Over the last decade, the narrative of migration has taken a dramatically negative turn in Europe and across the globe which requires the examination of the manner in which information on migration is received, shared and disseminated between different actors.

In this sense, the narrative on migration plays a particularly important role. In its capacity as an intergovernmental organisation of migration experts advising governments of the formation of migration policies which are effective, forward-looking and evidence-based, the International Centre for Migration Development (ICMPD) is currently working on a number of projects aiming at balancing the narrative on migration in the Mediterranean Region. These projects influence the narrative on three levels: the media, the general public and policy makers.

As such, ICMPD is organising the first workshop between the communicators of European Union member states and Southern Partner Countries (SPCs), in collaboration with the Governments of the Republic of Tunisia and the Club of Venice, on the 18th and the 19th of September 2018 in Tunisia.

This Euro-Mediterranean workshop will take place in Carthage jointly with the 2nd edition of the Migration Media Award (MMA). The MMA recognises and rewards the excellence, significance and relevance of journalistic work focussing on all facets of migration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region.

The MMA is the result of a collaboration between the European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) funded programmes, namely Euromed Migration IV, implemented by ICMPD and Open Media Hub, directly by the Thomson Foundation. The MMA is in partnership with the Maltese Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) which is based in Malta.

The global objectives of the workshop will be to reinforce the capacities of communicators in their contribution to the development of an evidence-based narrative on migration which will support the implementation of sustainable migration policies.

Target groups are: The communicators of EU MS and the institutions and agencies of the EU, the communicators of SPC, the communicators of principal regional and international institutions, migration professionals in EU MS and SPCs governments.

Stay tuned for more details about the program.