This is a concept paper on the proposed Roundtable themes for the Third Global Forum on Migration and Development to be held in Athens on 4 and 5 November 2009. The paper takes account of the thematic survey conducted by the Chair with Steering Group governments, and the subsequent consultations held with the GFMD Troika (Philippines, Greece, Argentina) on 25 February and 01 April, 2009, the GFMD Steering Group on 25 February and 01 April, 2009, and the Friends of the Forum on 02 April, 2009.
With these proposed themes, the Chair aims at promoting a balanced approach to the migration and development facets of the GFMD process, and the balanced engagement of developing and developed countries from all regions of the world in the process.
This Themes concept paper serves as the basis for the work of the Roundtable session teams in preparing and conducting the Roundtables. Governments are encouraged to consult their national development agencies and, if relevant, to include them in the preparatory process of the GFMD.
I. General considerations
a)The proposed Roundtable themes and session topics are guided by the overarching theme of the Greek Chair, Integrating Migration Policies into Development Strategies for the Benefit of All. This theme remains central to the GFMD process, yet opens a space for new approaches and ideas.
b)The Chair intends to focus on development in the migration and development nexus as a key to ensure that, if people move, they do so by their own choice not out of necessity, to give more visibility to the initiative of the UN Secretary-General to address the nexus between root causes of migration and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
c)A further innovative element is the proposed discussion of the inter-relationship between migrant integration (as inclusion, protection and acceptance), reintegration and development in the light of new migration patterns, including circular migration.
d)The Athens meeting will reinforce the practical orientation of the GFMD in order to define practical solutions to concrete problems. During the preparatory process and the meeting in November, participants will be expected to define good practices and identify policy gaps. Practical outcomes should be the priority for each session.
e)The individual is central to both migration and development. Migrants are people; development is about human well-being and empowerment. The Athens meeting will give special attention to human rights in the context of policies of inclusion, protection and acceptance of migrants in society, during the discussion in Roundtable 2, pursuant to the Manila focus on these concerns.
f)Government policies and programs remain paramount in the GFMD, but the discussions should also be informed by the latest data and findings of non-state and international experts in the field of migration and development. The Civil Society contributions will thus also be important to the success of the GFMD.
g)While the Chair wishes to build upon the previous GFMD meetings, it is also necessary to avoid repetitive discussions from one meeting to the next.
h)The Chair will ensure consistency with previous GFMD meetings as far as terminology is concerned.
II. The Roundtables
The Greek Chair will continue the participative and team-based approach to preparing the Roundtable sessions. The structure of three Roundtables will be retained, with break-out sessions prepared by government teams around themes of common interest. As in Manila, it is intended to limit the Roundtables to seven sessions for reasons of manageability and logistics.
The GFMD process pursues an incremental approach to the themes and is also open to new topics. The Athens meeting will thus build upon the Brussels and Manila meetings, while breaking new ground with the overarching Greek GFMD theme. The theme of Integrating Migration Policies into Development Strategies for the Benefit of All will be addressed in some form throughout all Roundtables, but will also be the specific focus of Roundtable 1, along with some new approaches to the role of diasporas for development and to the root causes of migration in light of the current global economic crisis. Roundtable 2 will deepen the earlier discussions on regular migration, labour mobility and the protection of migrants, and will examine migrant integration, reintegration and circulation strategies and their inter-linkages with development. Roundtable 3 will expand on, and update, the ongoing policy and institutional coherence efforts underpinning the other Roundtable debates and focus on data and research issues and regional and inter-regional activities.
Roundtable 1:
How to make the migration – development nexus work for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (more...)
Roundtable 2:
Migrant integration, reintegration and circulation for development (more...)
Roundtable 3:
Policy and Institutional Coherence and Partnerships (more...)
III. Special Session on the Future of the GFMD
As a permanent feature of the GFMD, the special session on the future of the GFMD would continue to review the Operating Modalities of the Forum. There should also be continuing discussion of such strategic issues as the relationship with the United Nations, Civil Society and the Global Migration Group. The session would on this occasion also assess the operations of the new GFMD Support Unit and its continued activity in 2010. These discussions should have been adequately prepared throughout the year.
A separate document/questionnaire could be circulated at a later date on these questions.
