Beijing – China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) this week co-hosted a National Workshop on Migration and the 2030 Agenda in Beijing.  

Representatives from government ministries and departments, UN agencies and academia examined the nexus between migration and development, the role of migration in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ways to enhance collaboration between stakeholders. 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for the SDGs in September 2015. It consists of 17 SDGs, one of which – Goal 10, and its accompanying target 10.7 – refers specifically to facilitating orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies. Other goals and targets reference migration, directly or as a cross-cutting aspect. 

In his opening remarks, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Counselor Zhang Yi said: “Migration is evidence of our interconnected world in the global era and is inherently tied to the SDGs. Today nations are interlinked more than ever before and initiatives such as China’s One Belt One Road are particularly relevant for safe and orderly movement of people.” 

UN Resident Coordinator in China Nicholas Rossellini noted: “IOM is a significant actor in the implementation of migration-related SDG objectives, especially in its capacity as the Coordinator of the newly created UN Network on Migration. The Network brings greater efficiency and coherence to the UN system’s work on migration and better supports Member States in the implementation of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.” 

IOM China Chief of Mission Giuseppe Crocetti added: “It is encouraging to see so many representatives of ministries and departments, academia and UN partner agencies come together to share their sectoral knowledge and experience. Multi-stakeholder partnership is key to address migration as a core enabler of sustainable development.” 

The workshop, which was funded by IOM Development Fund, was part of an IOM project designed to support China’s engagement in the global dialogue on migration. The project aims to introduce stakeholders to key policy instruments and frameworks and to share best practices and tools. 

These include a Chinese edition of Migration and the 2030 Agenda: A Guide for Practitioners, which was officially launched at the workshop in collaboration with the Center for China and Globalization. 

For more information please contact Giuseppe Crocetti at IOM China. Tel: +86(10) 5979-9695; Email: gcrocetti@iom.int