News

The Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Chisinau on 24-25 September 2024 marked the 15^th anniversary of the Prague Process. Bringing together representatives from 26 participating states, the European Commission, European Agency for Asylum, IOM, UNHCR, ICMPD and Joint Coordination Platform, the meeting allowed to jointly reflect on the achievements reached to date, as well as priorities and lessons learned for the future.

The senior officials underscored the Prague Process’ enduring significance as a targeted intergovernmental policy dialogue, enabling states to navigate evolving migration dynamics through cooperative and forward-looking strategies.

The integration experience among migrants is associated with their use of digital technology to navigate complex adaptation challenges and acquire essential information. Digital tools like smartphones, social media, and online platforms assist migrants in settling into a new country by providing information and services, including those for language learning, sociocultural integration, employment, and skills development. Concurrently, host governments and societies are harnessing technological solutions to enhance the provision of official services and information for migrant populations, complementing the strategic use of digital tools by the migrants themselves. However, practical benefits of digital technology are often hindered by limited connectivity, literacy gaps, and socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural barriers.

On 7-12 July, ICMPD hosted students and youth at the 2024 International Summer School on Migration in Kachreti, Georgia. Implemented by ICMPD, this 11th summer school was organised under the framework of the EU-funded STREAMinG 2 and MOBILAZE 2 projects and the Training Academy of the Prague Process. 

We are delighted to share with you the April-June 2024 edition of the Quarterly Review, providing the latest updates from the Process.

The past three months saw the successful implementation of several important activities, including those co-organised with the European Migration Network (EMN), following the recently launched cooperation between the Prague Process and EMN. Meanwhile, the cooperation agreement with the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) resulted in the joint Kick-off Workshop of the Thematic Component 4 on Asylum and International Protection at the EUAA headquarter in Malta. Furthermore, the Prague Process Training Academy, in partnership with the EUAA, rolled out two foundational modules of the European Asylum Curriculum for asylum and reception officials from the Eastern Partnership and Central Asian states. 

On 18-19 June 2024, EMN Cyprus and the Prague Process organised the Workshop on return and reintegration (Thematic Component 2) in Larnaca, Cyprus. The meeting brought together representatives from 19 Prague Process states, the European Commission (DG HOME), Frontex, IOM, Samuel Hall and ICMPD.

After two decades of relying on Russia as a destination for its active labour force, Central Asia now faces new challenges and opportunities as a result of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Although several million migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan continue to live and work in Russia, many are starting to seek alternative destinations. Within the region, Kazakhstan is emerging as a new hub for labour migration while continuing to send migrants abroad. At the same time, new communities of Russian migrants have emerged in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, having fled political repression and military mobilisation at home. Amidst an unstable geopolitical situation, the migration landscape is rapidly changing as countries in the region become both countries of origin and destination. Central Asian states and their partners will need to rethink their approach to migration management to adapt to this new reality.

On 11-12 June 2024, close to 30 participants from 13 Prague Process states took part in the Identity Week Europe 2024, which brought together a diverse international audience of over 3,000 participants from 112 countries in Amsterdam. With 200 experts and 250 exhibitors, ID Week provides an excellent platform for global collaboration and innovation-sharing in the area of digital identity.

Explore the comprehensive Migration Curriculum, designed to meet the educational needs of both academia and professional training centers like the Regional Training Centre on Migration (RTCM) of the State Migration Service in Azerbaijan (SMS), as well as other related migration authorities and relevant non-state organizations. This curriculum is a product of the EU-funded MOBILAZE 2 project and has been carefully crafted based on the Migration Textbook to provide essential knowledge on migration management. 

On 4-5 June 2024, representatives of 13 Prague Process states, the European Commission, EUAA, Frontex, UNHCR and ICMPD gathered in Malta for the Kick-off Workshop of Thematic Component 4: Strengthening Capacities on Asylum and International Protection. Hosted at the EU Agency for Asylum Headquarters, the workshop provided a platform to discuss capacity-building efforts and emerging trends in asylum management enhancing cooperation and sharing best practices among Prague Process states and partners.

June 1st marks International Day for Protection of Children. It was established over half a century ago to protect children’s rights, end child labour and guarantee access to education. The Prague Process uses this occasion as a reminder of children’s inherent vulnerability to trafficking in human beings, a crime which continues to affect millions of young lives worldwide.

The statistics are grim: children constitute 35% of all trafficking victims, with girls and boys accounting for nearly equal shares. Children's inherent vulnerability, exacerbated by factors such as poverty, conflict, and lack of legal protection makes them prime targets for traffickers who exploit their innocence and helplessness for various forms of exploitation. Moreover, their vulnerability to trafficking is exacerbated by factors such as unaccompanied travel and lack of birth registration.