On 15 January 2020, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek took up his functions as the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees of Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić. A lawyer by training and a career diplomat, Drahoslav Štefánek was Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo from 2017 to 2019 and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the Council of Europe from 2012 to 2016. Before that he was the Director General for the UN, International Organisations, EU Affairs and Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia. He also chaired the UN Working Group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Mr Drahoslav Štefánek holds a JUDr in Law from Matej Bel University and law degrees from the Bratislava and Utrecht universities. Read the Curriculum Vitae of Drahoslav Štefánek.
On 16 January 2020, in Paris, the Special Representative Drahoslav Štefánek chaired the session on “Innovation in skills partnerships” at the OECD High-Level Forum on Migration and Integration. The session focused on skills partnerships seeking to match migrants´skills in origin countries with labour needs in destination countries, while avoiding negative impact on the origin country. The participants discussed recent policy innovations in this field.
On 17 January 2020, Ambassador Štefánek held a speech at the OECD Ministerial Meeting on Migration and Integration: Making Migration and Integration Policies Future Ready. In his speech, the Special Representative emphasised standards and activities developed by the Council of Europe in this field, as well as the importance of partnerships. Ministers responsible for migration and integration issues exchanged views on their countries’ challenges, opportunities, and best practices. During the meeting, ministers also set their priorities for migration and integration policy work of the OECD and issued a statement. The Special Representative also participated in the session “Engaging the Whole of Society and Improving Co-ordination”. The session addressed the role of the multiple stakeholders involved in the integration process, including public and private actors, civil society and different levels of government.
On 16 January 2020, in Warsaw, the Office of the Special Representative particpated in the Team Meeting of Frontex Fundamental Rights Trainers. The meeting was organised in the context of new priorities and tasks foreseen in relation to requirements of the new European Border and Coast Guard Regulation.