Migration Data
Labour Migration
Migration & Human Rights
Migration & Children
Migration & Gender
Trafficking & Smuggling
Migration & Health
Migration & Governance

 

GMG Members

The GMG consists of 14 organizations that are actively involved in international migration and
related issues:

 

 


 

International Labour Organization (ILO)

ILO, the UN specialized agency on labour issues, has been dealing with labour
migration since 1919. It has pioneered international Conventions to guide migration
policy and protection of migrant workers. All major sectors of ILO - standards,
employment, social protection and social dialogue - work on labour migration within
its overarching framework of 'decent work for all'. ILO adopts a rights-based
approach to labour migration and promotes tripartite participation (governments, employers and
workers) in migration policy. It provides advisory services to member states, promotes international
standards, provides a tripartite forum for consultations, serves as a global knowledge base, and
provides technical assistance and capacity-building to constituents. ILO has recently developed a
multilateral framework on labour migration to guide its constituents in labour migration policy.

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International Organization for Migration (IOM)

IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.
IOM acts with its partners to: uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants;
encourage social and economic development through migration; assist in meeting the
growing operational challenges of migration management; and advance
understanding of migration issues. It does these by using its long experience and
world-wide presence to provide a full range of services and advice to governments and migrants, from
projects and practical solutions to policy and broad strategic approaches, from data collection,
research and analysis to the provision of a forum for states, intergovernmental organizations and civil
society to exchange views and experiences and promote cooperation and coordination of efforts on
international migration issues.

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Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

OHCHR promotes a human rights approach to migration throughout its work. In
particular, it supports the mandates of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of
Migrants and the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking and services the Committee on
Migrant Workers, the treaty body supervising compliance with the International
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their
Families. OHCHR also implements a technical cooperation project on Trafficking which is guided by
OHCHR's Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking. Issues of
migration, development and human rights are further addressed and analyzed, including at the
regional and country level, through a variety of other mandates and programmes, such as that of
national human rights institutions.

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United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

UNCTAD, the UN focal point for the integrated treatment of trade
and development, aims, inter alia, to make migration work for
development and contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.
Under its three pillars (research and analysis, technical assistance
and inter-governmental consensus-building), UNCTAD actively
promotes coherence and global understanding by offering strategic policy analysis and options on the
nexus between migration, trade and development, including through expert meetings and key
publications. It undertakes analytical work and provides advice and technical assistance to policy
makers, trade negotiators and regulators on: contribution of migrants to development; the potential
benefits and opportunities of trade, investment and developmental links between countries of origin
of migrants and their communities abroad; and the potential of migrants' remittances to contribute to
development. It also contributes to the knowledge base on trade- and development-related issues
and trends including on circular migration; gender-related migration; brain-drain and brain circulation.
UNCTAD's work on trade in services include market access, regulatory issues and institutional
frameworks to facilitate the temporary movement of natural persons at the multilateral (GATS Mode
4), regional and bilateral levels as well as trade in labourintensive services and fostering skills
development and recognition of qualifications. UNCTAD collects migration-related data and information
and participates in the interagency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services.

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United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

UNDP's aim is to maximize the developmental benefits of migration for poor countries, and
mitigate any negative consequences. UNDP country offices provide capacity development
support to governments that wish to develop pro-poor, prodevelopment and human
rights-based migration strategies, as part of their broader MDG-based national
development strategies. Particular attention is given to the efficiency and use of
remittances, retaining key skills, improving the participation of diasporas, strengthening
local governance and investment in education. Within the international debate on migration, UNDP
advocates for a focus on sustainable human development and protecting the rights of migrants, as
well as progress on the GATS Mode 4 negotiations on the temporary movement of labour.

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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA)

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Secretariat is the primary
source of information on matters related to international migration and development for
the General Assembly, ECOSOC and its functional commissions. UNDESA's activities in
this area are part of its overall responsibilities for the analysis of development
prospects globally, and aim at providing the foundation for the policy debate on
maximising the benefits of international migration for development. They include providing objective
analyses of the causes and consequences of international migration; compiling, analyzing and
disseminating statistics on international migration; working to improve the availability and
comparability of those statistics; and, in collaboration with the Regional Commissions, monitoring
national and regional policies on international migration.

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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO emphasises the human face of migration and addresses the
implications of the movement of people in its fields of competence. These
include: the migrationeducation nexus and the challenges raised by brain
drain/gain, student mobility, and the international recognition of qualifications;
the migration-development nexus, with a particular emphasis on the
development of knowledge diasporas through the use of ICTs; the impact of environmental trends
and climatic change on forced migration; the cultural integration of migrants in host societies, with
particular attention to the balance between social cohesion and the respect for cultural diversity; and
the research-policy nexus through the creation of research networks and of innovative platforms
enabling exchanges between researchers and policy-makers. It does so by cooperating with a wide
range of partners, including intergovernmental organisations, civil society groups and universities.

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United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

International migration has important implications for demographic dynamics
and thus for the core mandate of UNFPA. UNFPA's approach towards policy
and programmatic interventions in this area is rights-based and culture and
gender sensitive. Among issues of particular concern are the challenges of
female migration, including trafficking and smuggling; migration and the
spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS; the provision of basic social services, including reproductive
health services, in areas of destination; and protection of the human rights of migrants. UNFPA seeks
to improve data, research and institutional capacity for formulating and implementing migration
policies and programmes. UNFPA is strongly dedicated to providing directed policy, advocacy and
technical support to ensure that international migration is recognized as an important factor
development.

