News
Save the Date: ONLINE SYMPOSIUM
Labour and Human Rights: Supply Chain Laws for Fair Business Practices
Friday, 7 May 2021 via Cisco Webex Events
Event organized by the Platform against Exploitation and Human Trafficking and SÜDWIND
in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
#SymposiumRechteInLieferketten
#SymposiumRightsInSupplyChains
The Corona pandemic has drawn attention to labour exploitation in branches such as agriculture and in-home care. At the same time, it has revealed the powerlessness of many suppliers and their employees when product demand suddenly disappears and purchasing companies fail to pay for ordered goods.
These aspects are part of overall supply chain responsibility, which – under the current economic conditions – should be anchored at the national and supranational level.
For this reason, Südwind and the Platform against Exploitation and Human Trafficking in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration are hosting an online Symposium on this issue on 7 May 2021.
The final agenda is available here.
You can register for the symposium here.
Voluntary return from Austria 2020: IOM supported more than 1,300 people
January 27, 2021
Vienna – In 2020, a total of 1,316 people was supported by IOM Austria in the voluntary return to their countries of origin. In the past year, COVID-19 reduced international mobility to a minimum. The number of returns is therefore hardly comparable with previous years.
As in 2019, Serbia was the country with the highest number of voluntary returnees from Austria (146 persons assisted), followed by Rumania (110 persons). As the first non-European country, Iraq ranks third in the statistics of top return countries with a total of 86 assisted persons.
2020 also marked the 20th anniversary of the “Memorandum of Understanding” between IOM and the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, building the basis for the cooperation of both institutions in the field of voluntary return. From 2000 until 2020, together with the respective authorities and return counsellors from NGOs, more than 50,000 people were supported in their voluntary return from Austria.
In the framework of the project RESTART III, 69 people were supported not only in their voluntary return, but also in their reintegration in Afghanistan, inter alia with cash and in-kind assistance. The project is co-financed by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior and the European Union.
Read the entire press release in German here.
The statistics from 2020 and previous years are available here.
Special Issue "Migration Policy Practice" on Forecasting Global Migration
New Publication by the Research and Migration Law Unit
Migration predictions are an indispensable part of any attempt to proactively prepare for future opportunities and challenges, and they feed the heightened interest of decision makers in rendering migration more foreseeable. However, predicting migration trends is an inherently difficult task, and no single approach can capture all relevant aspects of a complex and multidimensional phenomenon such as migration. In fact, most predictive efforts turn out to be wrong.
To shed light on the issue, the 2020 EMN Austria Conference, organized in partnership with the Austrian Ministry of the Interior and IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), focused on the topic of forecasting global migration. Selected conference presenters have agreed to contribute to a special issue on forecasting global migration in the journal “Migration, Policy, Practice”, and as such, it also serves as the conference outcome document.
International Migrants Day
18 December 2020
Statement by IOM Director General António Vitorino:
Please also visit IOM's International Migrants Day 2020 website:
Young, Chechen, Austrian
Closing Event of the Project WIR II
11 December 2020 at 5 p.m.
To conclude the project "WIR II: Workshops for Integration and Prevention of Radicalization", we will present this year's short film "WE ARE MANY" live on 11 December 2020 at 5 p.m. We will talk with girls and young women from the Chechen community about their experiences and insights from the project WIR II. Click here for the LIVESTREAM.
During the project WIR II, girls and young women from the Chechen community discussed their own identity, what it means to be Chechen and Austrian, and the meaning of their religious identity. They also dealt with topics such as media criticism, violence, discrimination and bullying. The girls and young women worked on these topics using slow-motion videos, role-plays and interviews. This resulted in the short film that we will present at the final event.
More information about the project and films from previous years can be found on the IOM website HERE.
Virtual Conference on the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day
HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN TIMES OF CORONA
14 and 15 October 2020
The Corona crisis discloses precarious employment conditions in a variety of areas. This includes harvesters in the agricultural sector, seasonal workers in the tourist industry or caregivers.
The virtual conference “Human Trafficking in Times of Corona” aims at shedding light upon theconsequences of the lockdown and other developments caused by Corona on measures taken to combat human trafficking. The conference further intends to reveal the link of economic pressure to the risk of being exploited in the context of human trafficking.
The Austrian Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking organises the conference on the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day in cooperation with the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The conference is a public event and free of charge. During the first day of the conference, simultaneous interpretation (German or English) will be provided. On the second day of the conference, workshops are eligible in German and English language.
Participants are kindly requested to fill in the registration form by 12 October 2020 under this link and register for the plenary session in the afternoon of 14 October 2020 as well as for one of four workshops in the morning of 15 October 2020. Online registration is required.
Links to the plenary session and the workshop chosen as well as technical instructions will be sent shortly before the event.
IOM and UNHCR call for a truly common and principled approach to European migration and asylum policies
Geneva/Brussels, 22 September 2020
On the eve of the launch of the presentation of the European Commission’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum, IOM, the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, are appealing to the European Union (EU) to ensure a truly joint and principled approach that addresses all aspects of migration and asylum governance.
The two UN bodies are hopeful that the Pact will provide a fresh start to move from an ad hoc crisis-driven approach to asylum and migration in Europe to a common one that is more comprehensive, well-managed and predictable, both within and beyond the EU. With relatively few new arrivals of migrants and refugees to Europe, now is the time for common action.
Read the entire press release here.
My opinion matters
13 July 2020
For more than two years, the IOM Country Office for Austria has been implementing the project WIR “Workshops for the intergration and prevention of radicalization”. In over 24 workshops, more than 40 Chechen youngsters between 14 and 18 years have produced a total of 5 short films. In these films, the youngsters tell their own stories and share personal insights about the development of their transcultural identities and about their reflection on different related topics, such as discrimination, religion, media etc.
