Fields of work

Migration

Large migration flows, when not managed in a human rights-compliant, comprehensive and co-ordinated way, have the potential to undermine co-operation, stability and security. The OSCE supports States in safeguarding the human rights of migrants and strengthening labour migration management.

Factsheet

Factsheet: Migration governance

6 September 2016

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

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Our approach to security

Many factors can affect security and stability, often across borders, population segments or the OSCE’s three dimensions.

People wishing to leave their home country and migrate to another make this choice for a variety of reasons, such as political persecution, economic inequality, environmental challenges or climate change. Globalization has led to a significant increase in migration and refugee flows in the last decades, affecting some participating States to a large degree. Migrant workers also constitute an important economic, social and human factor for host countries and countries of origin, as outlined in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, which called on participating States to protect their personal and social welfare.

The participating States [will] respect fully the right of everyone to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State, and to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Concluding Document of the Vienna Meeting 1986

Building on our comprehensive and co-operative approach to security, we work on strategies to tackle the issue head-on.

We use a cross-dimensional approach to address migration issues. In the main, our work in this area includes regulating migration through border management, travel document security, and countering transnational threats and human trafficking along migration routes; facilitating legal migration through labour migration governance and research, data collection and harmonization; and supporting the freedom of movement of people and communities, as well as tolerance and non-discrimination, integration and the referral of refugees.

Combating trafficking in human beings

Fighting a multi-faceted crime affecting all OSCE States

Tolerance and non-discrimination

Fighting all forms of intolerance and discrimination

Border management

Strengthening border security, ensuring legitimate movement

Travel document security

Activities of the Transnational Threats Department

Migration governance and labour migration

Helping improve labour migration and governance

Our institutions, field operations and offices bring to the task expert skills and knowledge to develop tailor-made solutions for each challenge.

Our institutions and offices

The topic of migration cuts across many different areas and intersects with several other OSCE activities. Consequently, several OSCE offices are concerned with this issue, starting with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which supports the participating States in protecting the human rights of migrants and refugees and in working towards their integration into host countries.

Another key player in the OSCE on migration issues is the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, which promotes effective labour migration management, human capital development and economic empowerment, and also works on such related issues as the fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorism financing.

As migration cuts across many of the OSCE’s work areas, also several Secretariat offices work on different migration-related aspects.

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OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) provides support, assistance and expertise to participating States and civil society to promote democracy, rule of law, human rights and tolerance and non-discrimination. ODIHR observes elections, reviews legislation and advises governments on how to develop and sustain democratic institutions. The Office conducts training programmes for government and law-enforcement officials and non-governmental organizations on how to uphold, promote and monitor human rights.

Aerial drone view of Dnieper and Dniester river near Kyiv

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Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities

This OSCE Office addresses security-related economic and environmental issues

Our operations on the ground

Using a victim-centred and human rights-based approach, the Mission to Skopje works with the authorities in North Macedonia to enhance the capacity of regular and border police to deal with refugees and migrants who often cross the country on the Western Balkan migration routes. Efforts to combat trafficking of human beings and assist victims of this crime are a special focus of the Mission’s work.