Global Migration Group Practitioners Symposium

“Migration and Youth: Harnesing Opportunities for Development”
17-18 May 2011, New York

The Symposium will be held at Henry Labouisse Hall,
UNICEF House, 3 United Nations Plaza,
New York (44th Street, between 1st & 2nd Ave).
Roundtable 1.1 will be held at Conference Room 6 North Lawn Building, UN main building.

UNICEF as the current chair of the Global Migration Group (GMG) together with the other 15 Member Agencies will be hosting a two-day Symposium “Migration and Youth: Harnessing Opportunities for Development” in New York City on 17–18 May 2011.

The Symposium will bring together a wide range of experts and practitioners to present future trends, discuss current knowledge, highlight existing gaps, and share good practices on how to increase migration’s positive impacts and minimize its negative impacts on the development prospects of youth.

It is expected that participants will produce a set of key policy action messages that can evolve into a road map for development practitioners, governments, academics, civil society partners and the international community for the next five years.

Symposium Programme

• Download the programme of the Symposium here

Symposium Information Note

• Download the information note for participants
• List of hotels in the vicinity of the UN Headquarters

Day 1: Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Opening Session: Migration and Youth: Harnessing Opportunities for Development

Introduction to the Symposium

Plenary Session 1: Globalization, Cooperation and Youth: Newly Emerging Trends (click here for briefing paper)

• Leveraging Migration, and Remittances for Development (Presentation by Dr. Dilip Ratha- World Bank)
• International migration in a globalizing world: The role of youth (Presenation by Dr. Sabine Henning and Mr. Pablo Lattes - UN/DESA)

Parallel Roundtables on International Cooperation: Roundtable 1.1: Enhancing Development through International Cooperation on Migration (click here for briefing paper)

Roundtable 1.2: Cooperation – the Key to an Effective Policy Response to Global Environmental Change, Migration and Youth (click here for briefing paper)

• Environmental migration: challenges and responses (Presentation by Mr. Shahidul Haque, IOM)
• Notes on Environmental Change and Youth Migration (Presenation by Dr. Susana B. Adamo - Columbia University)
• Population Dynamics, Mobility and Climate Change (Presentation by Mr. José Miguel Guzmán - UNFPA)
• Migration, Urbanization and Climate Change: Assessing Current Knowledge (Presentation by Dr. Deborah Balk - CUNY)
• Youth on the Move (Presentation by Ms. Sue Le Mesurier - International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)

Reporting Session

• Roundtable 1.1

Plenary Session 2 : Youth Migration from a Youth Perspective

Summary of Day 1

Day 2: Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Plenary Session 3: Enhancing the Contributions of Young Migrants to Development (click here for briefing paper)

• Enhancing the Contributions of Young Migrants to Development (Presentation by Ms. Anke Strauss - IOM)

Plenary Session 4: Enhancing the Well-being and Human Rights of Migrants in Support of Development (click here for briefing paper)

• The Human Right’s Path: Key for Social Integration of Young Migrants (Presenation by Mr. Pablo Ceriani - Universidad Nacional de Lanus)
• Young Migrants and their Right to Health (Presenation by Dr. David Ingleby - University of Utrecht)

Plenary Session 5: Enhancing Cooperation on the Protection of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Youth (click here for briefing paper)

• Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Youth: Programmatic Responses for Durable Solutions (Presentation by Ms. Ana Fonseca - IOM)
• Protecting children on the move A multi-agency project in West Africa (Presentation by Mr. Olivier Feneyrol - Terre des Hommes)

Plenary Session 6: Leveraging the Beneficial Impact of Migration on Youth in Countries of Origin

• Leveraging the beneficial impact of Migration on Youth in Countries of Origin: The case of El Salvador (Presentation by H.E. Carlos E. Garcia Gonzalez - El Salvador)
• The Impact of Migration on Children and Adolescents Left-Behind (Presentation by Dr. Jeronimo Cortina - University of Houston)
• Views from the field on how do children deal with a missing parent, or a broken family due to migration? (Presentation by Ms. Mary Jo Toll)

Closing Session: International Cooperation and the Youth Dimension of the Migration-Development Nexus

Background

Migration is both a cause and effect of development; it has significant consequences on migrants, their families and on their communities of origin, transit and destination. While more data and research on the relationship between migration and development has become available in the recent past, migration’s medium and long-term developmental impacts to ensure opportunities for youth within an equitable, gender and rights-based approach, are still unexplored. Some of the unanswered questions include: how can migration contribute to creating opportunities in terms of human capital formation, poverty reduction and increased standards of living for youth? Does migration reduce the inequality of opportunities in receiving societies?

Poverty, lack of development and unemployment in countries of origin, as well as discrimination and social exclusion in countries of transit and destination, remain major challenges for the full realization of the rights and capabilities of youth affected by migration. It is only when these challenges are adequately addressed that the positive impacts of migration can be fully harnessed. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of migration makes international cooperation an indispensable prerequisite to achieving this goal, including by enhancing institutional capacities.

Thematic Focus

The overarching theme for the 2011 GMG Symposium will be “Migration and Youth: Harnessing, Opportunities for Development.” By sharing relevant knowledge and expertise, the Symposium will facilitate an examination of the impacts of migration on the human development of youth from a multidimensional perspective, and highlight the contributions made by young migrants to development. These issues will be addressed from a gender and rights perspective; particular emphasis will be given to South-South migration flows.

In particular, the Symposium will emphasize the importance of cooperation and coordination for harnessing opportunities and addressing the challenges created by migration for youth in countries of origin, transit and destination. Addressing inequalities of opportunity for youth in countries of origin is critical for making migration a choice rather than a necessity, which will prevent further irregular migration, trafficking and labour exploitation. Furthermore, greater equality of opportunity and protection of human rights in host and sending communities can ensure the wellbeing of young migrants and maximize their contributions as workers, entrepreneurs, students and members of society.

Participation

Speakers and participants from different regions include representatives from Member States, UN/international organizations, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector, and youth. The aim is to bring fresh perspectives and provide policy insights based on a variety of local, national and international experiences.

The Symposium will be attended by high-level participants from the 16 GMG Member Agencies, including several heads of the agencies, the President of the UN General Assembly (tbc), the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Migration (tbc), and the Swiss and Mexican Chair of the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) (tbc).

Broad and geographical diverse representation at the Symposium from civil society and grassroots movements is very important as the Symposium aims to foster a fruitful dialogue with civil society representatives, reflecting the trend of progressive improvement of civil society and government interaction in the GFMD meetings.

Despite being major stakeholders in migration, youth have thus far been largely absent in the debate. Therefore several youth delegates will participate in the GMG Symposium and share their views and observations.

Download the programme of the Symposium here

Venue

UNICEF Headquarters Labouisse Hall 3 United Nations Plaza E 44th St. (between 1st and 2nd Aves) New York, NY

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Madeleine Sinclair
Tel: +1212-326-7264
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it