A project trailer including insights into all 5 films has been produced in cooperation with IOM MCD and is available on the IOM YouTube Channel together with the full version of all produced films.
For more information about the project WIR follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wir_projekt/).
This project is financed by the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria
UN Agencies Welcome First Relocation of Unaccompanied Minors from Greece
15 April 2020
The children, who had been living in overcrowded reception and identification centers for several months on the islands of Lesvos, Samos and Chios, arrived safely in Luxembourg this afternoon. Germany is in the process of relocating another group of unaccompanied children from Greece, who are due to arrive this weekend.
These are the first relocations under a European Union initiative for 1,600 unaccompanied children in which ten Member States have pledged to participate.
Read the entire press release here.
The Rights and Health of Refugees, Migrants and Stateless Must be Protected in COVID-19 Response
OHCHR, IOM, UNHCR and WHO - Joint Press Release
31 March 2020
In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, we are all vulnerable. The virus has shown that it does not discriminate - but many refugees, those forcibly displaced, the stateless and migrants are at heightened risk.
Three-quarters of the world’s refugees and many migrants are hosted in developing regions where health systems are already overwhelmed and under-capacitated. Many live in overcrowded camps, settlements, makeshift shelters or reception centers, where they lack adequate access to health services, clean water and sanitation.
The situation for refugees and migrants held in formal and informal places of detention, in cramped and unsanitary conditions, is particularly worrying. Considering the lethal consequences a COVID-19 outbreak would have, they should be released without delay. Migrant children and their families and those detained without a sufficient legal basis should be immediately released.
Read the entire press release here.
Guardianship from Day 1: UNHCR, IOM and UNICEF call on Austria to step up measures for unaccompanied children and adolescents
On the occasion of a recently published report of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR, the UN Organisation for Migration IOM and the UN Children's Fund UNICEF appeal to the Austrian Federal Government to improve protective measures for unaccompanied children and adolescents. Above all, care is needed from day 1.
Children and young people between 14 and 18 years of age who come to Austria without parents or other legal guardians usually have no support whatsoever, for example when they are questioned by the police or when deciding whether to apply for asylum. The Child and Youth Welfare Service (KJH) only becomes active as the competent authority once the children and young people have been admitted to the asylum procedure and transferred to a basic care centre in a federal province
"A swift appointment of qualified guardians whom children and adolescents trust can significantly reduce the risk of them disappearing shortly after their arrival or becoming victims of child trafficking", says Marian Benbow Pfisterer, Head of IOM Austria.
Read the entire press release in German here.
Voluntary return from Austria 2019: IOM supported almost 3,000 returnees
January 24, 2020
Vienna – In 2019, a total of 2,840 people were supported by IOM Austria in the voluntary return to their countries of origin.
Serbia is the country with the highest number of returnees from Austria (319 persons assisted), followed by Iraq. The number of assisted voluntary returnees to Iraq fell by more than half compared to 2018 to 302 people. In contrast, the number of supported voluntary returnees to China rose by almost a quarter to 197 people. China ranks third in the statistics of top return countries.
In 2019, a total of 152 voluntary returnees received support for their reintegration in Afghanistan or the Islamic Republik of Iran within the RESTART II project, funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior and the European Union, and within a nationally funded project for Afghanistan.
Read the entire press release in German here.
The statistics from 2019 and previous years are available here.
International Migrants Day
18 December 2019
Statement by Director General António Vitorino
This is us – Not without us, about us
25 young women with Chechen background explain the facts
In the framework of the project WIR II implemented by the IOM Country Office for Austria in 2019, 25 youngsters with Chechen background aged 14 to 18 produced a short film named „This is us“ as well as a short television program named „Not without us, about us”.
In the two media productions the girls discuss Social Media habits of the generation Z, prejudice, everyday racism and express their wishes, dreams and expectations towards our society. The 25 young film producers share personal insights in their lives as Chechen-Austrian youngsters living in Vienna and Linz. Diversity is not only reflected in the group of youngsters – also the roles that the girls assumed within the media productions are multi-faceted: they act as directors, actors, producers as well as experts and discussion participants.
Both media products are available online on the IOM YouTube Channel. The short film produced by the Viennese group is available here and the short television program produced by the group in Linz is available here.
This project was financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.
World Migration Report 2020 Launched
27 November 2019
The first World Migration Report, which has since become the organization’s flagship publication, was published by IOM in 2000. The Word Migration Report 2018 is IOM’s most downloaded publication of all times.
In a global media environment highly interested in the issue of migration, the need for verified, evidence-based analysis on this defining issue of our time has never been more urgent.
WMR 2020, the 10th edition of the World Migration Report, is divided into two parts which explore the developments in migration over the last two-year period. The first part of the report focuses on key information on migration and migrants. It covers migration-related statistics with specific reference to international stocks and flows, but also regional aspects to provide a more detailed picture of migration. The second part of the report puts emphasis on a balanced, evidence-based analysis of complex and emerging migration issues. The topics covered include human mobility and environmental change, migrants’ contributions in an era of disinformation, children and unsafe migration as well as migration and health.
In addition to the WMR 2020, IOM has also published Infosheets that provide a succinct overview of each of the 11 chapters of the report. These Infosheets provide an easy and quick way to get a sense of the topics and issues examined, and can be downloaded here.
We hope you enjoy the reading.
Conference "Technology and Combating Human Trafficking – Chance or Challenge?”
16 October 2019
12:30 – 21:30
Vienna School of International Studies, Favoritenstraße 15a, 1040 Vienna
On the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, IOM Austria invites you to this year's event organized by the Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking. IOM Austria will have its own station where the topic of "Trafficking and the Role of Social Media" will be discussed together with experts from LEFÖ-IBF and MEN VIA.
The screening of the film Joy will follow in the evening. Afterwards there will be the opportunity for discussion with the director Sudabeh Mortezai.
