The International Catholic Migration Commission
serves and protects uprooted people: refugees, internally
displaced persons and migrants, regardless of faith, ethnicity or nationality.
serves and protects uprooted people: refugees, internally
displaced persons and migrants, regardless of faith, ethnicity or nationality.
   Resettlement of unaccompanied children from Tunisia to NorwayGENEVA, 17 January 2012—On Sunday, 33 unaccompanied children departed from Tunisia's Shousha refugee camp to Norway as part of their resettlement process.The children were among 90 who arrived unaccompanied from Libya during 2011. Some were already without parents when they first arrived in Libya; others lost their parents or became separated from them subsequently. Most are from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, or Eritrea.Read more  A joint IOM, UNHCR and ICMC project: Linking in EU ResettlementBRUSSELS, 16 December 2011—A second IOM UNHCR ICMC project to further strengthen expertise in resettlement in Europe - under the name "Linking in EU Resettlement" - started in September 2011 and will run until the end of 2012. The project covers all phases of the resettlement process, particularly networking in the reception and integration of resettled refugees.Read more  ICMC Resettlement Deployee Among the Asylum SeekersRefugees arrive at our offices early. Often a line starts forming by 5:30 a.m. There are Sudanese men with the parallel scars of manhood etched on their foreheads, Ethiopian women draped in white scarves, and Somalis floating by in their red and black hijabs trailing the scent of eucalyptus in their wake. They tote their food for the day in plastic containers and thermoses, knowing the wait may be long. Here is the story.Read more Eritrean family leaves Tunisia border camp for new life in BelgiumCHOUCHA CAMP, Tunisia, 20 July 2011 (UNHCR)—Filmon was born in Eritrea and says his heart is there, that he never dreamed nor wished to be far removed from his country. Yet this week he and his family boarded a plane and headed for a new life over 5,000 kilometres away.Read more Leaving limbo: Refugees look to resettlement with hope for a long-term solutionHaving fled their homes in fear of persecution, thousands of refugees in Africa and elsewhere are living in crowded camps without any likely possibility for local integration or voluntary return to their home communities. Many have been living in limbo for upwards of 20 years. ICMC deployees working alongside refugees in UNHCR field offices worldwide are striving to see that resettlement remains a practical solution for restoring dignity and hope to those have have suffered extreme hardship and violence.Read more Final Conference of the Joint IOM, UNHCR and ICMC Project on Practical Cooperation in EU ResettlementBRUSSELS, 10 June 2011 - On Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th of June the final conference of the project "Promotion of Resettlement in the European Union through Practical Cooperation by EU Member States and Other Stakeholders" took place in Brussels. The event marked the conclusion of an 18-month project carried out by the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Catholic Migration Commission with funding from the European Commission's European Refugee Fund that has generated a wealth of information on resettlement practices in Europe.Read more  "Paving the way": New handbook provides ‘rich inspiration’ for refugee resettlement in EuropeBRUSSELS, 7 June 2011—Joined by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Catholic Migration Commission launched today a new handbook for policy makers and local practitioners working in the area of refugee reception and integration.Read more UNHCR calls for more resettlement places and better support for resettled refugeesGENEVA, 4 July 2011 (UNHCR)—The UN refugee agency called on Monday for increased resettlement places for the most vulnerable among the 10.5 million refugees under its mandate.Read more Eritrean refugees arrive in Romanian emergency transit centre from TunisiaTIMISOARA, Romania, 20 April 2011 (UNHCR)—Thirty Eritrean refugees have arrived at an emergency transit centre in western Romania after fleeing Libya and spending weeks in a crowded camp in Tunisia as UNHCR and its partners sought a solution for them.Read more  ICMC responds to emergency situation in Libya, urgently deploying protection experts to Egypt and TunisiaGENEVA, 17 March 2011—Amid urgent calls for the protection of those fleeing violence in Libya, ICMC bolsters key partnerships and rapidly deploys six refugee protection experts to UNHCR emergency resettlement operations in Egypt and Tunisia, assisting efforts to find solutions for the increasing number of refugees in the region.Read more
