The Global Forum on Migration and Development Civil Society Days is an annual meeting of civil society representatives held in conjunction with the Government Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
The Global Forum on Migration and Development is an outcome of the 2006 UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development suggested by the UN Secretary General. The GFMD is open to any member state or observer of the United Nations as well as international organizations and civil society. The GFMD is outside of the UN program and is non-binding, completely voluntary process hosted by a different state each year. [1]
The host state in turn selects a chair to organize and lead the event. The GFMD Civil Society Days are a parallel process to the government meetings and are led each year by a civil society partner selected by the chair. In the past five meetings, a range of topics have been discussed by governments and civil society including: global governance of migration, irregular migration, integration of migrants, discrimination, xenophobia, the feminization of migration, remittances, migrant rights, mobility, research, and data collection, to name a few. UN Secretary General appointed Peter Sutherland as the Secretary General's Special Representative on Migration and Development. [2]
The Civil Society Coordinating Office was created in 2011 to assume responsibility of the overall preparation and coordination of civil society activities. The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) took the role of Coordinating Office in 2011 at the invitation of the Swiss Chair and will maintain its role to date.
The annual convening of the GFMD takes place over several days, the GFMD Civil Society Days are held immediately preceding the Government Meeting. Civil society and governments have separate, but tangential, agendas. The agendas are developed well in advance of the forum. Civil society bases its agenda off of recommendations from previous GFMDs, the current state agenda, and consultations with civil society actors. Each year the forum is typically divided into three major topics with roundtable meetings further dividing those three topics into smaller sessions.
At the GFMD 2010 the Mexican Chair initiated a “Common Space” between civil society and governments. This allowed an interactive session between the two constituents who had previously been completely separated. The initiative was considered a success by both civil society and governments and was reprised at the GFMD 2011 in Geneva. [3] The 2012 Mauritian Chair has stated that he wishes to continue to implement the Common Space at the 2012 GFMD.
The first UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development since the creation of the GFMD is being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in 2013. Turkey will host the GFMD in 2015.
The United Nations System consists of the United Nations' six principal organs, the Specialized Agencies and related organizations. The UN System includes subsidiary bodies such as the separately administered funds and programmes, research and training institutes, and other subsidiary entities. Some of these organizations predate the founding of the United Nations in 1945 and were inherited after the dissolution of the League of Nations.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was a two-phase United Nations-sponsored summit on information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis. WSIS Forums have taken place periodically since then. One of the Summit's chief aims is to bridge the global digital divide separating rich countries from poor countries by increasing internet accessibility in the developing world. The conferences established 17 May as World Information Society Day.
Peter Denis Sutherland was an Irish businessman, barrister and Fine Gael politician who served as UN Special Representative for International Migration from 2006 to 2017. He was known for serving in a variety of international organisations, political and business roles.
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is "an autonomous research institute within the United Nations that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues". UNRISD was established in 1963 with the mandate of conducting policy-relevant research on social development that is pertinent to the work of the United Nations Secretariat, regional commissions and specialized agencies, and national institutions.
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder governance group for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. It brings together all stakeholders in the Internet governance debate, whether they represent governments, the private sector or civil society, including the technical and academic community, on an equal basis and through an open and inclusive process. The establishment of the IGF was formally announced by the United Nations Secretary-General in July 2006. It was first convened in October–November 2006 and has held an annual meeting since then.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative that attempts to "galvanize international action against extremism" through the forging of international, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation. The Alliance places a particular emphasis on defusing tensions between the Western and Islamic worlds.
The North American Forum is an annual meeting of U.S., Canadian and Mexican government and business representatives to discuss issues related to continental economic and social integration. The Forum is chaired jointly by former United States Secretary of State George Shultz, former Mexican Finance Minister Pedro Aspe, and former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed.
Srgjan Kerim is a Macedonian diplomat, economist, former Foreign Minister and President of the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. His term of office began on September 18, 2007 and ended on September 16, 2008. He is of Macedonian Turkish descent.
The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) is an international organization that serves and protects uprooted people, including migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality. With staff and programs in over 40 countries, ICMC advocates for sustainable solutions and rights-based policies directly and through a worldwide network of 132 member organizations.
The Elders is an international non-governmental organisation of public figures noted as senior statesmen, peace activists and human rights advocates, who were brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007. They describe themselves as "independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights". The goal Mandela set for The Elders was to use their "almost 1,000 years of collective experience" to work on solutions for seemingly insurmountable problems such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, and poverty, as well as to "use their political independence to help resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts".
