ICMPD participates at the 12th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit in the framework of numerous projects. The Forum, which is held in Quito, Ecuador, during the week of 20 - 24 January 2020, welcomes about 1000 policy makers and practitioners in the field of migration and development from all world regions and representatives from international organisations are attending the forum.
ICMPD has actively supported the Ecuadorian Chairmanship and the Forum’s thematic priorities during 2019 through joint EU-ICMPD MIgration EU Expertise (MIEUX) Initiative. As a reputable voice in the topics of narratives towards migrants and migration and city-level governance of migration, which form part of the official programme, ICMPD has also been invited to share the experiences arising from the EUROMED IV and Mediterranean City-To-City projects.
The recently launched EU Global Diaspora Facility is presented during the Platform for Partnerships, a space devoted to exchanging practices, policies and lessons learned that promote international cooperation in the field of migration and development.
MIEUX and the GFMD
The MIEUX project actively supported the Ecuadorian Chairmanship of the GFMD during 2019 in setting up a series of regional workshops that involved Latin American and Caribbean stakeholders, including academia and civil society, in drafting the content for the GFMD Government Roundtables.
These efforts have culminated in three events. First, a joint ICMPD-United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) side event entitled "Latin America in the spotlight – in search of better migration governance and increased cooperation" 21 January. Featured speakers come from Ecuador, El Salvador, and Mexico. The event seeks to share the experiences, concerns and lessons learnt with the wider GFMD audience. A representative from the European Union will discuss how the EU has supported Latin American countries in managing the increased volumes of asylum seekers and displaced populations, especially from Venezuela.
Second, during the opening ceremony on 21 January, Mr. Oleg Chirita, Head of Programme, Global Initiatives, joined former GFMD Chairs and a delegate from the EU in launching the publication "Engine. Exchange and Action: The Global Forum on Migration and Development and the 2019 Pivot to Practice", which features testimonials from all former Chairs, summarises the evolution of the Forum and provides perspectives from civil society, the Business Mechanism and the Mayor’s Forum about its future. The European Union supported the production of this publication through the MIEUX Initiative.
Third, at the joint UNDP – ICMPD – Cities Alliance side event, on 22 January, Mr. Alfred Woeger will joined the panel of speakers to discuss city-level responses to migration, presenting the outcomes of the MIEUX-UNDP event held in Lima last October in reference to this topic.
EUROMED IV and the GFMD
EUROMED Migration IV is a programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by ICMPD. It supports EU Member States and the European Neighbourhood Instrument Southern Partner Countries in establishing a comprehensive, constructive and operational dialogue and cooperation framework on migration, with a particular focus on reinforcing instruments and capacities to develop and implement evidence-based migration policies. Within this frame, ICMPD’s Regional Coordinator for the Mediterranean Julien Simon speaks at the Round-table session on "Shaping public narratives on migration and migrants". In his intervention, he illustrates how perception and attitudes to migration affect the way policy is enacted, the importance of addressing the benefits of migration and the way ICMPD is promoting a new balanced narrative on migration in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
EU Global Diaspora Facility and the GFMD
ICMPD has been invited to present the EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) during the special session "Platform for Partnerships ", on 22 January 2020, which provides governments and non-State partners (international organisations, civil society and the private sector) a dedicated space for displaying state-of-the-art initiatives on migration and development and for forging partnerships.
Launched in June 2019 and running until the end of 2022, the EUDiF aims to enhance development collaboration between EU-based diaspora organisations, countries of origin and the EU. Among its activities, the facility will conduct a global mapping of diaspora engagement, deliver capacity building, organise consultations and exchanges with diaspora and countries of origin, and deploy diaspora expertise for development projects.
The GFMD was launched in 2007 and is the largest informal, non-binding, voluntary and government-led process that brings to discussion the connection between migration and development and international cooperation.
Additional information about ICMPD’s support to the Ecuadorian Chairmanship is available at the Global Forum on Migration and Development and Migration EU eXpertise (MIEUX) Initiative websites.