 See and protect ICMC publishes study of legal obligations and responses to boat people arriving across the Mediterranean and North AtlanticBRUSSELS, 8 December 2011—ICMC today launches its new publication "MAYDAY! Strengthening responses of assistance and protection to boat people and other migrants arriving in Southern Europe". The publication sheds light on gaps in responding to boat people and other migrants arriving in Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain. "It is not so much the arrivals of migrants and refugees that should be put to question, but rather the response mechanisms," observes Johan Ketelers, Secretary General of ICMC.Read more Global Forum on Migration and Development 2011 Civil Society Urges Governments to Fill Leadership Gaps in MigrationGENEVA, 2 December 2011—The Civil Society Days of the Global Forum on Migration and Development concluded with high energy at the “common space” between civil society and governments on the morning of December 1st. After two days of working sessions that built upon the recommendations of past GFMDs and brought to light new concerns, civil society presented a statement to governments calling for more engagement and leadership to combat xenophobia and promote rights-based migration policies. The statement was followed by a debate on demographics, development and positive alternatives to irregular migration, moderated by BBC correspondent Zeinab Badawi with over 700 participants present.Read more Global Forum on Migration and Development 2011 Civil society groups worldwide to meet with governments on migrationGENEVA, 9 November 2011—Civil society representatives from over 60 countries will convene in Geneva to propose rights-based migration policies to governments at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) to be held from November 29th to December 2nd. 180 delegates will meet for two days to formulate recommendations on labour migration, which they will present to governments from some 130 countries on December 1st.Read more Global Forum on Migration and Development 2011 Civil society delegates set to bring wide panorama of expertise to the GFMD tableGENEVA, 14 October 2011—Addressing issues including irregular migration, the rights, contribution and challenges of migrant workers and their families, the role of migrants abroad in the development of their countries of origin, job creation “at home” and other alternatives to migration, 180 civil society actors will be bringing their on-the-ground experience to high-level discussions with governments at this year’s Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).Read more Unveiling of new website brings invitation to apply now for GFMD Civil Society DaysGENEVA, 19 August 2011—In the countdown to the 2011 Global Forum on Migration and Development, a new website providing broad information about the GFMD has been launched, together with the invitation for civil society representatives to apply now to participate directly in the 2011 Civil Society Days.Read more Global Forum on Migration and Development 2011 GFMD 2011: Support for Civil Society receives boost with appointment of new programme staffGENEVA, 4 July 2011—The International Catholic Migration Commission is pleased to welcome Ms. Wies Maas, Senior Programme Officer, and Mr. Andrés Morales, GFMD Programme Officer, to its Geneva headquarters, in support of Civil Society activities related to the 2011 Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).Read more  Turkey: Governor’s welcome offers refugees a refreshing reprieve on World Refugee DayTURKEY, 20 June 2011—Rarely able to travel far beyond their host city of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, nearly 200 refugees relished the opportunity to gather at the 26th of August Natural Park for a festive day of food, games and children’s crafts some 20 kilometers outside of the town centre, in celebration of World Refugee Day.Read more "Paving the way": New handbook provides ‘rich inspiration’ for refugee resettlement in EuropeBRUSSELS, 7 June 2011—Joined by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Catholic Migration Commission launched today a new handbook for policy makers and local practitioners working in the area of refugee reception and integration.Read more  Ethiopian Bishops to UN: “The crying voices of migrants in the Sinai are getting louder and louder at our doors”GENEVA, 6 June 2011—Ethiopian Bishops’ Conference Secretary General and ICMC member, Abba Hagos Hayish, made a plea to governments, international organizations and civil society representatives gathered at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for action on behalf of the hundreds of migrants kidnapped and held hostage for ransom in the Sinai desert.Read more  ICMC salutes the “spirit of ‘51”: Organizing mobility, then and nowGENEVA, 5 June 2011—Sixty years ago today, in times of epic post-war displacement and emigration from Europe to the Americas, lay people and clergy from Italy, Germany and the United States joined the future Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Joseph Frings of Germany in calling for the creation of a new, international Catholic commission to support refugees and migrants ‘with special care and unremitting aid’.Read more
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