Global Issues

Migration

How can we shape migration policy, governance, and practice through international cooperation in order to make it humane, far-sighted, and sustainable?

The Situation

Migration has always been part of human history. However, migratory movements are constantly changing, as the reasons for migration expand and merge, and regions of origin may at another time become regions of transit or destination – requiring flexible and changing migration policies. International agreements and governance structures often fall short of these fluctuating dynamics. Oftentimes the debate about migration polarizes societies. Long-term political and practical solutions are necessary to alleviate human suffering and harness the development potential of migration.

The Goal

Our objective is to help shape migration policy, governance and practice through far-sighted, inclusive approaches that center around human dignity as a guiding principle. We also aim to support efforts leveraging the potential of migration for individual and social development in regions of origin, transit and destination, rooted in global solidarity and cooperation. In addition, we seek to promote a differentiated and solution-oriented discourse on migration within and between societies.

Our Strategy

Through our support, we want to facilitate local innovations, applied research, and the integration of relevant stakeholders in policy making. Our work focusses on future issues of migrant and refugee protection, human mobility in the context of climate change, the inclusion of cities in migration governance, and the role of technological change. We are committed to cross-sectoral and interregional dialogue, especially between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. 

News and insights

Publication series

Bridging Policy and Practice in the Context of Climate-Induced Migration

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World Refugee Day

Taking stock of Meaningful Refugee Participation

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Publication

Building Meaningful Refugee Participation into Protection Policymaking

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Publication

From Analogue to Digital: Current Procedures in Germany for Issuing Visas to Professionals

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Publication

Climate Change and Migration

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Call to Action to the German Government

Protection of the Pacific Islands to become a focus of Germany's foreign climate policy

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Publication

Migration in the Context of Climate Foreign Policy

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Climate change

Germany needs a strategy for climate-related migration

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Publication

A life without passport

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Publication

Decentralizing digital documentation

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Publication

External Processing

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Publication

External Processing

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Climate-related migration

“Listen to us! We know the problems, we know the priorities, and how to tackle them”

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MSC 2023 – Munich Security Conference

Thinking ahead – The geopolitics of climate-related migration

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MSC 2023 – Munich Security Conference

Discussion on Climate-Related Migration and its Geopolitical Implications

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Migration

Clear rules for the use of digital technologies

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Publication

Mixed Migration Review 2022

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Help for Ukrainians

Giving children a time-out from the war

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UN Climate Change Conference COP27

How leaders from the African continent fight the climate crisis

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Climate Mobility up to 2050

“We need to harness the mobility on the African continent!”

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UN Climate Change Conference COP27

“Africa is a unified force to tackle climate change”

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Publication

Refugee-Led Organisations in East Africa

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Publication

More Connected, Less Protected?

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Anniversary of the Taliban takeover

Escaping Taliban Afghanistan with the Kabul Airlift

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Publication

At Risk: Environmental Mobility in African Coastal Cities

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Publication

Digital Livelihoods for Refugees

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Publication

The responsibility of the international community in situations of mobility due to environmental eve…

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Publication

Exploring the Potential for Data Stewardship in the Migration Space

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Publication

Digital Wallets and Migration Policy: A Critical Intersection

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Publication

The EU’s AI Act and its Human Rights Impacts on People Crossing Borders

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Climate change in African cities

More protection and perspectives for migrants

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Bristol as part of a network of cities

A Truly Global City

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Environmental migration

Built on hope

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Publication

From Fear to Solidarity

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Learn more about our projects

Migration

Mayors Migration Council

The Mayors Migration Council empowers and enables cities to engage in migration diplomacy and policymaking at the international, regional and national level. The aim is to ensure that global responses to migrant and refugee...

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Migration

Solutions to Displacement Linked with Climate Change

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Migration

The Africa-Europe Mayors’ Dialogue

A platform of African and European mayors working together to deliver innovative and practical solutions for human mobility in and between their...

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Migration

Beyond Territorial Asylum: Making Protection Work in a Bordered World

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Migration

Refugee Leadership and Participation

We support refugee-led organisations and initiatives that work towards more inclusive governance at the global level.

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Migration

Environmental Migration in Coastal Cities In Sub-Saharan Africa

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Migration

Migration in Africa-Europe Relations

We support a wide range of actors to contribute their diverse perspectives to the relationship between Africa and Europe around migration and...

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Immigration Society, Migration

Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative

Community Sponsorship of refugees offers a key contribution and innovative solution to migration policy. The Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative...

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Migration

Mixed Migration Review

The annual report highlights key topical issues of mixed migration movements. Featuring a selection of data from approximately 10,000 interviews a year conducted with refugees and migrants around the world, the report...

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Migration

Migration Strategy Group (MSG)

The MSG brings together key policy-stakeholders and decision-makers from the public and private sector on future migration questions, currently...

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Immigration Society, Migration

European Programme for Integration and Migration

Together with 24 other private foundations, we support the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM) with the goal of strengthening...

