South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia – Regional Strategy 2020–2024

The region covered by the Regional Office in Vienna features diverse economic, environmental, demographic, political, social and migration contexts and trends. Issues and challenges include demographic shifts, skills and labour gaps, human trafficking and stranded migrants, inadequate access to health care, environmental and climate change impacts, transitioning to peace from ongoing or protracted conflict, emergency preparedness and response, irregular migration, and return and reintegration, as well as unaccompanied and separated children. Opportunities include mainstreaming migration and development policies, labour mobility, diaspora engagement, remittances for sustainable development, facilitating cross-border mobility through optimized border management and visa policies, and investment (including green investment). 

The strategic priorities for the region – resilience, mobility and governance – focus on addressing regional migration trends and challenges and are in line with broader development priorities. They are based on the IOM Strategic Vision and related IOM governance documents, such as the Migration Governance Framework and the Migration Crisis Operational Framework. The regional strategy draws on international instruments such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – in particular, its Target 10.7 to “facilitate orderly, safe, and responsible migration and mobility of people through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies” – and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.