The Centre for Migration (CEMI) is a Group 484 programme that focuses on research, monitoring, and education in the field of migration. The programme was established in 2011 as a result of years of organisational experience and work on direct support and educational programmes.
CEMI contributes to the understanding of migration in the context of social development and the inclusion of migrant groups into the community through:
- conducting and presenting various research projects;
- advocating for changes to the national legal framework and public policies;
- organising public and scientific conferences to address decision-makers and the general public;
- educating key actors who play an active role in the migration system;
- networking with regional actors and contributing to more efficient migration management at the regional level;
- participating in conferences and round tables addressing similar challenges.
The goals of the Centre for Migration are long-term oriented to:
- Increasing the level of information, knowledge, and understanding of different migration flows in Serbia, in the context of regional and global trends;
- Conducting continuous dialogue on migration policies with the active involvement of all relevant actors, especially representatives of the academic community;
- Influencing decision-makers to create laws and relevant policies that enable the enjoyment of human rights of different categories of migrants, as well as realising the potential for involvement in the economic and social development of the community;
- Improving regional and international cooperation in the field of migration, through research, improvement of knowledge, as well as exchange and development of good practices.
Recent research in Serbia has been conducted mainly on the position of forced migrants, and thus the pessimistic perspective in the understanding of migration remains dominant. Therefore, the Centre wants to point to the positive and developmental capacities of migration.
