Skopje, 9-10 October 2019: More than 90 delegates from 37 countries gathered in Skopje for the Joint Meeting of three Regional Working Groups to strategically prepare for the next five years. Deputy Minister of Interior of North Macedonia, Agim Nuhiu, officially opened the meeting and welcomed all participants, followed by State Secretary Magdalena Nestorovska who highlighted the importance of this meeting as the first gathering since the 6^th Ministerial Conference in February 2019 in Istanbul. 

How can a government address a broad variety of more than sixty challenges identified in the area of migration? Which migration governance and management issues need to be tackled first, and how are they linked to each other? What governance structures and legal frameworks are in place, and how can they be improved?

Legal and labour migration are central topics for Pakistan and have been identified as a priority by the current government. As part of the overall support structure for intending and outgoing migrants, and with support of ICMPD, Pakistan’s Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) and the Department of Labour Punjab host and run the Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) in Islamabad and Lahore. They provide counselling, community awareness raising, pre-departure orientation and information on education and work opportunities abroad to students. This shall help empower people to take informed decisions on their migration trajectory.