Inter-Governmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)

Type: Interregional forum on migration (regions covered: Europe - Asia - Americas)

Formal association with regional or multi-stakeholder organization: None

Established: 1985

Objectives

The Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) is an informal, non-decision-making forum for inter-governmental information exchange and policy debate on all issues of relevance to the management of international migratory flows. IGC is considered as the first inter-state consultation mechanism on migration. 

Current Thematic Focus

IGC places its principal focus on the exchange of national strategy, policy, best practices and data. Areas of thematic focus include:

• Asylum and refugees
• Border management, including admission, control and enforcement
• Data (asylum, removal)
• Country of origin information
• Human smuggling and trafficking
• Immigration (labor, student, family, business)
• Integration, settlement and citizenship
• International engagement on migration
• Multidisciplinary Approach (country- and theme-specific)
• Return, reintegration and readmission
• Technology

Chairing Country

• Current Chair: Sweden (2023-2024)

• Past chairs: USA (2023), Netherlands (2022), United Kingdom (2021), Canada (2019-2020), Spain (2018-2019), Norway (2017-2018), Belgium (2015-2016), Australia (2014-2015), Denmark (2013-2014), New Zealand (2012-2013), Germany (2011-2012), USA (2010-2011), Finland (2009-2010), Switzerland (2008-2009), Sweden (2007-2008), Ireland (2006-2007), Netherlands (2005-2006), Canada (2004-2005), Norway (2003-2004), Belgium (2002-2003), UK (2001-2002), Australia (2000-2001).

Secretariat

IGC Secretariat is administratively hosted by the International Organization for Migration, under the terms of an Administrative Agreement.

Members

Member States [called by IGC “Participating States”] (19 States)

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• Netherlands, The
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

Note: Founding Members: Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and UK. 

Member organizations [called by IGC “Participating organizations”) (5 organizations)

• European Union (EU)
• European Asylum Support Office (EASO)
• European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex)
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Partners

• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• European Commission (EC)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• European Asylum Support Office (EASO)
• Frontex

Observers

Observer organizations  (1 organization)

• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

 

Working Groups

IGC has the following working groups:

• Asylum and Refugees Working Group
• Country of Origin Information Working Group
• Admission, Control and Enforcement Working Group
• Technology Working Group
• Immigration Working Group
• Integration Working Group

Documents

• IGC one-page overview
• In a Constructive and Pragmatic Spirit (2018)
• Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2015)
• Migration Policy Practice (Volume IV, Number 3, July–September 2014)
• IGC Contribution to the High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (2013)
• Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2012)
• Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2009)
• Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants: Towards the Evaluation of Policy and Practice (2009)
• IGC Contribution to the 1st Global RCP Meeting organized by IOM - GCIM (2005)

 

Contact Information

Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Consultation on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)
Rue de Vermont 37-39
1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 229196600
Fax: +41 (0) 229196610
E-mail: admin @ igc. ch

Webpage
www.igc.ch