International Centre for Migration Policy Development

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International Centre for Migration Policy Development
Centre international pour le développement des politiques migratoires
AbbreviationICMPD
Formation1993
TypeInternational Organisation
HeadquartersVienna
Director General
 Michael Spindelegger (2016–present)
Staff480 [1]
Website icmpd.org

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an international organisation which makes policy recommendations on migration-related issues to governments and intergovernmental agencies. [2] Founded by Austria and Switzerland as a think tank in 1993, [3] and headquartered in Vienna. [4] As of May 2023 ICMPD was composed of 20 member states. [5]

Contents

Financing

Every year ICMPD discloses in its annual report how it is financed. [1] Additional figures were disclosed by the German government upon request by Andrej Hunko, Michel Brandt, Christine Buchholz, other members of the European Parliament and The Left. As of 2020 the annual membership fee for Germany was 210,000 euros. [6]

In 2015 its budget was 16.8 million euros, in 2022 it was already 74.5 million, 56 percent of which came from the European Commission. Also, as an international organization, ICMPD has hardly been subject to financial transparency obligations. [7]

As of 2021, ICMPD has been implementing the "integrated border management programme" together with the Italian Ministry of the Interior, which is financed by the EU Trust Fund for Africa (2021–2027) over €7.39 billion. [8]

Projects

ICMPD was originally founded as a civilian think tank, and until 2015 it was focused on Eastern Europe and the Balkans. [9] [10]

Since January 2019, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands have been co-financing the 400,000 euros "RESTART" project to build resettlement (consistently called "reintegration") for Armenian refugees (called "returnees") over a period of 24 months. [11] : 3  Germany has participated in co-financing the construction of a temporary reception center for asylum seekers in Armenia with 158,000 euros. [11] : 3  The project has intended to promote voluntary return, resettlement in the home country by means of benefits in kind in the form of social advice and support, among other things, with the help of finding accommodation, visits to authorities, children's schooling, medical matters and assistance in job search and vocational training, the long-term improvement of living conditions of the returnees and the prevention of new irregular migration to Germany and Europe and fighting the causes of flight. [12]

Under a so-called "migration and diaspora program", ICMPD carried out training on behalf of the German Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on "development-oriented migration" with Albania, Ecuador, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Colombia, Kosovo and Serbia, which it calls "partner countries". [13] GIZ has also cooperated with ICMPD in prevention and combat of human trafficking in the Western Balkans. [14]

Since 2016 ICMPD has moved its focus to North African countries, like Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and directly implements border control projects, organizes the procurement for border upgrades; it is involved in designing curricula for police training programs and in developing surveillance technology. [15]

In October 2020, the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) wrote to then Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer, he planned to implement a special kind of digital refugee card in Bavaria, which could serve as a debit card, in cooperation with Michael Spindelegger and the ICMPD, which would serve as a model for similar projects in Europe. Seehofer even described the plan as a "lighthouse project". [16] The idea of the debit card carrying other personal data, which could be retrieved by police terminals was developed by Jan Marsalek then CFO of the now defunct wirecard. [17]

In April 2023, NGO "SOS Balkan Route" criticized the involvement of the ICMPD with the refugee camp Lipa. [18] The ICMPD denied the allegations [19] and initiated legal action against the NGO in Mai. [20] The NGO considers this a SLAPP lawsuit. [21]

Purpose

The International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an intergovernmental organization that collaborates with national governments, diverse international entities, research institutions, and civil society stakeholders to craft migration-related policies and administer training initiatives. ICMPD's core mission revolves around the promotion and advancement of migration policies. The organization serves as an intermediary, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and services between governments and various organizations. ICMPD assumes a pivotal role in furnishing policymakers with a substantive foundation, equipping them for decision-making within the domain of migration. ICMPD is also operational and engaged in capacity building in various areas of migration governance. [22] [23] [2] [24]

Organisational structure

ICMPD had around 480 staff members, a mission in Brussels, regional offices in Ankara and Malta, as well as project offices in Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. [25]

Director Generals

The Office of the Director General consists of Secretariat, Communications, Directorate for Policy, Research and Strategy, Directorate Migration Dialogues and Cooperation, Brussels Mission, People Management and Organisational Development, Corporate Financial Management. The Policy, Research & Strategy (PRS) is headed by Director, and Deputy Director General Lukas Gehrke. [31] Operations Support is headed by Sergio Pagliarulo. [32] Migration Dialogues and Cooperation (MDC) is headed by Director a.i. Sedef Dearing. [33] The Brussels Mission, is headed by Ralph Genetzke. [34] According to reports in January 2025 former Austrian Minister for Women's Affairs Susanne Raab has applied for a job with the Office of the Director General. [35]

Member states

ICMPD Member States ICMPD-Member-States Web.png
ICMPD Member States

ICMPD was founded in 1993 by Austria and Switzerland. It was joined in 1995 by Hungary and then in 1998 by Slovenia. The Czech Republic became a member in 2001, followed by Portugal and Sweden in 2002, Bulgaria and Poland in 2003, Croatia in 2004, Slovakia in 2006, Romania in 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in 2011, and the Republic of North Macedonia in 2012. Malta and Turkey both joined in 2018. [36] [37] [38]