Please register for this event until 06 October 2019 and specify if you would like to participate in the group receiving simultaneous interpretation at the stations. An identification document will be required at the entrance to the event location.
More information is available here.
Final Event of "FAB - Fostering Across Borders"
6 September 2019
Grundsteingasse 12, 1160 Vienna
The project FAB - Fostering Across Borders will end on 14 September 2019.
There will be one last opportunity to learn more about the topic of foster parenting and to celebrate the project‘s closure in the course of the final event on 6 September 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in Grundsteingasse 12, 1160 Vienna.
We are looking forward to a lively exchange!
The project FAB is funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020).
"FAB-Fostering Across Borders": The video is online!
10 July 2019
Vienna
Within the frame of the project “FAB - Fostering Across Borders”, unaccompanied migrant children participated in a video workshop series and actively worked on the production of two videos. Those videos portray two foster families who have taken in three youngsters. The videos should raise awareness and promote this form of care for unaccompanied migrant children. The IOM Country Office for Austria has worked together with Campfire Collective to produce theses videos.
After the first screenings of the FAB video in the cinemas, the video is now available online: if you missed it in the cinemas, you can get a picture here!
The project FAB is implemented by IOM and its partners in six European Member States and is co-funded by the European Commission.
More on the videos’ background is available here.
More on the FAB project is available here.
The project FAB is funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). The workshop series and the video production were funded by the Kahane Foundation.
IOM presents the project WIR II on Radio Orange 94.0
9 July 2019
Vienna
During the outreach activities for the second phase of the project WIR, Oana Timofte, IOM project coordinator for WIR, and the Chechen journalist and trainer for WIR II, Maynat Kurbanova, gave an interview on Radio Orange on 9 July 2019. The multilingual radio report explains the development of the project, experiences during the pilot phase last year as well as all the activities planned for the second project phase in Chechen and German.
The radio report is available on Radio Orange 94.0 and online on https://cba.fro.at/421612. IOM would like to thank the radio presenter Lajla Asujeva for the interest in the project and the interview.
"FAB-Fostering Across Borders" on the big screen
Within the frame of the project “FAB - Fostering Across Borders”, unaccompanied migrant children participated in a video workshop series and actively worked on the production of two videos. Those videos portray two foster families who have taken in three youngsters. The videos should raise awareness and promote this form of care for unaccompanied migrant children. The IOM Country Office for Austria has worked together with Campfire Collective to produce theses videos. One of the videos will be screened as a spot during of the documentary film festival Ethnocineca. Details about the cooperation with the young migrants can be found here.
The project FAB is implemented by IOM and its partners in six European Member States and is co-funded by the European Commission.
The workshop series and the video production were funded by the Kahane Foundation.
Not about us without us - young Chechen women in Austria explain the facts
In the framework of the project WIR implemented by the IOM Country Office Austria, 14 youngsters have produced a talk show in which they share insights and personal experiences regarding the Austrian media landscape, prejudice against Chechens, expectations from others and why they do not want to have to meet these, the meaning of home(s)
and why people should talk more with each other rather than about
each other.
The video is available here.
Hamzat and Mansur have produced two short films around similar issues and talk about acceptance, their future plans and why they want to make a difference.
This project was financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.
Remigration to post-socialist Europe: Hopes and realities of return
Book presentation
11 April 2019, 6 p.m.
ERSTE Stiftung, Am Belvedere 1, 1100 Vienna
Returning migrants have been involved in post-socialist transformation processes all across Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Engaged in politics, the economy, science and education, arts and civil society, returning migrants have often exerted crucial influence on state and nation-building processes and on social and cultural transformations.
Opening: Franz-Karl Prüller, ERSTE Foundation
Introduction: Vedran Djihić, Institute of Political Science, University of Vienna
Presentation: Caroline Hornstein Tomić, Robert Pichler, Sarah Scholl-Schneider (Editors)
Perspective IOM: Andrea Götzelmann-Rosado, International Organization for Migration (IOM, Vienna)
Podium: Caroline Hornstein Tomic (Pilar Institute, Zagreb), Robert Pichler (ÖAW, Vienna), Sarah Scholl-Schneider (JGU, Mainz), Remus Anghel (RIRNM, Cluj-Napoca), Klaus Roth (EKWEE, Munich), Andrea Götzelmann-Rosado (IOM, Vienna)
Voluntary Return from Austria remains on a high level in 2018: IOM Austria assists more than 3,400 returnees
21 January 2019
Vienna – In 2018, IOM Austria assisted a total of 3,469 persons in the voluntary return to their countries of origin.
Iraq remains the country with the highest number of returnees from Austria (617 persons assisted), followed by Serbia (347 persons assisted) and the Russian Federation (299 persons assisted). The number of returnees to Georgia, which ranks place 4, increased by 56 percent to a total of 296 persons assisted in their voluntary return.
The travel costs for the majority of returnees who were assisted by IOM Austria are covered by the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum.
In 2018, a total of 192 returnees received reintegration assistance after their voluntary return to Afghanistan or the Islamic Republic of Iran within the RESTART II project, funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior and the European Commission.
Read the entire press release in German here.
The statistics from 2018 and previous years are available here.
Conference: „Foster families for unaccompanied migrant children“
31 January 2019
Vienna, Haus der Europäischen Union
The Country Office for Austria of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Austrian section of the International Federation of Educative Communities (FICE) warmly invite you to their join conference on “Foster families for unaccompanied children” on the 31.01.2019, in the frame of the project “FAB – Fostering Across Borders” (IOM) and “FORUM – FOR Unaccompanied Minors” (FICE).
The conference will be held in German.
International Migrants' Day
18 December 2018
Message from IOM Director General António Vitorino
IOM Lauds Adoption of Global Compact for Migration
11 December 2018
Marrakesh – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) hailed the 10 December adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, calling it an historic achievement by the international community.
