75 years of IOM globally
35 years of IOM in the Netherlands
Dear friends and partners,
This year gives us a special reason to come together.
On 26 November 2026, we invite you to join us for IOM the Netherland’s Partner Day 2026, bringing together partners, experts and stakeholders from the Netherlands and internationally for a day of exchange, dialogue and connection.
Together, we will mark these important milestones while also sharing perspectives and experiences, discussing current migration issues and exploring how we can continue to strengthen our work and partnerships in the years to come.
Thursday 26 November 2026
09:30 – 18:00
The Colour Kitchen Zuilen
Prinses Christinalaan 1
3554 JL Utrecht
Programme
09:30 – 10:00 | Registration and arrival
10:00 – 12:00 | Opening remarks, keynote speeches & panel discussion
12:00 – 13:00 | Networking lunch
13:00 – 14:30 | Focus Session Round 1
14:30 – 15:00 | Coffee break
15:00 – 16:30 | Focus Session Round 2
16:45 – 18:00 | Closing & drinks
A highlight of the afternoon will be six focus sessions featuring national and international guests. With two rounds of focus sessions, you can choose your two favourites and focus on the topics that are most relevant to you. You can find an overview of all sessions below.
Places are limited, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible to secure your participation.
We hope you will join us for this special occasion and an inspiring day of new perspectives, meaningful conversations and connections.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Warm regards,
IOM the Netherlands
The Focus Sessions
This interactive workshop will explore how community-based interventions can support informed migration decisions, strengthen local resilience and contribute to sustainable reintegration.
Drawing on experiences from the COMPASS initiative and other community engagement programmes, participants will examine how local actors, peer networks, civil society organizations and diaspora communities can create trusted channels for information and support. Practical cases will illustrate how awareness-raising, community dialogue and reintegration assistance can work together to foster longer-term social and economic inclusion.
Led by IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) specialists, this interactive session will examine how migration data informs policy, programme design, funding priorities and operational planning.
Working with DTM visualizations and datasets, participants will explore what data reveals, what it cannot reveal, and how different stakeholders may draw different conclusions from the same evidence. The session will strengthen participants’ confidence in interpreting migration data critically, responsibly and in context.
This session will examine the role of legal identity, civil registration and documentation in facilitating safe, dignified and sustainable return.
Participants will discuss documentation gaps, identity verification, consular cooperation and access to rights, services and reintegration support.
This workshop will explore the human, policy and operational dimensions of family reunification and resettlement.
Through practical examples, participants will consider the coordination required across missions, authorities and communities to support safe movement, effective procedures and successful inclusion.
Focusing on protection safeguards, vulnerability screening, risk assessment and counselling, this workshop will explore how person-centred approaches support informed, ethical and dignified voluntary return.
Interactive cases will encourage participants to reflect on practical and ethical considerations in return counselling.
This session will consider the evolving situation in Syria and the conditions, opportunities and challenges related to return migration.
It will bring together current field perspectives and stakeholder dialogue on protection, informed decision-making, access to services and sustainable return.
