On 19 September 2016, Member States adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, A/70/L.61, which in Annex II sets out steps towards the achievement of a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration (GCM) in 2018. Member States called on IOM to make use of its premier policy forum, the International Dialogue on Migration (IDM), to contribute to the preparatory process of the global compact.

Following the first workshop organized on 18-19 of April 2017 at the UN Headquarters in New York and which addressed cooperation and governance of migration, this second meeting offered Member States and other relevant actors the opportunity to explore all aspects of migrant vulnerabilities from a policy, cooperation and practical perspective.

Overview

The overall objective of this second workshop was to address all aspects of migrant vulnerabilities and challenges involved by:

  • Understanding migrant vulnerability and clarifying terminology;
  • Identifying vulnerability and assessing the causes;
  • Reviewing the existing protection systems available for international migrants and specifying the protection gaps and needs;
  • Fostering consensus on appropriate policy response to migrant vulnerability before, during, and after their migration processes; and
  • Developing frameworks for inter-agency cooperation and collaboration on policies to prevent, address, and sustainably resolve migrant vulnerability.

Participants aimed to discuss and put forward recommendations for concrete and implementable measures to reduce migrants’ vulnerabilities and respond to their protection and assistance needs. The outcome of this workshop and that of the first one organized in New York on 18-19 April 2017 were consolidated in a publication which was provided as input to the elaboration of the global compact on migration as stated in the modalities resolution for the intergovernmental negotiations of the global compact.

Agenda

Day 1
09:00 – 10:00 Registration

10:00 – 10:45 Opening
• William Lacy Swing, Director General, IOM (Opening remarks)
• Tijani Mohammad, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana
• Peter Thomson, President, United Nations General Assembly (Message) 

10:45 – 11:00 Keynote remarks
• Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Canada (Keynote speech)

11:00  – 11:35 Migrants’ Voices
• Fatumo Farah, Director, Himilo Relief and Development Association (HIRDA), The Netherlands (Presentation)
• Monami Maulik, International Coordinator, Global Coalition on Migration (Presentation)

11:35 – 11:50 Setting the scene
• Vincent Houver, Deputy Director Department of Emergencies, IOM (Presentation)
• Anh Nguyen, Head, Migrant Assistance Division, IOM (Presentation)

11:50 – 13:10 Panel 1 – Understanding migrant vulnerability: concepts, drivers, protection frameworks and gaps
Moderator: Vincent Chetail, Professor of International Law, Director, Global Migration Centre 
Speakers:
• Nanette Thomas, Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Sierra Leone 
• Md. Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
• Edward Hobart, Migration Envoy, Europe Directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom 
• Matteo Biffoni, Mayor of Prato, Italy 
• Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 

Other statements from the audience:

13:10 – 15:00 Break

15:00 – 16:30 Panel 2 – Identifying migrant vulnerabilities – structural and situational factors of vulnerability 
Moderator: Lilana Keith, Advocacy Officer, Labour Rights and Children’s Rights, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) 
Speakers:
• Anna Makakala, Commissioner General of Immigration Services, Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (Presentation)
• Aud Kolberg, Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway 
• Roxana Castro de Bollig, Director of Protection and Assistance to Nationals, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peru (Presentation)
• Elda Gladis Tobar Ortiz, Executive Director, Salvadoran Institute for Comprehensive Protection for Children and Adolescents (ISNA) 
• Natapanu Nopakun, Director of Social Division, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand 

16:30 – 18:00 Panel 3 – Applying policy and operational frameworks in a migration context
Moderator: Elizabeth Ferris, Research Professor, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University 
Speakers:
• Maria Fernanda Rodríguez, Deputy Secretary of Access to Justice, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Argentina (Statement)
• Ola Henrikson, Director General, Department of Migration and Asylum, Ministry of Justice, Sweden  (Statement)
• Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija, Chief Humanitarian Coordinator, Emergency Coordination Center, Nigeria (Statement)
• Pia Oberoi, Advisor on Migration and Human Rights, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (Presentation)
• Nilambar Badal, Program Director, Asian Human Rights and Culture Development Forum (Asian Forum – Migrants’ Center) (Statement)

