Over the last 25 years, the Budapest Process has become recognised by participating states both in Europe and Asia as well as further stakeholders, as an excellent tool for identifying and addressing evolving migration challenges. Key dates mentioned on the right-hand side in a visual give an insight into its growth and flexibility in adapting to the shifting migration picture.
Ministerial conferences are milestones in the development of the Budapest Process. Each declaration has given room to a widened geographical and thematic scope as represented on the right-hand side.
The year 2013 was pivotal for the Budapest Process. It marked the 20 years’ anniversary of the dialogue. Furthermore, the Ministerial Conference in April led to the adoption of the Istanbul Ministerial Declaration on a Silk Routes Partnership for Migration which consolidates the geographical refocus of the Budapest Process under the Turkish Chairmanship to the Silk Routes Region. The Istanbul Ministerial Declaration was adopted and widely praised by the participants as one of the most far-reaching and balanced declarations dealing with migration ever adopted by such a diverse group of countries.
Since February 2019, the Budapest Process has entered a new phase having adopted the “Istanbul Commitments on the Silk Routes Partnership for Migration and its Call for Action – a five year plan” in Istanbul which builds upon the 2013 Istanbul Ministerial Declaration and lists five key commitments in the field of migration governance.
