ICMPD Silk Routes

📢 Wednesday, 18 December 2024, Islamabad: The Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), under the auspices of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), reaffirmed their commitment to equipping potential and outgoing migrants with essential soft skills. This collaborative effort aims to enhance the reputation of Pakistan as a provider of a highly skilled and adaptable workforce and ensure Pakistani migrants thrive in global labour markets.   📰 The event, organised to commemorate #InternationalMigrantsDay2024 under the theme “Empowering Migrants with Essential Soft Skills for Sustainable Integration and Mobility”, was held at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. The day serves as a global platform to celebrate migrants, advocate for their rights, and highlight regular migration pathways as a game changer for migrants, their families, and host communities.   🤝 The event was graced by the Honourable Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Mr. Chaudhry Salik Hussain, as Chief Guest. He congratulated all stakeholders for the successful launch, emphasising, “Soft skills training will now become a mandatory requirement for emigrants facilitated by OEC and BE&OE. We are launching a pilot project with 1,000 emigrants, identified, and supported by POEPA in collaboration with BE&OE and OEC. This initiative will initially be implemented at the ICMPD-supported MRC training facilities in Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar.”   💬 Mr. Philipp Oliver Gross, Chargé d'Affaires, European Union Delegation to Pakistan, extended his congratulations to the partners and noted, “This partnership exemplifies the shared vision of promoting safe, orderly and dignified migration. The development and roll-out of the Soft Skills Training Module is part of the European Union’s commitment to step up efforts to enhance legal pathways for labor migration that are mutually beneficial, while continuing to combat illegal migration with our partners.”   🧾 The Soft Skills Training Module and its accompanying web-based portal were officially launched during the event. The Module was developed with the financial support of the European Union and the technical inputs of ICMPD, under the PROTECT programme. It addresses key areas in Effective Communication, Cultural Adaptability, Emotional Intelligence; Teamwork; and Leadership Skills. Outgoing migrants will now be encouraged to take this training prior to departure to ensure they are fully prepared for employment opportunities in destination countries.   #IMD2024 #InternationalMigrantsDay #SoftSkills #SafeMigration

🌍 One Month On: Reflecting on the 7th Budapest Process Ministerial Conference Today marks one month since the 7th Budapest Process Ministerial Conference, held in Budapest, Hungary on 11-12 November 2024. Over 300 participants hailing from 50 countries and 13 international organisations came together to forge a common path forward for migration governance. 🤝 The event represented an impressive feat of political consensus building and multilateral cooperation, with the endorsement of two milestone documents: The Budapest Process Ministerial Declaration and its accompanying Call for Action 2025-2030. These texts outline six priority goals for the coming five years, denoting the areas of focus for future meetings and operational actions. Further outcomes of the conference include: ✅Strong ministerial participation: The event demonstrated significant high-level political engagement, with the presence of 20 ministers and deputy ministers in Budapest, reflecting the Dialogue's continued relevance and strategic importance.  ✅Robust bilateral exchange: The conference facilitated more than 30 bilateral meetings, fostering meaningful dialogue, strengthening relationships and paving the way for further advancement of collaboration. 🔗 Learn more about the event and the priority areas endorsed here: https://lnkd.in/djcNy7fu #multilateral #diplomacy #SilkRoutes #migration #governance #migrationcooperation #ministerialconference

📢 On 2-3 December 2024, the Closing Conference for the EU funded Integrated Border Management in the Silk Routes Countries (IBM Silk Routes) project took place in Istanbul, Turkiye. The event brought together participants from the European Commission, European Union member states as well as representatives from projects stakeholders in the Silk Routes countries including those from Bangladesh, Iraq and Pakistan. 🗺️ 📰 The purpose of the Closing Conference was to highlight the results achieved within the framework of the project and discussions surrounded lessons learned, good practices, innovations and highlighted in particular the actions and activities of the project which in turn will make its objectives sustainable. 🎞️ Watch a small snippet of the event below📽️

#ExpertVoice ✍️ "Three years since the Taliban took over, Afghans are now farther cut off from the rest of the world. Particularly most affected are the women and girls, who face worse restrictions than ever." ✍️ Can we bridge the divide for Afghan migrants – especially women? - Samim Ahmadi, Project Manager for ICMPD Silk Routes Region, discusses the plight of Afghans, particularly women, amid the worsening conditions in the country. - Samim also shares ways to bridge the divide for Afghan migrants, with a particular focus on women - highlighting regional partnerships and the role of ICMPD’s Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs). Looking ahead to #MigrantsDay 🔗 Read the latest #ExpertVoice for insights on Afghanistan's situation, the evolving work of MRCs, and the ways forward to address the long-standing challenges faced by women and Afghans in general: https://lnkd.in/dNmPr3se #Afghanistan #AfghanMigrants #AfghanWomen #Migrants #MigrationCooperation #MRCs #InternationalMigrantsDay

