6th Ministerial Conference and the “Istanbul Commitments on the Silk Routes Partnership for Migration”
The Budapest Process held its 6th Ministerial Conference in Istanbul on 19-20 February 2019, and close to 40 countries adopted the “Istanbul Commitments on the Silk Routes Partnership for Migration” and its action plan “A Call for Action – a five year plan”.
The event was hosted by Turkey and chaired by H.E. Süleyman Soylu, Turkish Minister of Interior. 20 Ministers as well as the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos, and 15 Deputy Ministers and States Secretaries took part in the conference. The official programme also included a Welcome Gala Dinner at Çirağan Palace with the attendance of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey
This political declaration and action plan build upon the achievements of the 2013 Istanbul Ministerial Declaration on a Silk Routes Partnership for Migration while taking into account the migration developments of the past years. It introduces five commitments to be upheld in migration management:
- to partnership
- to comprehensive migration management
- to human rights
- to support and solidarity
- to knowledge.
The “Call for Action – a five year plan” lists actions under the 2013 six priority areas identified for cooperation:
- prevent and counteract irregular migration, facilitate return and readmission of irregular migrants, and combat criminal networks involved in smuggling of migrants
- legal migration and mobility
- integration of migrants and counteracting phenomena such as discrimination, racism and xenophobia
- migration and development
- prevent and combat trafficking in persons and
- promote international protection.
The Budapest Process will now focus on the implementation of the five-year action plan.
