IOM Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance - EU Statement - Item 3(i) Return and Development

Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States 

International Organisation for Migration

39^th Session of the Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance

29-30 October 2026

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Item 3(i)

Return and Development

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Geneva, 29 October 2026

- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY -

International Organisation for Migration 

39^th Session of the Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance

29-30 October 2026

Item 3(i) - Return and Development

Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States 

Chair,

1. The European Union and its Member States thank IOM for the paper and welcome the opportunity to discuss how sustainable reintegration can be better embedded in broader development processes.

2. Sustainable return and reintegration are an integral part of our comprehensive approach to migration governance. We recognise that successful reintegration requires more than short-term individual assistance. It depends on access to economic opportunities, public services and functioning institutions, as well as on the capacities of communities and countries of origin. It should be understood as a process that benefits not only returnees, but also local communities and broader development efforts.

3. The implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is further shaping the EU’s comprehensive approach to migration, including effective return and readmission, cooperation with partner countries and sustainable reintegration. In this context, the EU Strategy on Voluntary Return and Reintegration of 2021, the newly adopted Return Regulation, which encompasses both voluntary return and removal, and the European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy, support the implementation of our objectives in this domain.

4. We stress the importance of credible and dignified return policies and effective cooperation with countries of origin on identification, documentation and readmission, which benefits from sustained diplomatic engagement. We encourage IOM, within its mandate, to continue supporting partner countries in strengthening their capacities in border management, identification, civil registration and the issuance of travel documents, as well as information and awareness raising on the risks of irregular migration in countries of origin and transit.

5. We have considerable experience in supporting sustainable reintegration, through both migration-specific programmes and broader development cooperation. At regional level, these include the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in Africa and its successor programme, Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration (MPRR). At national level, the EU supports a wide range of initiatives in Africa and Asia, complemented by individual EU Member States programmes. All these initiatives support returnees from both the EU and third countries, strengthen national reintegration systems and promote socio-economic reintegration.

6. We are at a turning point in our approach to reintegration, with a shifting focus towards building national reintegration systems. The objective is to make our investments more sustainable, built on broad partnerships, and progressively embed reintegration support within national systems and services, reducing long-term dependence on project-based approaches where appropriate, taking account of context, capacities and returnee needs. In the countries where we support reintegration, tangible progress has already been made towards gradually transferring responsibility for reintegration assistance to national authorities. In several countries, the objective is to complete the transition to a national reintegration system by the end of 2027. To achieve these objectives, we count on enhanced cooperation with IOM and its proactive engagement in facilitating this transition.

7. We therefore welcome IOM's emphasis on further strengthening the links between sustainable return and reintegration and national and local development processes. Access to employment, skills development, social protection and public services is essential for sustainable outcomes. Reintegration support should also respond to individual circumstances and vulnerabilities, including through gender-responsive and context-sensitive approaches. Equally important is ensuring that investments benefit both returnees and receiving communities, contributing to social cohesion and local development.

8. We also see significant potential in strengthening cooperation with development actors, including the private sector, development finance institutions and other UN agencies, notably ILO and UNDP, building on their respective comparative advantages.

9. Against this background, we would appreciate IOM's reflections on a key question. How can IOM use its operational presence and expertise in reintegration to further support the transition towards national reintegration systems, so that returnees benefit from existing services and development investments and reintegration outcomes remain sustainable beyond the duration of donor-funded projects in a manner that actively promotes compliance with the obligation to readmit one’s own nationals?

10. We remain committed to working with IOM and partner countries to advance safe, dignified and sustainable return and reintegration, in full respect of fundamental rights and with benefits for returnees and their communities.

Thank you.