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the Second and Third Committees of the United Nations General Assembly. UN DESA assists countries around the world in agenda-setting and decision-making with the goal of meeting their economic, social and environmental challenges. It supports international cooperation to promote sustainable development for all, having as a foundation the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015. In providing a broad range of analytical products, policy advice, and technical assistance, UN DESA effectively translates global commitments in the economic, social and environmental spheres into national policies and actions and continues to play a key role in monitoring progress towards internationally agreed-upon development goals. It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.
Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis is a Costa Rican economist who has been serving as Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) since 13 September 2021.
The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) was created in 1920 to advocate for employers and the business community in the tripartite governance structure of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Today, from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, IOE continues to defend and promote these same interests across a wide range of UN agencies, international organisations, intergovernmental processes and the media. As of September 2019, IOE had 156 national employer organisations members in 145 countries. It remains involved in the activities of the International Labour Organization, acting as Secretariat to the Employers' Group, as well as representing business in international forums, including the G20 intergovernmental process on labour and social policy. It describes itself as "the largest network of the private sector in the world" and "the global voice of business".
LDC Watch is an alliance of organizations based in Least Developed Countries and other related organizations. Based in Belgium, it coordinates activities in the fields of trade, debt, foreign investment, human rights, governance and conflict resolution. LDC Watch undertakes lobbying, networking and advocacy with LDC governments and development agencies. Its aim is to implement a programme of action formulated at a UN Conference in Brussels in 2001, with the participation of civil society.
The Global Migration Group (GMG) is a group consisting of fourteen UN agencies, the World Bank and the International Organisation for Migration that work to address global migration issues.
The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is a state-led, informal and non-binding process, which helps shape the global debate on migration and development. It provides a flexible, multi-stakeholder space where governments can discuss the multi-dimensional aspects, opportunities and challenges related to migration, development, and the link between these two areas. The GFMD process allows governments - in partnership with civil society, the private sector, the UN system, and other relevant stakeholders – to analyze and discuss sensitive issues, create consensus, pose innovative solutions, and share policy and practices.
Anne Therese Gallagher is the President of the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, the intergovernmental arm of the Commonwealth charged with supporting civil society throughout its 53 member states. An Australian born lawyer, practitioner and scholar, she is considered to be an international authority on transnational criminal law, migration and human rights and, according to the 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report prepared by the United States Department of State, is 'the leading global expert on the international law on human trafficking’.
The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service is a programme of the United Nations mandated to promote and develop constructive relations between the United Nations and civil society organizations. UN-NGLS operates autonomously across the United Nations system and with civil society constituencies and social movements on cross-cutting and emerging issues on the UN agenda. For example, UN-NGLS currently focuses on the UN General Assembly preparatory process for negotiations of a global compact on migration, and high-level events organized by the President of the UN General Assembly. UN-NGLS advises civil society organizations on opportunities to engage with the UN and facilitates their participation in various UN processes and events. UN-NGLS has offices at UN headquarters in New York and is part of the United Nations Department of Global Communications.
The UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights is one of the four Committees of the United Cities and Local Governments. As an autonomous network in the framework of UCLG, its stated goal is to bring together local authorities from across the world to exchange points of view and local initiatives on social inclusion, participatory democracy and human rights. Inheritor of the forums of local authorities (FAL) held in parallel to the first editions of the World Social Forum, the Committee has become a relevant stakeholder in global advocacy for human rights in the city and the Right to the City Throughout its history, the Committee been characterized by facilitating meetings and networking between progressive local authorities, with a special emphasis in the Latin American and European region. Headquartered in Barcelona, the Committee is composed by more than 100 local governments and various partner organizations.
Gibril Faal is a British-Gambian business and development executive. In 2014, he was appointed OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to international development, following a nomination by the Department for International Development (DfID). He is a Visiting professor in practice at London School of Economics. He was one of the global leaders who spoke at the 19 September 2016 UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants, joining select presidents, prime ministers and institution leaders to address the question of 'International cooperation'. Gibril serves as technical expert in the consultations and negotiations for the Global Compact on Migration. He was the Grand Rapporteur of the Tenth Summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Berlin in June 2017. He co-moderated Common Space of the Eighth GFMD Summit in Istanbul in October 2015. He co-chaired the seventh GFMD) in Stockholm in May 2014. In 2013, he delivered two keynote addresses at the United Nations General Assembly. He was selected to speak on behalf of global civil society and joined the UN Secretary General to open the High Level Dialogue on Migration and International Development.