Global Migration Group Practitioners Symposium

"Overcoming barriers: Building partnerships for migration and human development"

Background

Date: 27-28 May 2010
Venue: Palais des Nations, Geneva

The GMG Practitioners Symposium was built around the main recommendations coming out of the 2009 Human Development Report. It aimed to explore practical solutions and ways in which multi-stakeholder partnerships at different levels of governance (local, national, regional, global) can work together to maximize the human development benefits of migration through action in three key areas: 1) improving the evidence-base for policy-making; 2) protecting the rights of migrants; 3) making migration an integral part of national and regional strategies for trade, investment, human development and long-term prosperity.

The topic of the Practitioners Symposium will allow the GMG to contribute to a series of ongoing initiatives and major events in 2010, including: the fourth Global Forum on Migration and Development in Mexico in November; the GFMD Working Group on Policy Coherence, Data and Research; and the development of Extended Migration Profiles by the European Commission. With a focus on partnerships, the Symposium offered a common platform for various stakeholders (Governments and local authorities, development partners, international and regional organizations, civil society and the private sector), to discuss opportunities for collaboration and the formulation of policy objectives, in pursuit of greater coherence in the migration field.

Documents for download (in pdf):

• Symposium concept note
• Symposium agenda
  

GMG Background papers:

• Background paper of session 1: Migration data and research
• Background paper of working group A: Human rights of migrants
• Background paper of working group B: Protecting stranded and vulnerable migrants
• Background paper of working group C: Mainstreaming migration in development strategies
• Background paper of working group D: Education and labour migration

Expert presentations and input papers:

Opening session: Facing today’s migration challenges together

• Presentation by Ms.Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General, IOM
• Presentation by Dr. Khalid Koser, Geneva Center for Security Policy

Session 1: Data and analysis: Partnering to better understand and address the human development implications of migration

• Presentation by Dr. Sabine Henning, UNDESA Population Division
• Input paper by Dr. Sam Okoampah Archer, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, Ghana
• Input paper by Dr. Jeronimo Cortina, Houston University, USA
• Input paper by Mr. Albert Kraler, ICMPD Vienna

Working group A: Rooting migration policies in human rights

• Input paper by Mr. Gabriel Toggenburg, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Input paper by Mr. Christopher Nolan, Business for Social Responsibility, Hong Kong
• Input paper by Ms. Genevieve Gencianos, Public Services International
• Input paper by Dr. Pablo Ceriani, University of Lanús & UNICEF, Argentina

Working group B: Building partnerships for identifying, assisting and protecting vulnerable and stranded migrants

• Input paper by Mr. Oliver Bush Espinosa, National Migration Institute, Mexico
• Input paper by Dr. Axel Kreienbrink, German Federal Office of Migration and Refugees
• Input paper by Ms. Ruth McGuirl, Crown Council for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada
• Input paper by Dr. Mohamed Khachani, AMERM, Morocco (French version)
• Input paper by Ms. Malu Marin, ACHIEVE, Philippines

Working group C: Mainstreaming migration in national development strategies

• Input paper by Mr. Paul Gosselink, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands
• Input paper by Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Input paper by Dr. Maris Pukis, Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments
• Input paper by Ms. Mary Makoffu, Secretariat, East African Community
• Input paper by Dr. Johannes Jütting, OECD Development Centre

Working group D: Towards shared prosperity: shaping the future of migration to promote education, employment and human development

• Input paper by Dr. S. Irudaya Rajan, Centre for Development Studies, Kerala, India
• Input paper by Mr. Luc Lapointe, Connexion Internationale, Canada
• Handout by Mr. Gibril Faal, AFFORD, UK