On 30 November and 1 December 2023, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik, chaired the 8th meeting of the Network of Focal Points on Migration (NFPM), which brought together participants from ministries dealing with migration issues from more than 40 member states.
The meeting provided a comprehensive overview of the activities of the SRSG Office and the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Asylum and Migration in Europe (2021-2025).
An update on the situation of people who have fled Ukraine was also provided, followed by a presentation of the online Survival Relief Platform, by an expert from the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
The Guide for practitioners on administrative detention of migrants and two new modules from the European Human Rights Training Programme for Legal Professionals (HELP) – on LGBTI Persons in Asylum Procedures and Transition to Adulthood were presented to the participants.
Participants also held exchanges on:
- The issue of migrant smuggling, in the context of the Declaration of the Heads of State and Government meeting in Reykjavík on 16 and 17 May 2023. It calls upon the Council of Europe and its member states to intensify their efforts to promote and improve international co-operation against smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, while continuing to protect victims and respect the human rights of migrants and refugees.
- The 2022 Annual Report and other recent tools of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), presented by ECRI Chair Maria Daniella Marouda.
- The report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe "Addressing the specific challenges faced by the Belarusians in exile", prepared by Mr Paul Galles (Luxembourg).
The 8th NFPM meeting also featured the inauguration of the exhibition "Beyond borders: Ukraine’s untold stories" by Council of Europe photographer Sandro Weltin, who accompanied the Special Representative on several fact-finding missions to the member States affected by the largest human displacement since the Second World War. Through his lens, Weltin captured the resilience, strength, and unwavering hope of those facing the harsh realities of displacement in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