“Migration is the great issue of our era,” said IOM’s Director General António Vitorino, and “the adoption of the Compact by an overwhelming majority of UN Member States should lead to a more balanced discourse, better policies and more widespread cooperation on migration.”
Read the entire press release here.
Global Migration Film Festival in Vienna
3 December 2018, 8.15 p.m.
Top Kino
Rahlgasse 1, 1060 Vienna
The Global Migration Film Festival was launched by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency, in 2016. It features new films that capture the promise and challenges of migration. In 2018, the festival will take place between 28 November and 08 December in over 100 countries around the world. We are delighted to continue our cooperation with this human world by screening Bushfallers on 3 December 2018 at 8.15 p.m. at Vienna's Top Kino
In Bushfallers – A Journey Of Chasing Dreams, four young filmmakers from Germany and Cameroon try to find out why Africans choose to migrate to Europe. What motivates them and what are their ideas of Europe? And do these ideas correspond to the European reality?
Free entry! Tickets can be collected at Top Kino one hour before the screening.
No reservations - first come, first served!
Universal Children's Day
20 November 2018
The IOM Country Office for Austria joins the international community in celebrating Universal Children’s Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Every child should – independently of his or her legal and potential migration status – be treated as a child first.
In Austria, IOM currently supports the realization of the children’s rights of migrant children in the frame of projects focusing on:
- The safeguards of children’s rights and in particular the best interest of the child in assisted voluntary return activities, e.g. by offering family assessment services to facilitate child and youth welfare organizations in their decision-making process with respect to the voluntary return of minors under their care: Project FamA and project RESTART II.
- The accommodation of unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) in foster families: FAB – Fostering Across Borders, aiming to improve the quality of and expand the access to such family-based care (FBC)
Picture: Young refugee teaches his foster mother how to sew. Participatory video workshops and production with UASC in family-based care, August – September 2018. © IOM 2018
UNHCR and IOM Appeal to European Leaders to Tackle Mediterranean Deaths
17 October 2018
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and IOM, the UN Migration Agency, are together appealing to European leaders to urgently take steps to address this year’s record rate of drownings on the Mediterranean Sea.
The leaders of the two organizations warn that political discourse concerning refugees and migrants, particularly those arriving by boat, has become dangerously toxic in some countries, even at a time when arrivals to Europe are declining. This narrative is stoking unnecessary fears, making it harder for countries to work together and blocking progress towards solutions.
Please read the entire statement here.
EMN Annual Conference 2018
"Managing Migration - from reacting to shaping"
Vienna, 4/5 October 2018
International conference with 150 migration experts in Vienna
As National Contact Point Austria in the European Migration Network (EMN), a Europe-wide research network providing information on migration and asylum, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) organizes the EMN Annual Conference 2018 on 4 - 5 October in Vienna. The event is organized in close cooperation with the European Commission and the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.
During this 2-day conference with the title “Managing Migration - from Reacting to Shaping”, participants discuss global migration trends and the role of the EU as well as the external dimension of the European migration policy, including migration diplomacy and migration management, return and sustainable reintegration of migrants as well as local protection and support of migrants and displaced persons.
For more information, please visit www.emn.at/annualconference2018
Read the entire press release here.
Contact details:
Alexander Spiegelfeld
Tel: +43 1 585 33 22 10
E-Mail: aspiegelfeld@iom.int
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Message by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing
30 July 2017
#WDATiP
IOM Website on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Global Compact for Migration
13 July 2018
On 13 July 2018, the UN General Assembly agreed on a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, for formal adoption in December 2018 in Marrakesh.
The entire press release is available here.
The Global Compact for Migration may be downloaded here.
UN Migration Agency Releases Recommendations to Incoming EU Council President, Austria
3 July 2018
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, has put forward three recommendations to the incoming Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union that are based on our view that better migration governance - national, regional and global – benefits the entire migration spectrum: migrants, their home countries and the countries of destination, and requires political courage, evidence-based vision, and a human-centered approach.
IOM is drawing attention to three key areas in its recommendations paper: Africa border and identity management, the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
The entire press release is available here.
IOM's recommendations can be downloaded here in PDF.
António Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino Elected as New Director General of UN Migration Agency
Geneva, 29 June 2018
On Friday 29 June 2018, the member states of IOM, the United Nations Migration Agency, elected Portugal’s António Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino as the International Organization for Migration’s next Director General.
Mr. Vitorino, 61 (DOB 12 January 1957), succeeds the United States’ William Lacy Swing, who is leaving IOM after serving two five-year terms as Director General. Mr. Vitorino’s directorship begins on 1 October 2018.
The latest IOM director general is a former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs (1999-2004) and former Minister of the Presidency and National Defence (1995-1997). He has also enjoyed a distinguished career in Portugal as a lawyer as well as in electoral politics.
The entire press release is available here.
Joint Statement on Coercion of Children to obtain Fingerprints and Facial Images
22 March 2018
The new EURODAC Regulation proposal raises concerns among various civil society and UN organisations. Particularly the provision allowing the use of coercion for taking children’s fingerprints and facial images, allegedly for child protection reasons in order to prevent children from going missing, being exploited or absconded, is a source of worries. The use of coercion constitutes a children’s right violation and it is never acceptable.
IOM, UN agencies and NGOs urge the council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the European Commission to exempt all children at borders, no matter their age, from all forms of coercion in the new EURODAC Regulation.
See the full joint statement here.
International Women's Day
8 March 2018
On International Women’s Day 2018, which embraces the official United Nations Theme: “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”, IOM Director General Swing honours the women who work tirelessly to pave the way towards the empowerment of women and their rights. He also reminds us that women and girls represent a significant proportion of people on the move worldwide and emphasises that IOM will continue to stand with each and every one of them, to strive to meet every migrant’s different needs and to give equal opportunities - for the benefit of all.