Under the Sweden-Iraq Cooperation on Migration Governance (SI-COM) project, we organised a three-day training on “Counselling and Communication Skills” for 20 Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) staff from Baghdad, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah, alongside Government officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Migration and Displacement of the Government of Iraq and the Joint Crisis Coordination, Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq. The training that took place on 01-03 December in Istanbul, Türkiye, aims to strengthen counselling techniques and improve communication strategies and understanding of the complexities surrounding migration and reintegration in Iraq. This initiative is organised under the framework of Nordic Cooperation on Reintegration in Iraq -NORAQ and is funded by the Ministry of Justice, Sweden with the technical assistance from the Swedish Migration Agency. Together, we're strengthening systems to better support migrants and returnees!  #MigrantResourceCentreIraq #CounsellingSkills #Migration #SwedenIraq #SICOM #ICMPD #Reintegration #MigrantSupport #MigrationTraining #NORAQ

Under the Danish funded Project CAIR-II, ICMPD recently organised the first Training in Reintegration for Migration Policy Makers and Programme Professionals in Baghdad, at the premises of the Ministry of Migration and Displaced (MoMD). The training, which lasted five days (24-28 November 2024) was held at the Migration Training Centre (MTC), that has been established as a result of the refurbishment conducted by ICMPD of existing training facility at the MoMD. The training was attended by 17 senior officials from the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Please read more about the training at- https://lnkd.in/g4KcuFrS #Reintegration #Iraq #Capacitybuilding #ICMPDSilkRoutes

Under the project, ‘Awareness Raising and Information Campaigns on the Risks of Irregular Migration in Pakistan’ (PARIM-II), ICMPD facilitated a monitoring visit for the project donors from 21-25 October 2024, in Punjab and Islamabad, Pakistan. The visit entailed meetings with relevant government counterparts and implementing partners, and field visits to Gujranwala and Rawalpindi to monitor how awareness raising sessions are delivered to potential migrants, returnees, and Afghan national residing in the country.   The visit proved very enriching for the partners as it provided them an opportunity to better understand the progress made under PARIM-II on ground, enabling them to have an insight into the project implementation. In addition, it fostered newer synergies among Pakistan’s relevant migration authorities, allowing for an exchange of best practices and ideas on migration governance and management.  #EUinPakistan #MRCPakistan #ICMPD

📢 We are excited to share the Teaser Trailer for our original video series, which highlights the real-life experiences of Pakistani and Afghan migrants who pursued irregular migration from Pakistan to Europe. 🎬 This series sheds light on the harsh realities faced by migrants as some continue to live in Europe under extremely challenging conditions, while others have returned to Pakistan and recount their horrific journeys, sharing powerful warnings against falling prey to individuals and networks that encourage irregular migration. 📽️ The series is a crucial component of our efforts to raise awareness about the dangers and consequences of irregular migration. It underscores the importance of choosing legal migration pathways to ensure a safer and more secure future. 👀 We invite you to watch the teaser and join us in amplifying this vital message. Stay tuned as we release the full videos in the coming weeks. 🎞️ The video is developed under the project, Awareness raising and information campaigns on the risks of irregular migration in Pakistan (PARIM-II), and sheds light on the challenges and realities faced by migrants who have chosen to migrate irregularly from Pakistan to Europe. Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union and co-funded by Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, and Greece. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, its Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and/or the views of Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece and Germany. Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them. #saynotoirregularmigration #safemigration #EUinPakistan #MRCPakistan #ICMPD

#InFocus 🌍 At the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Budapest Process, 26 EU Member States and 23 partner countries agreed on a Joint Declaration outlining six key priorities in migration for 2025-2030. The “Call for Action 2025-2030” includes key priorities, such as: 📌 Ensuring international protection, especially for those who need it; 📌 Addressing irregular migration; and expanding legal pathways; 📌 Ensuring safety at the borders and tackling human smuggling and human trafficking; 📌 Preventing racism and discrimination; 📌 Providing stronger support for integration. ICMPD Director General, Michael Spindelegger, said: 💬 "Migration will always be a demanding and complex issue. With this Joint Declaration, we renew our political commitments and realign our collective focus on priority areas for the next five years. This Declaration reflects compromise, consensus, and a shared vision; acknowledges the diversity of its partners; and finds a lot of common ground between us. Thus, our migration dialogues can continue to build on its achievements, address the migration challenges ahead, and utilise the opportunities that evolve with even greater effectiveness and impact."   🤝 Ministers and representatives from around the world, along with the European Commission and international and UN organisations, met in Budapest on 11-12 November 2024. 🤝 Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, co-hosted the Conference with Türkiye.  🔗 Discover more about the Conference and the Joint Declaration at: https://lnkd.in/dTdNbPvW #BudapestProcess #Migration #MigrationCooperation

📰 Between 29-31 October 2024, ICMPD organised a study visit to Denmark on document security for officials from #Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) - Federal Government of Pakistan and Immigration Police #Bangladesh. The visit’s highlight was an intensive two-day training at #Denmark’s National ID Centre (NIDC) and a briefing session at Copenhagen International Airport. This important activity reiterates ICMPD, FIA Pakistan and Immigration Police Bangladesh’s joint commitment to enhance border security across the Silk Routes region, preparing the immigration officials to implement global best practices in their respective border management framework. 💻 You can read more about the success of the visit on the ICMPD Silk Routes Budapest Process website: https://shorturl.at/lEcf4 👏 This initiative is part of the European Union-funded Integrated Border Management in the Silk Routes (IBM Silk Routes) project, aimed to bolster border control capabilities of the Silk Route countries by equipping the immigration officials with state-of-the-art skills in detecting and examining falsified travel documents Nationalt ID-center