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Migration

Equal Partnerships for Urban Migration Governance

Through participatory research and dialogue formats, we bring together local, national and international actors to develop practical ideas and...

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Migration

International Detention Coalition

We support the International Detention Coalition in its work to create rights-based and community-centered alternatives to the detention for...

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Migration

African Guiding Principles on the Rights of All Migrants

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Migration

Border Forensics – Investigating Border Violence, Fostering Mobility Justice

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Climate Change, Migration

Governing Migration in the Era of Climate Change

Our project with the Center for Global Development looks at the effects climate change is having on migration, and proposes policies to equitably...

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Migration

Improving Responses to Internal Displacement

In this cooperation with Refugees International, the interface between conflicts, displacement in the context of climate change and regional...

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Immigration Society, Migration

Europe Prykhystok

We support safe short- or long-term refuge for displaced persons from Ukraine, Poland and beyond to other European countries, initiated in April 2022 by French local authorities and civil society.

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Migration

Equitable conditions for migrant workers in Europe

In partnership with the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) and its members, the Robert Bosch Stiftung wants to...

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Climate Change, Migration

Global Centre for Climate Mobility

The Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM) is a global partnership pushed forward by a group of champion countries and enabled by the United...

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Migration

Automation on the Move

Systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making (ADM) are increasingly being experimented with and used on migrants, refugees and travelers. Our partner AlgorithmWatch explores how to enable...

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Migration

Statelessness

Statelessness and undetermined nationality have severe consequences but receive limited attention from both the public and political spheres. Our partners advocate for including statelessness on the political agenda and working...

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Migration

Climate Mobility Africa Research Network (CMARN)

Climate change and disasters are among the leading drivers of human mobility across Africa. Yet lawful pathways for those crossing borders in this...

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Migration

Data on the Move: Unpacking migration data infrastructures

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Migration

Climate migration in the context of German Foreign and Development Policy

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Migration

Making digital wallets work for people on the move and wider society

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Our Focus

Halfpoint - stock.adobe.com

Future of Protection

Legal and political framworks and political frameworks fall short of responding to current and future challenges for the protection of refugees and migrants. Existing approaches do not respond sufficiently to increasing needs whilst considering the participation and choice of refugees and migrants. We support projects and initiatives that address challenges within the current protection system and contribute to the development and implementation of alternative, long-term approaches and instruments for the protection of refugees and migrants.

Friends Stock - stock.adobe.com

Migration and Technological Change

New technologies will fundamentally change cross-border mobility and migration management. They are already being employed in different areas of migration management, for example via digital identity solutions or AI-powered automated decision making. We want to contribute to an employment of technologies in the area of migration that respect human dignity. To this end, we support the creation of new social and political spaces, processes, and ideas that can accompany and shape these developments.

Dmytro - stock.adobe.com

New Actors in Regional and Global Migration Governance

Civil society, academia, think tanks, the private sector, and cities increasingly contribute to regional and global migration governance. City leaders from around the world, in particular, together with other local actors, have championed inclusive urban policies that benefit all residents. However, their valuable local experiences are often not reflected in migration policy making processes. We aim to strengthen and diversify city diplomacy in the migration field, and support practice-oriented research, focusing on the role and needs of intermediary cities.

Abdifatah Muse / NRC

Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change

Climate change and environmental degradation are depriving many people of their livelihoods and increasingly influence international migration patterns. We seek to identify sustainable, human-centered solutions that enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations and societies affected by climate change. To this end, we support innovative approaches in particularly affected areas, advance the knowledge base on the topic and strengthen cross-sectoral exchange to contribute to international and national policymaking. Our focus lies on the African continent, which is highly affected by environmental changes due to climate change.

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Publications

Do you have a project idea you would like to submit?

We are pleased about your interest in working with us. As a nonprofit foundation, we have limited funds at our disposal, which is why we cannot support every project idea submitted to us. Some helpful information on funding is provided below. You will in any case hear back from our team within four weeks regarding our decision on your project idea.

    • If your project relates primarily to the integration of migrants and refugees in Germany, please send your project idea to the Immigration Society team.
    • We can only support individuals within the context of project-specific calls for submissions. This also applies to individual PhD projects or other scholarships. Please check our current open calls to see whether there is anything suitable for you.
    • Humanitarian aid is an important approach to relieving distress in acute emergency situations and requires special expertise. As our strategic focus is on handling issues of the future, we would ask you not to request support for acute emergency relief projects. The same applies to requests for help with material acquisition or infrastructure projects. 
    • Projects that are outside of our focus regions must have global relevance.
    • We are unable to support the development, piloting or implementation of technologies and applications.  

    Contact persons

    Dr. Raphaela Schweiger
    Program Director
    Phone+49 711 46084-678
    e-mail to Dr. Raphaela Schweiger
    About
    Feven Kahsay-Tesfatsion
    Team Assistant
    Phone+49 711 46084-978
    e-mail to Feven Kahsay-Tesfatsion

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