IOM Director General's Message on International Women's Day 2018
More details are available on the IOM Website on Gender and Migration.
A call to action:
Protecting children on the move starts with better data
An estimated 28 million children were living in forced displacement in 2016, but the true figure is likely much higher
Gaps in data covering refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and internally displaced populations are endangering the lives and wellbeing of millions of children on the move, warned five UN and partner agencies on 15 February 2018. In ‘A call to action: Protecting children on the move starts with better data’, IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR, Eurostat and OECD together show how crucial data are to understanding the patterns of global migration and developing policies to support vulnerable groups like children.
Please find the full Press Release here.
Please find the call to action here.
International Migrants' Day
18 December 2017
Statement by IOM General Director William Lacy Swing
Global Migration Film Festival
6 December 2017
Top Kino
Rahlgasse 1, 1060 Vienna
IOM is launching its second Global Migration Film Festival between 5 December 2017 and 18 December 2017, International Migrants Day.
On this occasion, IOM Austria in cooperation with this human world will screen the film
Lost in Lebanon
on Wednesday, 6 December 2017 at 20:10
at Top Kino (Rahlgasse 1, 1060 Vienna).
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion
with Christina Duschl (Austrian Red Cross),
Stefan Maier (Caritas)
and Elisabeth Hochenegger (IOM).
Moderator: Andrea Götzelmann-Rosado (IOM).
Free admission.
Tickets will be handed out at Top Kino prior to the screening,
on a "First come, first served" basis.
INVITATION
Country information sessions: Afghanistan, Iraq and Syrian Arab Republic
Syrian Arab Republic: 3 November 2017, 16:00-19:00
Afghanistan: 1 December 2017, 16:00-19:00
Iraq: 14. December 2017, 16:00-19:00
Stockwerk Coworking
Pater-Schwartz-Gasse 11A
1150 Vienna
The IOM Country Office for Austria cordially invites you to three country information sessions in the frame of the project „ADMin4ALL: integration in communities“.
Please register (including name and your function) no later than 30 October 2017 at integrationvienna@iom.int.
Please specify in the registration form in which session you wish to participate!
We are happy to serve little snacks and beverages afterwards.
Warmest regards,
the Integration Department of the IOM Country Office for Austria
The project is funded by the European Union, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
Alpine Pluralism Award 2018
Call for submissions
The Interreg Project “PlurAlps - Enhancing capacities for a pluralistic Alpine Space” launched a call for good practice examples. The Alpine Pluralism Award 2018 will honour activities that support the integration of migrants and a pluralistic Alpine Space.
Deadline for the submission of proposals: Monday, 18 December 2017
For further information see www.cipra.org/alpine-pluralism-award.
INVITATION
Closing conference of the IOM project „ADMin4ALL: integration in communities“
21 November 2017, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Fleming’s Conference Hotel
Neubaugürtel 26-28, 1070 Vienna
The IOM Country Office for Austria cordially invites you to the closing conference of the project „ADMin4ALL: integration in communities“.
This international project was implemented in Italy, Poland, Romania and Austria and intended to increase the capabilities of communities and local administrations in dealing with migrants. In Austria, the following communities participated in the project: Bruck an der Leitha, Korneuburg and Tulln.
The closing conference aims to discuss the overall status quo of integration activities in the participating communities, as well as to share the outcomes of the projects. Interactive discussions are planned in the afternoon session in the frame of workshops.
Please register until 9 November 2017 at integrationvienna@iom.int.
The agenda is available here.
We are looking forward to fruitful discussions!
Warmest regards,
the Integration Department of the IOM Country Office for Austria
The project is funded by the European Union, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
EU Anti-Trafficking Day
„Human Trafficking in Conflict and Crisis Situations“
20 October 2017
Neuer Saal, Hofburg
1010 Vienna
9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Registration:
Participants are kindly requested to fill in the registration form
and send it to anti-trafficking@bmeia.gv.at no later than 10 October 2017.
Please specify in the registration form in which workshop you wish to participate!
IOM Press Release on the EU Day Against Human Trafficking
Long Day of Flight 2017
Panel discussion „How can we effectively combat causes of flight?“
29 September 2017, 4 - 6.30 p.m.
Sigmund Freud Museum, Berggasse 19, 1090 Vienna
Please register: veranstaltungen@globaleverantwortung.at
Detailed information on the panel discussion is available here.
Detailed information on the Long Day of Flight 2017 is available here.
Report "Harrowing Journeys"
12 September 2017
Up to Three Quarters of Children and Youth Face Abuse, Exploitation & Trafficking on Mediterranean Migration Routes
Migrant and refugee children and youth trying to reach Europe face appalling levels of human rights abuses, with 77 per cent of those traveling along the Central Mediterranean route reporting direct experiences of abuse, exploitation, and practices which may amount to human trafficking – IOM, the UN Migration Agency and UNICEF said today (12/09) in a new report.
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
IOM Director General's Message
30 July 2017
#WDATP
IOM Website on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Counter Trafficking Infographics
International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia:
IOM Director General’s Message
17 May 2017
#IDAHOT2017
Plural+ Youth Video Festival 2017
Deadline for submissions: 4 June 2017
Details: pluralplus.unaoc.org
Global Compact on Migration:
Participation of enterprises
Accreditations until 17 April 2017
Further details are available at UN Global Compact
Save the date:
Global Conference on Children on the Move
12-13 June 2017
Berlin, Germany
The conference will provide a space for diverse stakeholders – including representatives from governments, civil society, multilateral institutions and the private sector – to discuss and advocate for a strong global strategy on protecting the rights of children on the move and other children affected by migration.
The conference is being organised by the steering committee of the Initiative on Child Rights in the Global Compacts.
You can find more information on how to attend the conference here.
