Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq: The project “Developing the Iraqi Government’s knowledge and expertise in migration governance” (Project IMED), funded by the Swiss Secretariat for Migration, concluded its first milestone by delivering six expert thematic workshops to Iraqi Government officials. The workshops, conducted through a hybrid approach, were held in Baghdad and Erbil. These covered the following thematic areas:

1. Migration and development (including diaspora engagement and private sector engagement)
2. Return and reintegration
3. Irregular migration, trafficking and smuggling
4. Border management and security
5. Asylum and refugees
6. Labour migration

The workshops provided the project’s Core Group of 20 officials - comprising representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Migration and Displaced, Planning, and Labour & Social Affairs - with an introduction to the relevant aspects of these six thematic areas. Moreover, these workshops served as platform to discuss and exchange views on establishing a “whole of government” approach to migration governance in Iraq.

These dedicated sessions also instilled knowledge and information on specific elements related to refugee status, the concept of non-refoulement and contemporary protection, as well as linking discussions with the ongoing challenges faced by Iraq. The workshops also served as a platform to present

ICMPD’s ongoing efforts in Iraq geared towards Integrated Border Management (as defined and coordinated with the focal government counterparts). In addition, the Core Group agreed that the monitoring system for returnees in Iraq needs modification. This includes the digitalisation and disaggregation of data so it is accessible to all government ministries.

In order to ensure further institutional capacity building on migration management in Iraq, International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is coordinating a study visit for Iraqi officials to Switzerland with the Swiss Secretariat for Migration. This will allow members of the project’s Core Group to learn best practices on migration management systems as embedded in Switzerland. Moreover, the study visit will facilitate a dialogue between the countries on migration-led priorities, thereby providing clarity on additional support, areas of mutual cooperation and information-sharing.