Given the continued challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, including its implications for migration, employment and recovery – and the pre-existing trends it has accelerated – there is fresh urgency for both dialogue and collective action. At ICMPD it is recognised that international partnerships are vital to address current and anticipated challenges, and this year’s VMC (Vienna Migration Conference) will be utilised as a platform to explore cooperation across migration routes. 

The VMC2021 will feature opening sessions focus on current priorities, such as addressing displacement from Afghanistan and the need to create functioning, sustainable African-European migration partnerships. The subsequent panel discussions explore the realities along the key routes to Europe; crisis management at the external border; the future of the European Union amidst a turbulent geopolitical scene; and final reflections on the road ahead in this highly sensitive area of international relations.

This year’s VMC will take on a hybrid format.