ICMPD around the Globe: Contribution to the SHADE MED Forum 2-2017

Article published on ICMPD website on 11/24/2017

Upon the invitation of EUNAVFOR MED Op. SOPHIA, ICMPD DG Michael Spindelegger delivered a keynote speech at the fifth Shared Awareness and De-confliction in the Mediterranean (SHADE MED) Forum, which took place in Rome on 23-24 November 2017.

The Forum, chaired by the Italian Navy, focused on “Situational Awareness, Information Exchange and Capacity Building: fundamental pillars of Maritime Security in the Mediterranean Sea” and brought together representatives from nations and organizations with an interest in irregular migration in the Mediterranean, to meet and share situational awareness and assessment of the evolution, trends and best practices.

During the first day of the Forum, ICMPD DG Michael Spindelegger presented his view on pathways for addressing Irregular Migration in the Mediterranean. “When we look at the main drivers of migration – conflict, demography, socio-economic development and prosperity gaps – we can only conclude that their potential impacts in the Mediterranean region will increase and not decrease in the years to come. This will have serious implications for how we have to respond to the large movements of people,” said ICMPD DG. “Real change can only come when we manage to address the root causes for migration and displacement much better than in the past. This is the only way to make migration a matter of choice rather than of necessity and to build up confidence that migration can be managed in a beneficial way.”

Read the speech by ICMPD DG Michael Spindelegger