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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has precipitated a significant displacement crisis, resulting in millions of Ukrainians and hundreds of thousands foreign residents and immigrants fleeing the country. As of early 2024, up to 10.8 mio persons remain displaced within and outside Ukraine. The potential for further displacement looms large if Russia gains more ground or if Ukraine loses the fight for its sovereignty. 

On 24-26 April, representatives of eight Prague Process states attended the 10th World Border Security Congress (WBSC) in Istanbul, Türkiye. The Congress brought together over 400 participants from 60 countries including 75 speakers and 30 private sector exhibitors. The participant list further included representatives of IOM, UNODC, UNOCT/ UNCCT, OSCE ODIHR, EC, NATO, FRONTEX, and INTERPOL.

This is the third Prague Process Policy brief on the topic of forced migration from Ukraine as the direct result of Russia’s military aggression. In this iteration, the brief deliberates forced migration flows from Ukraine under four potential war scenarios, ranging between a stalemate situation to a hypothetical victory of Russia. These scenarios are informed by observed migration patterns to date. The brief utilises the methodology developed by the author in 2021, which allowed to predict the number of forcibly displaced in early 2022 with a high degree of accuracy. Subsequently, this method has been continually refined to account for newly available data.

On 23 April 2024, the Prague Process organised the Kick-off Workshop under the Thematic Component 3: Legal and Labour Migration, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The first activity of this Thematic Component gathered experts from 24 Prague Process states as well as representatives from the European Commission, OECD, ILO, IOM, ICMPD, GIZ, Austrian Counselling Centre for Migrants and EMN. On 24 April 2024, the EMN Lithuania Conference ‘Navigating a Changing Labour Migration Landscape’ took place, also featuring PP representatives. The first event held together with the countries of the PP was attended by more than 100 participants from 30 different countries.

More than two years since the Taliban takeover, Central Asian states have hosted a small, but overlooked population of displaced Afghans. While the fears of an exodus from Afghanistan into Central Asia did not materialise, those Afghans who fled to Central Asia face a precarious future with limited opportunities for permanent settlement or onward migration.

The e-course on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings is available for users! 

This course, developed by ICMPD’s Anti-Trafficking Programme and the Prague Process, aims to equip entry to intermediate-level knowledge professionals in migration and asylum with fundamental knowledge about human trafficking and other related crimes. The course delineates the intricacies of human trafficking, distinguishing it from migrant smuggling, and provides an overview of the global trends and legal frameworks surrounding the issue. Additionally, it explores the vulnerabilities to trafficking of individuals in mixed migration flows, state obligations in responding to trafficking, and victim-related issues including identification, principles of victim assistance, risk assessment, and repatriation. The course consists of 16 individual chapters.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has precipitated a significant displacement crisis, resulting in millions of Ukrainians and hundreds of thousands foreign residents and immigrants fleeing the country. As of early 2024, up to 10.8 mio persons remain displaced within and outside Ukraine. The potential for further displacement looms large if Russia gains more ground or if Ukraine loses the fight for its sovereignty.

This year constitutes the Prague Process’ 15^th anniversary and thereby an opportunity to reflect upon the origins and evolution of the Process since its establishment in 2009.

The journey commenced after nearly a year of groundwork in 2008, culminating in the official initiation of the intergovernmental dialogue on migration known as the Prague Process during the inaugural Ministerial Conference in Prague on 27-28 April 2009organised by the Czech EU Presidency within the EU-funded Building Migration Partnerships initiative. The launch of the Prague Process coincided with the genesis of the Eastern Partnership, which took off in Prague a mere month after the Prague Process Ministerial Conference. The endorsement of the Prague Process Joint Declaration marked the beginning of the cooperation among the Prague Process countries, giving the impetus to approximation of differing migration systems and approaches within this distinct geographic context.

The e-course "A Holistic Approach to the Integration of Migrants and Refugees" is now available in English at the Prague Process Training Academy.

We are excited to announce the release of the updated Prague Process Factsheet, a comprehensive resource offering the latest key figures and essential facts about the Process.