Day 2
10:00 – 11:30 Panel 4 – Integration and social inclusion as a means of addressing and mitigating migrant vulnerabilities
Moderator: Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson, United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Vice-President International Association for Community Development, Department of Applied Social Studies, Maynooth University, Ireland
Speakers: 
• Marina Del Corral, Secretary General of Immigration and Emigration, Secretariat General for Immigration and Emigration, Ministry of Employment and Social Security, Spain (Statement)
• Carlos Arturo López Damm, Ambassador, Undersecretary of Migration and Consular Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Ecuador (Statement)
• Timur Shaimergenov, Deputy Director, Head of the Policy Analysis Center, The Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
• Hibaq Jama, Councillor, City of Bristol (Presentation)
• Daniel Klein, Founder of the project “The Perennial Plate” (documentary series) (Presentation)

Other statements from the audience:

11:30 – 13:00 Panel 5 – Promoting resilience and agency in support of vulnerable migrants
Moderator: Daniela Reale, Child Protection and Children on the Move Lead, Save the Children (Presentation)
Speakers:
• Khadijetou Mbareck Fall, Minister Delegate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mauritania, responsible for Maghrebian and African Affairs, and Expatriate Mauritanians 
• Javier Dario Higuera, Director of Migration, Consular Affairs and Citizen Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombia (Statement)
• Daniela Nuñez Pares, Director of Institutional Coordination for Migrant Health, General Direction of International Relations, Ministry of Health, Mexico (Presentation)
• Mechthilde Fuhrer, Deputy Executive Secretary of the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement of the Council of Europe (Presentation)
• Sikander Khan, Director, Geneva Office of Emergency Programmes, UNICEF (Presentation)
• Chidi King, Director, Equality Department, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) (Statement)

Other statements from the audience:​

13:00 – 15:00 Break
13:30 – 14:15 Side event 
Book launch: Migrants in Disaster Risk Reduction: Practices for Inclusion
Moderator: Vincent Houver, Deputy Director Department of Emergencies, IOM
Speakers:
• Denis Mcclean, UNISDR’s Chief, Communications and Outreach Communication and Media Unit
• Mechthilde Fuhrer, Deputy Executive Secretary of the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement of the Council of Europe
• Lorenzo Guadagno, Manager - Migrants In Countries In Crisis Capacity Building Programme, IOM

15:00 – 17:00 Session 6 – Towards a global compact on migration: comprehensive and coordinated initiatives to reduce vulnerability and empower migrants
15:00 – 16:00 Panel 1
Moderator: Jean-Christophe Dumont, Head of the International Migration Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD 
Speakers:
• George Jashi, Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the State Commission on Migration Issues, Public Service Development Agency, Ministry of Justice of Georgia (Statement)
• Gibril Faal, Director of GK Partners, Interim Director of the Africa-Europe Diaspora Development Platform (ADEPT) (Document circulated)
• Marius Olivier, Director, Institute for Social Law and Policy (ISLP), Extraordinary professor, Faculty of Law, Northwest University (Presentation)

16:00 – 17:00 Panel 2
Moderator: Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General, IOM
Speakers:
• Md. Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (Presentation)
• Mahboub Maalim, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) (Statement)
• Christine Matthews, Senior Policy Adviser, Office of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration (Statement)
• Mirela Stoia, Director, Immigration Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers (Statement)

Other statements from the audience:​

17:00 – 18:00 Wrap-up and closing remarks
• Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General, IOM (Closing remarks)

End of workshop

Related documents
Event documents and photos

 

RESOURCES & TOOLS

IOM International Dialogue on Migration
Infosheet
13 Sep 2018
IOM's International Dialogue on Migration
The International Dialogue on Migration “Red Book Series”
PUBLICATION
24 Mar 2023
The International Dialogue on Migration “Red Book Series”

Related Topics & Pages

International Dialogue on Migration
International Cooperation and Partnerships