An interactive webinar on the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) Roundtable 4 took place on the 9th of February 2022. In line with the series of Migration Dialogues organised by the United Nations Network on Migration, the 4th Roundtable focused on tackling the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) objectives 1, 3, 7, 17, and 23. Bringing together over 800 registrants, including various stakeholders, the event was co-organised by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The panellists hailed from different sectors such as academia, non-profit and human rights organisations, and regional organisations. The discussion was moderated by Mr. John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division of the UNDESA.
Among the key aims of the webinar were to discuss the current state of affairs of these five objectives and to identify the priorities in regard to their further implementation. In addition to preparing for the upcoming IMRF, the webinar also served as an opportunity for the Member States and all other relevant stakeholders to discuss approaches towards achieving effective, principled migration governance for the benefit of all.
Unjust realities in migration and the role of the GCM
The webinar commenced with a brief background leading up to the GCM and IMRF introduced by the event’s moderator, Mr. John. This was followed by the opening remarks delivered by Mr. Craig Mokhiber, Director of the New York Office, OHCHR. He focused his speech on nuancing the realities of migration in today’s times and brought attention to the fact that there is also an increasing number of migrants that are compelled to leave their homes due to a combination of reasons like poverty, lack of access to their rights, and the consequences of climate change. He also mentioned that migrants are not inherently vulnerable; however, they can become vulnerable to human rights violations in the face of difficult situations in their countries of origin, transit countries, and countries of arrival. Reminding everyone that the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problems, Mr. Craig pointed out that these realities bring to the forefront the GCM and its objectives.
Linking migration to sustainable development and drafting of evidence-based policies with reliable data
The panelist for Objective 1 was Colgate University‘s Professor Ellen Percy Kraly, who employed a scalar perspective in her presentation. She stated that the UN Expert Group on Migration Statistics is working to address not only the operational definition of international migration and temporary mobility but also primary and secondary topics of inquiry to promote its standard measurement and characterisation. According to her, such progress could allow for a better comparison of patterns and trends across regions and the GCM Member States.
Professor Kraly also mentioned that there exist both opportunities or priorities and challenges at each level in meeting Objective 1. The priorities derive from the guiding principles of the GCM.
“We have to be forward-thinking and should think about causes and consequences of migration in relationship to sustainable development. And finally, we need to think about a whole-of-government approach in order to really build capacity building within our countries, within our regions, and then ultimately within the international scale.”: Professor Ellen Percy Kraly.
Making information accessible and available for and with every migrant
The next panelist was Mimouna Esseyed of the Moroccan National Human Rights Council, who stated that their mandate is to promote and defend human rights. Their institution has been active since1999, and they have several international partners within Africa and beyond. The bulk of her presentation tackled the situation and priorities in Morocco in relation to Objective 3.
According to Ms. Esseyed, the first sub-objective entails developing a website compiling all available legal instruments for the reference of migrants. At present, there are several websites from different government agencies in Morocco and Africa which can serve as sources of accurate information, but having one designated platform would be a big help to all stakeholders. The second sub-objective is about the bilateral relations between countries. Morocco has presented a report to the African Observatory of Migration containing recommendations for Objective 3, the most notable being the need to establish non-discriminatory registration systems and build capacity through consular services.
“We believe that migrants should not be left out and should be considered as key actors of development, and should be fully integrated and join in the establishment of the policies that concern them, according to the Marrakech Compact.”: Ms. Mimouna Esseyed.
Reducing migrant vulnerabilities in times of a global pandemic
Objective 7 was discussed by Mr. Diego Morales, who is the Director of Litigation and Legal Defense at the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) based in Argentina. He pointed out that this objective is one of the most important in defining migration policy and human rights. Furthermore, he stressed the fact that states are committed to analysing their policies and practices to ensure that they do not foster further vulnerabilities for migrants. This comes hand-in-hand with their commitment to creating sound policies on assistance, health, gender, and labour.
On the subject of regularisation, he acknowledged that specific criteria are indispensable such that they pave the way for migrants to exercise their rights. However, these policies can also be oriented towards criminalisation, and such is the situation in certain cases within Latin America.
Similar to the prior speakers, Mr. Diego once again underscored how the COVID-19 worsened the situation for many migrants. In general, events that transpired, including actions taken by military agents, revealed the state-led decisions taken contrary to the GCM objectives. At the end of his presentation, Mr. Diego requested to follow up commitments to the GCM to deal with the return and entrance of migrants in a regular fashion and to be able to accompany the guidelines set out in Objective 7.
“Guides have to be very clear and transparent, based on human rights and actually correspond to the particular situation of the migrants.”: Mr. Diego.
Countering hate and moving towards more evidence-based public discourse on migration
The fourth panelist was Mr. Richard Wilson, Director of Stop Funding Hate, a campaign advocating for evidence-based public discourse and making hate unprofitable. Opening strong, he stated, “Journalism can be a powerful force for good, but we can also lead to harmful narratives,” and stressed how hateful messages contained in the media could translate to hate on the streets. This owes to the fact that hate has become a part of today’s media business model.
However, he also drew attention to much that is left to be done to realise this objective. Fortunately, he said that every organisation with an advertising budget could play a role in countering xenophobia and racism in the media. He rounded off his intervention by stating, “The more that they [organisations] put checks in place to ensure that their advertising is supporting ethical media rather than hateful clickbait, the more this will help to counter anti-immigrant sentiment and make a reality of the vision outlined in Objective 17.”
Enhancing International Cooperation to achieve GCM objectives
Mr. Martin Seychell, the Deputy Director-General of International Partnerships at the European Commission focused on the European Union’s (EU) progress on Objective 23. Mr. Martin opened his presentation with the following words, “the EU believes that the global challenges we face in today’s world require effective multilateral approaches based on solidarity, human rights, and on a rules-based international order.” In line with this, he stated that the EU migration policy reflects this approach. He expounded that the EU is presently working towards forming partnerships with countries of origin, transit, and destination. It is also working on a comprehensive framework based on a system of burden sharing, as evidenced by its New Migration Pact introduced in 2020.
Further, as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, the EU has only reaffirmed its commitment to international cooperation and a multilateral response together with the UN. The EU continues its partnership with the UN for capacity building supporting GCM Champion countries. It has also promised to allocate at least 10 percent of its financing instrument to actions supporting safe and dignified international migration.
To conclude, the webinar had been very informative and instrumental in enabling discussions that lay down the path towards International Migration Review Forum 2022. The webinar successfully presented a review of GCM Objectives 1,3,7,17, and 23, and highlighted the practical hurdles and new challenges faced in the implementation of these objectives.
Riza Franchesca Regala is a senior undergraduate student at Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines with a background in European Studies and International Relations. She currently serves as the Asia-Pacific Regional Focal Point at the Migration Youth and Children Platform – Major Group for Children and Youth: a network of young leaders under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly. Twitter: @_parisfrans