International Women's Day
8 March 2017
IOM Director General's Message on International Women's Day 2017
Joint press release
European Commission's EU returns recommendations
3 March 2017
IOM, UNICEF, OHCHR, Save the Children, PICUM and the International Detention Coalition concerned regarding yesterday’s release of the European Commission’s EU returns recommendations
For more information please contact:
Elisabeth Schmidt-Hieber, PICUM, +32 2 210 1780, elisabeth.schmidt-hieber@picum.org
Karen Mets, Save the Children, +32 499 11 86 35, karen.mets@savethechildren.org
Simon Ingram, UNICEF EU Office, +32 491 90 5118, singram@unicef.org
Irina Todorova, IOM Regional Office for the EEA, EU and NATO, +32 2 287 7113, itodorova@iom.int
International Migrants Day
18 December 2016
"Migration is a wake-up call for society. Let's prepare, not panic."
Director General William Lacy Swing
Read the entire essay by IOM's Director General here.
Global Migration Film Festival
14 December 2016
Top Kino
Rahlgasse 1, 1060 Vienna
IOM is launching a Global Migration Film Festival between 5-18 December 2016,
marking IOM’s 65th anniversary and the International Migrants Day.
On this occasion, IOM Austria will screen the film
Wallah – Je te jure
on Wednesday, 14 December 2016 at 19:00
at Top Kino (Rahlgasse 1, 1060 Vienna).
Prior to the movie, we will show three short films
by Austrian winners of the PLURAL + Youth Film Festival.
The screening will be followed by a short discussion and a reception with food & drinks.
Please find a detailed invitation here.
We kindly ask you to register for the event by 11 December 2016 at IOMvienna@iom.int.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) turns 65!
5 December 2016
IOM rose from the ashes of World War Two 65 years ago. In the battle-scarred continent of Europe, no government alone could help survivors who wanted no more than an opportunity to resume their lives in freedom and with dignity. The first incarnation of IOM was created to resettle refugees during this post-war period.
You can find more information on IOM's history here: http://www.iom.int/65th
Human Trafficking and its victims - new developments
21 October 2016
Hofburg, Vienna
Event of the Austrian Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking in cooperation with the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Long Day of Flight 2016
30 September 2016
Panel discussion: What should be the role of development policy in the context of forced migration?
Caritas Notquartier Pfeiffergasse, ground floor
Pfeiffergasse 2, 1150 Vienna
Details & registration: http://www.langertagderflucht.at/veranstaltung/details?id=160233
UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants
19 September 2016
New York
Detailed information: http://refugeesmigrants.un.org/
World Humanitarian Day
19 August 2016
"Our Shared Humanity": Statement by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
30 July 2016
On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, IOM calls for the protection of migrant's rights to help combat human trafficking.
Statement by IOM Director General William L. Swing
IOM Becomes a Related Organization to the UN
New York
25 July 2016
Member States of the United Nations (UN), through the General Assembly, today unanimously adopted a resolution approving the Agreement to make the International Organization for Migration (IOM) a Related Organization of the UN.
Report:
Addressing Health Vulnerabilities of Migrants in Large Migration Flows
The report summarizes the presentations and deliberations of the Inter-Regional Roundtable discussion on “Addressing Health Vulnerabilities of Migrants in Large Migration Flows”, organised by Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 25 April 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Integration tournament "From Kabul to Vienna 2016"
9/10 July 2016
ASKÖ Brigittenau 1200 Vienna, Hopsagasse 5
The association „Afghan youth – New start in Austria“ hosts an integration tournament titled "united in peace".
The event will take place on Saturday and Sunday and aims at establishing an intercultural exchange between Afghan and Austrian youth and at showing that different cultures can live together peacefully.
International Day of Family Remittances
16 June 2016
Statement by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing
Event on World Refugee Day
Discussion: "Flight and asylum - The greates challenges today and potential solutions"
20 June 2016, 3 p.m.
ÖRK Generalsekretariat, 1040 Vienna
The invitation with details is available here.
Dialogforum - Summer School 2016
27-30 June 2016
Krems an der Donau
Program (in German)
Details are available here.
Global Migration Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities
4-7 July 2016
Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)
IOM and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) are jointly organizing a new course entitled “Global Migration Crisis: challenges and opportunities” which is going to take place from the 4th to the 7th July at the GCSP in Geneva. The course is designed for government officials, civil society organizations, International Organizations and the private sector. The course will allow participants to enhance their knowledge and understanding of migration crisis and learn about comprehensive migration policies and innovative responses.
Details are available here.
Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU) Berlin
Master in Cultural Relations and Migration
Applications now possible.
Detailed information is available here.
FHWien of WKW listens - The return of migrants: Possibilities and challenges
2 June 2016
FHWien of WKW (Währinger Gürtel 97,1180 Vienna, Room B002)
For the sixth session of the event series "FHWiender WKW listens: Understanding flight – Raising awareness – Living integration", we welcome Andrea Götzelmann, Head of the Unit for Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration at the Country Office for Austria of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
More details are available here (in German).
Plural+ Movie Competition 2016
Call for entries
Detailed information is available on the Plural + website.
National conference of the European Migration Network (EMN)
“The Establishment of Identity in the Migration Process”
2 May 2016
Diplomatic Academy Vienna (Favoritenstraße 15a, 1040 Vienna)
Procedures to establish the identity of migrants and asylum-seekers will increase in importance in the context of current refugee and migration movements. Experts from Austria and abroad will present methods and possibilities for international cooperation in order to appropriately and accurately determine individuals’ identities. Age assessments will be addressed separately. Further information about the conference is available at emn.at.
The conference will be held in English and German. Interpretation will be provided.
Participants are kindly requested to register in advance at emnaustria@iom.int by 18 April 2016.
