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.

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Factsheet: Migration governance

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Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Our challenge

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.

Our action

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.

Mandate

Our teams

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.

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.

Projects

Initiatives funded by individual states and organizations

Projects

Studies and reports

Reports, studies and analyses for policymakers, researchers and all those interested in this field of our work

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Manuals and guides

Practice-oriented manuals, guides, handbooks and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners working in this field

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OSCE stories

Read up on the OSCE, our people on the ground and our work

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