ICMPD...

In this episode of the ICMPD Migration Podcast, we invited Mr. Radim Zak, ICMPD Head of region for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He talks about the situation from perspective of his project staff on the ground and how ICMPD which runs numerous projects in Ukraine has reacted on project level. The podcast is presented by Elisabeth Minkow, ICMPD Communications Officer.

For the first time since its establishment, the EU triggered the Temporary Protection Directive as a quick solution to the enormous amount of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Martin Wagner, a top expert in international protection, asylum and the EU, explains how it works as well as its pros and cons. Moderation by Elisabeth Minkow, ICMPD Communication Officer.

The ICMPD Migration Outlook 2022 presents an overview of the most pressing migration issues in the year to come. In this episode we are specifically looking into migration issues in South and West Asia.  We invited the two co-authors of the ICMPD Migration Outlook, Maegan Hendow and Naozad Hodiwala who will be critically questioned by Martina Bachler, a journalist working on political and economic issues.   Hosted by: Elisabeth Minkow, ICMPD Communications Officer.

The ICMPD Migration Outlook 2022 presents an overview of the 12 migration issues to look out for in 2022. In this episode you will meet Martin Hofmann, the main author of the ICMPD Migration Outlook. He is critically questioned by Martina Bachler, journalist working on politics and economy. You will hear: Why were certain political issues given preference above others? What makes “the Belarus case” a precedent for the EU and why is Ukraine not mentioned? What about migration and climate...

On February 15th the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) starts its Podcast with the first episode on the key findings of the Migration Outlook 2022.