International Women's Day
8 March 2016
IOM Director General's Message on International Women's Day 2016
Intercultural Achievement Award 2016
The „Intercultural Achievement Award” (IAA) is a key project of the intercultural dialogue. The award honours successful, innovative projects in the field of the intercultural dialogue, both in Austria and on a global scale. The award is open to all those who identify and make use of opportunities within intercultural communal life. It is also designed for those who have successfully explored new avenues within the intercultural dialogue, who have mastered a specific challenge through intercultural actions, and who have promoted the dialogue of cultures and religions through their media presence.
More information and details for application are available here.
Calls of the Dialogforum at the Danube University Krems
The Call for Good Practice Examples and the Call for Innovations of the Dialogforum 2016 are open for submissions until 8 May 2016.
More info is available here.
BOOK LAUNCH
“The Organization of Asylum and Migration Policies in Austria”
16 February 2016, 4–6 pm
Dachsaal Urania Vienna
The National Contact Point Austria in the European Migration Network (EMN) cordially invites you to the presentation of the new handbook on the organization of the asylum and migration policy in Austria. The handbook provides an up-to-date, well-founded and concise overview on the Austrian asylum and migration system. Following the presentation the guests will be given the opportunity to exchange their views next to a reception.
The event will be held in German.
Participants are kindly requested to register in advance at emnaustria@iom.int by 9 February 2016.
Information on the current European migration flows:
International Migrants Day 2015
18 December 2015
On International Migrants Day 2015, IOM Director General William Lacy Swing is calling for safe and legal ways for migrants. Read the entire statement here.
INCLUDE TALK No. 3
Integration through information:
Discussion about Inclusive Design as an expression of respectful diversity
24 November 2015, 18.30
AMZ, Weyringergasse 36, 1040 Vienna
Invitation (in German)
Fair access to information and space is an important step for the integration of migrants. Current developments show that more than ever needs to be done: 80,000 applications for asylum are expected in Austria in 2015 - compared to 28,100 in the previous year. Arriving refugees are often confused - information is missing, contradictory or hard to understand. How can migrants get access to information and thus security? How can differences in origin, language skills and education be overcome, creating equal and independent participation in social life?
Training course for interpreters in asylum procedures
Please click on the flyer for further information (in German):
You will find more detailed information (in German) on the website of the Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres:
http://www.vhs.or.at/594/.
The Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres is currently accepting registrations for the training.
The training handbook for interpreters containing up-to-date legislative changes is available on the following website: www.unhcr.at/trainingshandbuch
European Migration Movements – choice or force?
Discussion and World Café - Public Opening of the 11th Central European Round Table of Green Local Councillors
22 October 2015, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Skydome Vienna, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna
Migration and refugee movements have been the most present topic in European politics for a couple of months now. Lately countries of Middle Europe and the West Balkans have been the primary focal points in this context. If we take a historical view at migration, we can identify a number of different economic and social causes for moving somewhere else. At the same time very often migrants have a limited set of possibilities to get by economically.
This public discussion wants to examine how we deal with migration and its causes in Middle- and SouthEast Europe and seeks to identify possibilities and initiatives to tackle the current problems within the European Union.
Opening at 6.30 p.m.
Statements by
Monika Vana (MEP, Greens/EFA Group)
Katerina Kratzmann (IOM - International Organization for Migration)
Maja Moračanin (DOM - Democratic Renewal of Macedonia)
Ferdinand Koller (Bettellobby)
Host: Kathrin Heis (Grüne Bildungswerkstatt)
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: www.gbw.at
https://www.facebook.com/events/1658186331091593/
The Art of Community Work in Home Environments
27- 29 October 2015
Danube University Krems
The Department for Migration and Globalization of the Danube University Krems will hold a conference and a training called "The Art of Community Work in Home Environments - with particular focus an migration and refugee integration" offering theoretic expert input as well as practical application and training possibilites on current topics of community work.
Invitation as PDF (in German)
Joining Forces Against Human Trafficking
14 October 2015
Diplomatic Academy Vienna
Event of the Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking (established by the Austrian Federal Government
coordinated by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs) on the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day.
Invitation and Programme as PDF
Long Day of Flight with IOM Workshop
25 September 2015
On this occasion, UNHCR Austria organizes a number of activities in cooperation with numerous actors.
Since awareness raising on migration related topics is an integral area of activity for IOM, also the Integration Unit of the IOM Country Office for Austria participated in the Long Day of Flight by offering a workshop on “Myths of Migration” which offers young students a better insight into the topics of migration and asylum. It aims at discussing prejudices, deconstructing myths and stereotypes and also promotes a sensitive way of dealing with related issues.
The IOM Country Office for Austria will also participate with the workshop „Myths of Migration“ which offers young students a better insight into the topics of migration and asylum. It aims at discussing prejudices, deconstructing myths and stereotypes and also promotes a sensitive way of dealing with related issues also regarding the current situation in Austria.
Volunteering initiative
We would like to draw your attention to a new ÖIF volunteering initiative: www.wirsinddabei.at.
The portal for volunteers is a platform aiming at connecting and facilitating offer and demand of voluntary work.
The platform addresses associations and organizations as well as private persons.
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
30 July 2015
On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, IOM Calls for Renewed Commitment to Combat Exploitation
IOM Director General William Lacy Swing's message for World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Video Statement by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing:
You may download the study “Addressing Human Trafficking and Exploitation in Times of Crisis” here.
Refugees: EU needs to include countries of origin
Katerina Kratzmann, Head of the Austrian Country Office of the International Organization for Migration:
Europe in a "state of alarm" - We urgently need sustainable actions instead of adhoc measures
Vienna, 19 June 2015 (KAP)
The EU is in dire need of a common strategy for dealing with asylum applicants which goes beyond a common domestic policy in order to address those affected as well as the development of the countries of origin, said Katerina Kratzmann, Head of the Austrian Country Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the occasion of the World Refugee Day on 20 June 2015.
