22 November 2022 – 7th Steering Group Meeting of the PaCT project

22 November 2022 – 7th Steering Group Meeting of the PaCT project

Tirana – The 7th PaCT Steering Group Meeting (SGM) provided an opportunity for the MARRI Anti-trafficking Coordinators, PaCT project partners and experts to discuss the project’s most recent activities, challenges and results as well as to exchange information on the latest developments about trafficking in humans in the region. The event was opened by MARRI RC Director Sashko Kocev and the Coordinator for Trafficking in Human Beings of Albania Silvana Banushi, followed by the welcoming remarks by PaCT Project Leader

15-16 November 2022 – Ministerial Conference “Sustainable Migration Governance in the Western Balkans” in Skopje, North Macedonia

15-16 November 2022 – Ministerial Conference “Sustainable Migration Governance in the Western Balkans” in Skopje, North Macedonia

“The possible solution to the irregular migration could be harnessing the potential of migrants arriving in the Western Balkans”. This is what Sashko Kocev, Director of the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) Regional Centre said at the Ministerial Conference “Sustainable Migration Governance in the Western Balkans” organized by IOM, and co-hosted by the Ministry of Interior of North Macedonia and the Czech Ministry of the Interior, under the auspices of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European

21 October 2022 – Meeting of the MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics – Online

21 October 2022 – Meeting of the MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics – Online

The MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics (PWG MS) held its third session to review the group’s work progress, to update on the current state of play on data exchange related to the WB-MIDEX platform, and to define the framework and timeline of the activities for 2022/2023. Jordan Simonov, MARRI RC Migration Data and Policy Analyst presented the Quarterly Report of activities with focus on the development and operationalization of WB-MIDEX 2.0.  As explained, the new version of the

4 October 2022 – MARRI Extraordinary Committee Meeting in Skopje

4 October 2022 – MARRI Extraordinary Committee Meeting in Skopje

Skopje – The MARRI Presidency-in-Office by North Macedonia organized the Extraordinary Committee Meeting as a follow up on the Committee’s conclusions from 28 June 2022 which called for a continued dialogue on several strategic matters relevant for the further development of the Initiative. Specifically, the meeting focused on the remaining open issues of the MARRI Legal Framework Reform, and the election of the new Regional Centre Director. In a spirit of regional cooperation and constructiveness, the Committee assessed the prospects

28 June 2022 – MARRI Committee Meeting

28 June 2022 – MARRI Committee Meeting

Online – MARRI Committee Members, Coordinators, Participants Representatives and MARRI RC staff attended the MARRI Regional Committee Meeting organised under the Presidency-in-Office by North Macedonia, to discuss the past engagements and way forward in obtaining sustainable development and fortified regional cooperation within MARRI. Following the presentation of the MARRI RC Annual Report for period June 2021-June 2022, Financial Report for 2021 and a number of initiatives undertaken by MARRI RC Director Sashko Kocev, the Committee expressed appreciation for the work

20 June 2022 – Bicycling Tour “Bike with Refugees” held on World Refugee Day

20 June 2022 – Bicycling Tour “Bike with Refugees” held on World Refugee Day

Skopje – Under the slogan Whoever, Wherever, Whenever – Everyone has the right to seek safety, MARRI Regional Centre together with representatives of many institutions, organisations, asylum seekers and refugees in Skopje marked the World Refugee Day 2022 with a bicycle tour in the City Park in Skopje and along the Vardar river. Led by the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the participants rode bicycles to send the message that we all share the responsibility to protect people seeking

1 June 2022 – 6th Steering Group Meeting of the PaCT Project

1 June 2022 – 6th Steering Group Meeting of the PaCT Project

Budva – The 6th PaCT Steering Group Meeting (SGM) was organised as a part of series of events implemented jointly by MARRI, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The aim of the meeting was to discuss the project’s progress of all activity packages, specifically the Mobile Identification Teams, Referral Mechanism (NRM), Capacity Development of Identification, the Awareness Raising Campaigns as well as the mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) measures in the

13 May 2022 – Meeting of the MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics – Online

13 May 2022 – Meeting of the MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics – Online

On the first session of MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics (PWG MS) since its kick-off on 23 – 24 November 2021 in Belgrade, the members of the Working Group recapitulated the progress made so far and discussed the steps forward in fulfilling its mandate given by MARRI Regional Forum. MARRI RC Director Sashko Kocev as Chairman of the Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics, expressed satisfaction that although the primary focus in the reported period has been solidifying and operationalizing

10 May 2022 – Meeting of MARRI Legal Framework Reform Working Group – Online

10 May 2022 – Meeting of MARRI Legal Framework Reform Working Group – Online

The online meeting of the MARRI Legal Framework Reform (LFR) Working Group (WG) was organised as a follow up on the session held on 22-24 March 2022 in Dojran, where the WG worked on the optimisation of the MARRI’s three main documents, i.e. MARRI Statute, MARRI RC General Rules and MARRI RC Financial Rules and Regulations. In respectful and constructive negotiations, the MARRI Delegations successfully addressed some of the remaining open questions in the draft documents, acknowledging that they may

20 April 2022 – Presentation of the Analysis Report: Trends of Human Trafficking in the MARRI Participants

20 April 2022 – Presentation of the Analysis Report: Trends of Human Trafficking in the MARRI Participants

Skopje – The changing patterns and trends in human trafficking were in the focus of the regional research which MARRI RC initiated in the framework of the regional project ¨Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans¨ (PaCT), with a view to further support MARRI authorities in the efforts to enhance the quality and effectiveness of interventions aimed at combatting the trafficking in humans in the region. Based on the data and information gathered from the MARRI