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MADE Global Newsletter
March 2015
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Note to readers:
The coordination of GFMD civil society activities has become part of the Migration and Development Civil Society Network (MADE) activities. You have previously subscribed to MADE and/or GFMD civil society newsletters. These are now merged into one regular global update informing you regarding the latest migration and development actions, GFMD civil society updates, campaigns, events, publications and voices from the ground.
See below for more details, or click here to update your profile and manage your subscription preferences.
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1. GFMD 2015 Turkish Chair announces dates and convenes governments on SDGs
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The Turkish Chair convened the third round of preparatory meetings on 4-5 February, in Geneva. During the meeting, it was officially announced that the 2015 GFMD will take place between 12 and 16 October in Istanbul:
- 12 and 13 October 2014: GFMD Civil Society Days
- 14 October 2014: Common Space
- 15-16 October: GFMD Government Days
In preparation for the GFMD Summit in October, the Turkish Chair organized the first thematic meeting on “Migration in the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda”, bringing together around 150 policymakers and officials from UN Member States and representatives of international organizations. The meeting was co-convened by the Governments of Bangladesh (GFMD Chair in 2016) and Germany.
Having been invited to speak on behalf of civil society, Mr. John K. Bingham, Head of Policy of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), presented civil society’s ‘Stockholm Agenda’.
Noting that the case has been “so clearly made for migrants and migration in the Sustainable Development Goals”, Mr. Bingham urged that “civil society must be involved in creating, measuring and monitoring the indicators, and as practitioners, not just academics”.
Click here for a full overview of the meeting and to read the civil society presentation.
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2. Civil society pushes GFMD for more migrant rights and protection in transit; Chair publishes final Concept paper
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On 4 February, the 3rd GFMD ”Friends of the Forum” (FOF) meeting was organized in Geneva by the Turkish GFMD Chair for governments and international organisations, among other things to discuss the Chair’s proposed final version of the concept paper for the GFMD government programme.
Several governments and civil society asked for a stronger human-rights approach to be included throughout the concept paper, specific attention to safe and fair migration, and a clarification on the definition of forced migrants that was in the version proposed to be final.
Referring to earlier feedback that ICMC had collected and submitted to the Chair from civil society organizations active in the GFMD, John K. Bingham emphasized the urgency to address the plight of migrants in transit, because "people on the move are suffering and dying today" on sea and on land.
Building upon the discussion during the FOF the Turkish Chair has now published the final version of its concept paper. Civil society will work on its own agenda for the 2015 GFMD Civil Society Days, which will be circulated as a draft for feedback soon.
Click here for an overview of the meeting, and to access the final concept note and civil society's presentation.
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3. Migration and the Sustainable Development Goals: a post-2015 call to action
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During the first six months of 2015, intensive negotiations are taking place in New York and around the world in the run-up to the Special UN Summit on Sustainable Development in New York on September 25-27, 2015. At the Summit, UN member states will adopt the post-2015 development agenda, replacing the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Unlike the MDGs, which did not say anything about migration, migrants and migration are recognised as agents, actors, and subject of human development in a number of the 17 goals and 169 targets that were put forward by governments in the preliminary SDG drafting processes of their Open Working Group (OWG). However much needs to be done between now and July to sustain and further mobilise support to ensure that migrants and migration are meaningfully integrated into the new SDGs and its indicators.
With that in mind the MADE Working Group on Global Governance of Migration and Development, coordinated by Cordaid, has prepared a set of tools to aid lobbying efforts towards national governments.
- "Migration and Sustainable Development Goals: a Post-2015 Call to Action", a four-page policy briefing, is available in English, Spanish, French and Turkish.
- A summary table, matching the 17 OWG goals to the 5-year 8-point plan and Stockholm Agenda is available here.
Follow the conversation on Twitter with hashtags #MADE, #Post2015 and #StockholmAgenda.
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4. 12 reasons to ratify the 1990 UN Migrant Workers Convention
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A year-long Step it up! campaign was launched in December 2014 to generate new ratifications of the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and the Members of their Families (the UN Migrant Workers Convention) in the lead-up to the 25 th anniversary in December 2015 of its adoption in 1990.
