The United Nations is hosting a series of roundtable discussions on migration’s progress and challenges. And further discussing the progress towards achieving the goals of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration ahead of the International Migration Review Forum in New York in May 2022. It is a virtual space where representatives from states that have signed the Global Compact and members of national and international organizations can discuss migration issues. The first virtual roundtable was held on January 19, 2022, and was moderated by Michelle Leighton and David Kodour, Chief of the International Labor Organization’s Labor Migration Branch and UNDP Human Mobility Advisor respectively.
Laxman Basnet, General Secretary of the South Asian Trade Union Network, stated during this webinar that the Chinese government is negotiating the working conditions of migrants between the two countries. According to him, migrant workers, who are the most visible people affected by these negotiations, have no say. Basnet, who criticizes the absence of migrants in these negotiations, requests that discussions about workers’ working conditions should take place between workers and employers. According to him, when an agreement on migrant workers is signed between the countries of origin and destinations, the latter will not have a legal obligation to respect it, as is the case with the GCM. They will have a moral obligation to these instruments. As a result, Basnet advocates for a paradigm shift.
Canada supports the establishment of common migration routes to facilitate both permanent and temporary migration
Cindy Munro, Immigration Counsellor, Canadian Mission to the EU, stated that Canada strongly supports the establishment of regular channels to facilitate permanent and temporary migration. “Common pathways can be used to meet labor market needs, drive innovation, support family reunification, grow the economy, and assist vulnerable migrants.” Furthermore, by providing opportunities for regular migration, we provide alternatives to those who may believe that they have no choice but to resort to irregular migration, which can put migrants in vulnerable situations, says Munro. Simultaneously, she announces the implementation of Canada’s plan to welcome new permanent residents at a rate of approximately 1% of the Canadian population per year for the next three years. According to her, despite a complex environment due to COVID-19, Canada met its goal of receiving 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021.
COVID-19 has lifted the veil on migrants’ roles in host countries
The COVID-19 pandemic, according to Canada’s EU representative, has helped to highlight the role of migrants in various communities and sectors of the economy. It has deepened public discourse on migrants’ positive contributions. She stated that her country prioritized worker protection and encouraged other countries to join the global policy network on recruitment, which directly supports achieving Objective 6 of the GCM.
According to Sweden’s Representative, informal labor markets, in particular, are a major impediment to migrant integration
Kristof Tomas, Sweden’s representative, commented on the Global Compact’s Objective 2 on minimizing negative drivers and Objective 5 on regular migration pathways. According to Tomas, objective 2 provides more options for individuals to either stay or leave the country in search of work. However, it is not only the unemployed who leave their countries; people with jobs also migrate in order to earn higher wages, according to Tomas. In this regard, he believes that international cooperation through ODA and FDI must be highly targeted in order to effectively address the negative drivers of involuntary migration.
In terms of improving regular migration channels, he believes that collaboration is required to remove the barriers that prevent migrants from using them. Furthermore, Tomas believes that informal labor markets, even for regular migrants, pose a significant barrier to integration. As a result, the private sector can play a role in migrant recruitment by facilitating fair and ethical recruitment and ensuring that migrant workers are recruited in accordance with applicable legal frameworks and protection needs. According to Tomas, Sweden has supported the IRIS initiative to increase the certainty and predictability of migration procedures. He advocates for the creation of integral and inclusive migration policies, as well as the reduction of the costs of immigration, visa, and permit procedures. It also encourages the development of regional systems for mutual recognition of skills and qualifications, as well as the validation of professional certifications and teaching diplomas.
Morocco takes steps to promote migrant inclusion
Moroccan diplomat MajdaMoutchou emphasized her country’s efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on migrants. According to him, a national strategy on immigration and asylum has been implemented in accordance with King Mohammed VI’s vision for humane, responsible, and united migration governance. She claims that Morocco has always included migrants in the COVID-19 vaccination plan.
The government’s strategy is also reflected in the ability of immigrants to access administrative services, as well as the labor market for children to obtain the necessary education and training. It also gives women and girls access to gender information,” says Moutchou.
At the same time, Moutchou applauds Moroccan institutions in charge of migration-related issues for coordinating their strategies with national and international NGOs in order to provide a suitable space for migrants to live in dignity.
Sri Lanka-Azerbaijan is banking on digitization to facilitate ethical migrant recruitment
DasunNalinda, speaking on behalf of the Ceylon Employers’ Federation, reminded the audience that Sri Lanka has established a national skills assessment system for migrant workers. He does, however, point out that there is no systematic method for recognizing workers abilities. As a result, some of the latter may lose their jobs.
He stated that, with the assistance of the International Labor Organization, the Higher and Vocational Education Commission of the Ministry of Skills Development and the Ceylon Employers’ Federation had implemented a passport system. It is a common platform that allows you to view a detailed history of the worker’s basic skills, employment history, and compatibility of his skills with the vacancy. This common platform provides information about migrant workers, Sri Lankan workers, and other workers.
Mr. Ulvi Aliyev, the representative of Azerbaijan, for his part, reported increased efforts to promote and improve digitalization and services to ensure that the whole-of-society approach is in place, with a focus on the convenience of migrants and offering more flexible routes.
The Federation of Domestic Workers criticizes the absence of regulatory mechanisms
Poverty and climate change, according to the representative of the International Domestic Workers Federation, continue to be major drivers of forced migration. Furthermore, once migrants arrive in their destination country, they are left in the hands of placement agencies due to the government’s lack of recruitment mechanisms with legal and regulatory frameworks.
According to an IDWF representative, the plight of migrants has worsened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing, in particular, an increase in migration costs and drop in income. This made it more difficult for destination employers to hire migrant domestic workers than usual.
Conclusion
This first virtual roundtable discussion on international cooperation in the governance of international migration aimed to encourage and motivate the pact’s signatories to align their actions with their commitments. It served as a warm-up for the first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), which will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 17 to 20, 2022. The goal will be to assess progress in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) at the local, national, regional, and global levels. It is worth noting that more than 300 people from various countries took part in this virtual event.
Jesula Simon holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy, and she is currently a University Diploma in Conflict Management and Resolution, Mediation and Interculturality. She is a human rights defender, works as a journalist, and has experience in communication and media, public policy, project management, education, protection, community mobilizing with private media, public services, and international organizations. In her work, she particularly enjoys dealing with issues related to migration, and she works at Haiti Migration Group.