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

In order to fulfil its mandate to protect refugees and find durable
solutions for them, UNHCR is actively involved in a range of
activities with a direct bearing on migration. They include
contributing to the work of regional fora on migration and
asylum; assisting states to address the phenomenon of mixed
migratory movements; capacity-building and institutional support relating to asylum; data-collection
and analysis on forced migration and secondary movements of refugees; advocacy relating to asylum,
statelessness and the phenomenon of internal displacement; provision of assistance for the voluntary
repatriation and reintegration of refugees and return of displaced persons; advocacy to encourage
the development aid community to recognize and mitigate the development impact of hosting large
numbers of refugees or receiving back large number of refugees and displaced persons.

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United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF, guided by the Convention of the Rights of the Child, is
dedicated to the realisation of the rights of children and women
affected by migration. It carries out policy research and evidence
based analyses to find practical solutions to the challenges that
migration can bring, including an assessment of unaccompanied
and separated migrant children. UNICEF focuses on the social impact of migration and remittances on
children left behind, and the role that social protection and legislative reform can play in supporting
the realization of the rights of affected children and women. UNICEF is currently testing
methodologies to measure the social impact of migration and remittances on children left behind, and
is working jointly with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to
estimate the numbers of international migrant children. In addition to its research and analysis,
UNICEF is also strongly committed to working directly with governments and civil society to develop
protective policies for children, adolescents and women affected by migration, including human
sustainable development, child trafficking and child protection.

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United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR)

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research's (UNITAR) mandate is to
strengthen the effectiveness of the United Nations system through capacity
development. For over a decade, UNITAR has been involved in inter-agency
collaboration on international migration and related issues, providing training to
government officials in most regions of the world. In addition, it supports the progress
of international policy dialogue processes, principally the Global Forum on Migration and
Development and the United Nations General Assembly's debate on international migration and
development. Together with its partners, UNITAR works to enhance knowledge on legal
underpinnings, policies and good practices related to migration and development, thereby enabling
governments to make informed decisions in this field. Dedicated to promoting inclusive dialogue
among all stakeholders in the migration process across sectors and world regions, the Institute offers
a platform for networking, trust building, the exchange of ideas and the dissemination of lessons
learned.

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United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

UNODC, as guardian of the United Nations Convention
against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the
Protocols thereto, assists States in their efforts to implement
both the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
Trafficking in Persons (Trafficking in Persons Protocol) and
the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air (Migrant Smuggling Protocol)
UNODC's primary goals with respect to combating the distinct but interrelated crimes of human
trafficking and migrant smuggling, is to promote global adherence to the Protocols and assist States
in their efforts to effectively implement them. The key imperatives of those Protocols are to:
" Prevent and combat the trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants" Protect the rights of
smuggled migrants and victims of trafficking
" Prosecute human traffickers and migrant smugglers, and
" Promote cooperation between States in achieving these goals.
In providing technical assistance towards achieving these goals globally, UNODC's response is
focused on two working areas:
" Assisting states in bringing their legislation in line with the Protocols, and
" Assisting states in developing effective criminal justice responses to migrant smuggling and human
trafficking.
On a practical level, this means that UNODC offers assistance to States, not only helping to draft laws
and create comprehensive national anti-human trafficking and anti-migrant smuggling strategies but
also assisting with resources to implement them. States receive specialized assistance including the
development of local capacity and expertise, as well as practical tools to encourage cross-border
cooperation in investigations and prosecutions. Reflecting the multiple challenges posed by human
trafficking and migrant smuggling for all countries, UNODC's work under the ongoing Global Anti
Human Trafficking and Anti-Migrant Smuggling Programmes focuses on seven key areas: 1. Legislative
assistance; 2. Evidence-based planning and policy development; 3. Data collection and research; 4.
Criminal justice system responses; 5. Victim protection and support; 6. International cooperation; 7.
Prevention and awareness-raising.

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UN Regional Commissions

International migration is a phenomenon that exhibits regional specificities. The work of the 5 United
Nations Regional Commissions is dedicated to fostering incorporation of the regional perspective in
any analysis of international migration and in addressing the multidimensional aspects of migration,
which entails the integration of this phenomenon with development goals.

Their activities include monitoring the development of regional and subregional consultative processes
focusing on migration, striving to move towards interregional convergence and regional integration
initiatives. As a complement to these efforts, the regional commissions are actively engaged in
analysing the countries’ priorities and experiences regarding labour markets, training, exchanges of
human capital and portability of pension and health benefits.

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World Bank

The World Bank's engagement on international migration focuses on the development
impact of migration and remittances for developing countries. The focus to date has
been largely on generating reliable data and deepening existing knowledge on the
potential benefits and costs of migration at both the household and aggregate level.
This work has lead to a number of important global and regional reports and has
improved the availability and quality of data on priority issues. Operational work to date has focused
on reducing the costs of remittances and better channelling of these resources; enhancing the
portability of pensions and strengthening the protection of migrant workers. The World Bank has also
been actively engaged in the attempt to gain global policy coherence in the area of international
migration by means of improved partnerships and coordination.

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News

The Global Migration Group on the occasion of International Migrants Day, 18 December 2009 Read more

3rd working level meeting of the Global Migration Group under UNITAR's chairmanship (14 December 2009) has endorsed ToRs for the GMG Troika.

Voice of the Global Migration Group at the Global Forum on Migration & Development, Athens, 4-5 November 2009 Read more

Retreat of the Heads of agency of the Global Migration Group under UNITAR's chairmanship on 9 October 2009 Read more

1-year workplan adopted by the GMG. Read more