Step it up! promotes further ratification of the UN Migrants Workers Convention to advance the struggle for equality, dignity, decent work, human rights and development. It was launched by a consortium of civil society networks and international organisations, led by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), together with the OHCHR Secretary of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, International Labour Organization, South Asian Regional Trade Union Council, Diplomacy Training Program, Arab Network for Migrants Rights, Solidarity Center, and Migrant Rights International.
The Convention is one of the ten core international human rights treaties, but the one least ratified. Although it has been ratified by a number of significant “destination” and “transit” countries as well as many countries of origin, altogether only 47 States have ratified the Convention so far, and none from the “Global North”.
Get involved by visiting the website and sharing the message on the CW25 Facebook Page and Twitter account.
Are you involved in active advocacy to get the Convention ratified in your country? Take inspiration from this list of 12 reasons to ratify the convention. |
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5. Announcements: calls for proposals and online discussion
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IFRC call for proposals
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has issued a call for proposals to civil society organizations for protecting and promoting the rights of migrant domestic workers and victims of human trafficking.
The 'Rights of Migrants in Action' is a programme funded by the European Union and implemented by IFRC and its national societies.
Civil society organizations from 15 target countries (Benin, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Thailand, Zimbabwe) are invited to apply by 31 March 2015 with their concept notes.
Find out more background details, FAQ, application procedures and eligibility on IFRC Call for proposals webpage.
Recruitment Reform online discussion
MADE invites you to participate in the new online discussion from the Labour Migration and Recruitment Open Working Group on Government-to-Government (G2G) Recruitment. This discussion will focus on the benefits and drawbacks of the various G2G recruitment modalities. Respondents’ inputs will be compiled as a policy brief for use in the Open Working Group’s advocacy activities in the coming months.
To participate, visit Recruitment Reform and log in or register to the Forum section.
Want to receive further news from the Labour and Recruitment Open Working Group? Sign up to the Global Migration and Development database and mark the option to receive news related to this topic.
Call for consultants - MADE
The MADE coordinating office is looking for consultants the next few months to:
- Conduct a Global Migration and Development Survey and interviews among civil society in the next few months, to assess priorities and challenges for the situation on the ground for migrants, communities and civil society organizing, and write a report about this
- Write a Global Migration and Development Civil Society Report on progress and impact for migrants, migrants' rights, and development.
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6. Migration in images: women and the workforce
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March 8 is International Women's Day.
On March 8 International Women's Day was celebrated around the world. Today, women represent about 50% of the world’s 232 million migrants. Migration can be empowering for women and their families, yet too often women and girls face challenges in their migration journeys and places of work, including exploitation, discrimination, abuse and violence.
In 2013, civil society’s 5-year 8-point plan called upon governments to “address the needs and rights of migrant women including […] enabling women worked to have the choice to migrate or remain in home countries [and to ensure] protection again all forms of violence.”
It's important to recognise and protect women’s rights, migrants or not, while we also celebrate the achievements of women, in their home countries and countries they migrate to.
This edition of Migration in Images, on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2015, honours women and their contribution to the global workforce.
Source: Huffington Post
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21 - 22 March: Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative, Manila, the Philippines, civil society parallel event hosted by Migrant Forum in Asia
24 - 28 March: World Social Forum in Tunis City, Tunisia
3 - 4 June: European Development Days, Brussels, Belgium
13 - 16 July: Financing for Development Summit, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
12 - 13 October: GFMD Civil Society Days, Istanbul, Turkey
14 October: Common Space between Governments and Civil Society, Istanbul, Turkey
15 - 16 October: GFMD Government Days, Istanbul, Turkey
Would you like to feature any events or share any updates on migration and development?
Write to info@madenetwork.org or simply click the button below to let us know what you are up to!
Relevant initiatives will be featured on the MADE website, on social media and/or through email updates, reaching a growing audience of over 2500 global migration and development practitioners, experts, and advocates.
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MADE is co-funded by the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this newsletter lies entirely with the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), as the global coordinator of the MADE programme. 