Read the entire article (in German) here: http://www.kathpress.co.at/site/nachrichten/database/70761.html
IOM releases funds to tackle migrant flows in Andaman Sea;
Calls for urgent action to save lives
15 May 2015
IOM has released USD 1 Million to launch operations to migrants left in a desperate situation by people smugglers in Southeast Asia.
Read the entire press release here.
For more information please contact
Jeffrey Labovitz on jlabovitz@iom.int or +66 898908702 (Bangkok)
Joe Lowry on jlowry@iom.int or +66 81 8708081 (Bangkok)
Leonard Doyle on ldoyle@iom.int or +4179 2857123 (Geneva)
Call for Applications: University Course Migration Management
Deadline: 15 September 2015
The folder (in German) is available here.
Please visit the website www.migrationsmanagement.at for detailed information.
Announcement „Journalist Award Integration 2015“
May 2015
The independent Expert Council for Integration, the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs and the Austrian Integration Fund announce the fourth edition of the "Journalist Award Integration" for journalists in Austria.
Interesting contributions from the last 12 months may be submitted via www.integrationsfonds.at/journalistenpreis.
The awarding ceremony with Foreign Minister Kurz will take place on 17 September 2015 at 6 p.m. at the Arena 21 in Vienna's Museumsquartier.
Detailed information (in German) is available here.
Migrant Deaths Soar as Mediterranean Sees Worst Tragedy in Living Memory
19 April 2015
Italy – IOM is calling for swift action from the European Union following the worst tragedy in living memory involving migrants crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa. Up to 700 migrants are missing and feared drowned after the wooden fishing boat on which they were crammed, capsized near Libya as a cargo vessel was coming to its aid. By late Sunday night, one of the survivors was reported to have informed Italian authorities that there may have been up to 950 on board.
“The world needs to react with the conviction with which it eliminated piracy off the coast of Somalia a few years ago,” said William Lacy Swing IOM’s Director General. “All of us, especially the EU and the world’s powers can no longer sit on the sidelines watching while this tragedy unfolds in slow motion and well over 1,500 have drowned since the beginning of January.”
© Francesco Malavolta/IOM 2015
Read more on the international IOM Website:
International Organization for Migration/News
Wave of Migrants to Europe is Not an Invasion
IOM Director General William Lacy Swing tells CNN that we're in a period of "unprecedented human disasters."
International Women's Day 2015
8 March 2015
More women are on the move than ever before. They represent approximately half of the world’s one billion migrants and are approximately half of the estimated 51 million displaced people worldwide, says IOM Director General William Lacy Swing.
On this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8th, IOM calls on the international community to ensure the empowerment of migrant and displaced women through the full realization of their human rights.
Here you can find the IOM Director General's message on International Women's Day.
Here you can find the UN Secretary-General's message on International Women's Day.
International Migrants Day
18 December 2014
IOM Calls for Action to Save Migrants' Lives On December 18th - International Migrants Day
On International Migrants Day 2014, IOM Director General William Lacy Swing is calling for urgent action to save the lives of migrants and stop smugglers from exploiting their desperation to extort huge sums of money (brochure for download).
For more information visit http://mmp.iom.int/migrantsday.
Simulation Conference:
Viennese Pupils’ Charta on Integration in Schools
18 December 2014, 08:30 am - 12:00 pm
UNO-City, Wagramer Straße 5, 1400 Wien
For the International Day of Migrants on 18 December 2014, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the association “Afghanische Jugendliche – NEUER START in Österreich” are organising a simulation conference on the adoption of a “Viennese Pupils’ Charta on Integration in Schools”.
During this conference, approximately 60 students aged 15 years and older will slip into different roles (pupil, teacher and parent) and debate the topic “Integration of Young Refugees in Viennese Schools”, its challenges and opportunities from the respective point of view in moderated groups. Finally, a plenum of all participants will together adopt a “Viennese Pupils' Charta on Integration in Schools”.
In preparation for the simulation conference, IOM offers the workshop “Myths of Migration and Asylum” for participating students at their schools. The workshop provides the students with the most important facts, figures and definitions on migration and asylum.
In 2013 the simulation conference on a “Viennese Pupils' Charta on Integration in Schools” was held for the first time. Accounts and results are available on the following websites:
Viennese Pupils' Charta on Integration in Schools
UNHCR: Viennese Pupils' Charta on Integration in Schools
TEDx Talks in Linz
In a world in which an ever growing number of people are on the move, ‘home’ has a very special meaning. Those who return ‘home’ do not always find what they expected. The International Organization for Migration helps returnees to countries such as Nigeria or Afghanistan to build up a new life after their return.
In a recent TEDx Linz event, IOM Austria’s Andrea Götzelmann spoke about these people, their expectations, experiences and challenges, and also about the courage with which many of them master their difficult situation.
More information about TEDx is available on the TEDx website.
National EMN Conference: Young Refugees in Austria and the EU - Circumstances, Policies, Perspectives
18 November 2014
Diplomatic Academy Vienna (Favoritenstraße 15a, 1040 Vienna)
Please visit the EMN Website for further information.
A conference report is available under Events.
Symposium "Identity"
10 November 2014
Aula der Wissenschaften
Wollzeile 27a, 1010 Vienna
IOM workshop on the UNHCR Long Day of Flight
On 26 Se
ptember 2014, the Long Day of Flight takes place.
On this occasion, UNHCR Austria organizes a number of activities in cooperation with numerous actors.
Since awareness rising on migration related topics is an integral area of activity for IOM, also the Integration Unit of the IOM Country Office for Austria participated in the Long Day of Flight by offering a workshop on “Myths of Migration” which offers young students a better insight into the topics of migration and asylum. It aims at discussing prejudices, deconstructing myths and stereotypes and also promotes a sensitive way of dealing with related issues.