In 2020, Germany [39] joined on the basis of a declaration of international contract law issued by the Federal President. Within the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany) is in charge and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has been involved as a business unit authority. [11] : 3  Recently the Netherlands joined ICMPD in May 2023. [40]

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References

  1. 1 2 ICMPD Annual Report, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in icmpd.org
  2. 1 2 What is ICMPD?, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in osce.org
  3. ↑ "About ICMPD". www.icmpd.org. ICMPD. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  4. ↑ Embassy of Slovenia in Vienna – Brief presentation of international organisations in Vienna
  5. ↑ "The Netherlands joins the European migration organisation ICMPD". www.icmpd.org. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  6. ↑ Migration, Integration, Asylum in Germany 2019, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in bamf.de
  7. ↑ Q&A: Media coverage on ICMPD's activities June 2023, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in icmpd.org
  8. ↑ "Integrated Border Management Fund". commission.europa.eu. nd. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  9. ↑ "Balkans.com – The number of false asylum seekers from Serbia in the EU has significantly reduced". Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
  10. ↑ "Turkey joins Vienna-based migration policy center" . Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  11. 1 2 3 "Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten Andrej Hunko, Michel Brandt, Christine Buchholz, weiterer Abgeordneter und der Fraktion DIE LINKE. – Drucksache 19/19825.Deutscher Beitritt zum International Centre for Migration Policy Development" (PDF). 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  12. ↑ Promoting the sustainable return and reintegration of Azerbaijani returnees- RESTART project, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in migrationnetwork.un.org
  13. ↑ International centre for migration policy development - icmpd, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in devex.com
  14. ↑ ICMPD’s Regional Migration Outlook 2021: Turkey and Western Balkans, from: 28. April 2021 in pragueprocess.eu
  15. ↑ Law enforcement training tools, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in unodc.org
  16. ↑ Frag den Staat. "bmi-bezahlkarte3" (in German). Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  17. ↑ "International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD): Die Migrations-Manager" (in German). 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  18. ↑ "So sieht das österreichische Guantanamo in Bosnien aus (FOTOS & VIDEOS): "Sie sperrten uns 4 Tage in der Kälte ein"". OTS.at (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  19. ↑ red, ORF at/Agenturen (2023-04-11). "Flüchtlingscamp Lipa: Spindeleggers ICMPD weist Vorwürfe zurück". news.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  20. ↑ ICMPD Files Lawsuit Against NGO to Correct False Allegations, from: 9. May 2023 in unodc.org
  21. ↑ "SOS Balkanroute über SLAPP Klage von ICMPD: "Angriff auf gesamte österreichische Zivilgesellschaft"". OTS.at (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  22. ↑ International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), retrieved: 4. November 2023 in returnnetwork.eu
  23. ↑ ICMPD, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in trafig.eu
  24. ↑ International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), retrieved: 4. November 2023 in un.org
  25. ↑ "ICMPD website – About Us". Archived from the original on 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  26. ↑ In memory of Jonas Widgren, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in gale.com
  27. ↑ New Permanent Representative of International Centre for Migration Policy Development Presents Credentials, from: 7. April 2005 in unvienna.org
  28. ↑ New Permanent Observer of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development Presents Credentials, from: 4. July 2011 in unvienna.org
  29. ↑ EU funds development of "Smart Traveller" mobile customs application to enhance travel experience in Tunisia, from: 26. June 2018 in euneighbours.eu
  30. ↑ Mr. Michael Spindelegger, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in oecd.org
  31. ↑ Refugee Status in EU Member States and Return Policies, from: 15. July 2005 in europarl.europa.eu
  32. ↑ INSigHT - Building Capacity to Deal with Human Trafficking and Transit Routes in Nigeria, Italy, Sweden, from: 6. May 2019 in insightproject.net
  33. ↑ Head of Silk Routes region agrees future support with Director General Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan, from: 21. December 2022 in budapestprocess.org
  34. ↑ Mr. Ralph Genetzke, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in europarl.europa.eu
  35. ↑ "Integrationsministerin Raab verlässt Politik". news.ORF.at (in Austrian German). 2025-01-07. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  36. ↑ No: 138, 15 May 2018, Press Release Regarding Turkey’s Membership to International Centre For Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), from: 15. May 2018 in mfa.gov.tr
  37. ↑ "Malta becomes the first Central Mediterranean Member State of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development". foreignaffairs.gov.mt. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  38. ↑ "From Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  39. ↑ Agreement between the Swiss Confederation represented by the Federal Office for Refugees (BFF) and the Republic of Austria, retrieved: 4. November 2023 in treaties.un.org
  40. ↑ ICMPD Gets Bigger: Netherlands Joins as New Member, from: 14. June 2023 in vindobona.org
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