Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)
Established 2007
Objectives
The GFMD is a voluntary, informal, non-binding and government-led process open to all States Members and Observers of the United Nations and select observer organizations. It was created upon the proposal of the UN Secretary-General at the September 2006 General Assembly High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. Its main purpose is to address, in a transparent manner, the multidimensional aspects, opportunities and challenges related to international migration and its inter-linkages with development, to bring together government expertise from all regions, to enhance dialogue and cooperation and partnership and to foster practical and action-oriented outcomes at the national, regional and global levels.
Each year, the GFMD is organized by a different host government. Since the first meeting in Belgium in 2007, the GFMD has traveled the world -- to the Philippines in 2008, Greece in 2009, Mexico in 2010, Switzerland in 2011, Mauritius in 2012, Sweden in 2014 and Turkey in 2015. The ninth GFMD meeting will be held in Bangladesh in December 2016.
The GFMD has a supporting framework that includes a Troika (the past, current and future Chairs which offer political and strategic guidance to the Chair-in-Office), a Steering Group (comprised of 30 governments that provide political and conceptual support to the GFMD process), a consultative body called the Friends of the Forum (all States Members and Observers of the United Nations), and a support unit that provides the Chair-in-Office with administrative, liaison, financial and organizational needs, as well as administers the GFMD Platform for Partnerships. Designated national Focal Points enable the GFMD to liaise with participating governments and, secondly, facilitate dialogue and greater coordination at the national level.
The GFMD’s strong link with the United Nations is maintained through the Special Representative of the Secretary General on International Migration and Development (SRSG), Mr. Peter Sutherland, and the inter-agency Global Migration Group. The SRSG provides advisory services to the Chair-in-Office and helps improve the coordination between the GFMD and the UN. The GMG, on the other hand, has been a partner – collectively or through the individual efforts of its member agencies -- in providing expert support in the preparation of GFMD meetings and for the implementation of GFMD outcomes and recommendations.
Since its inception, the GFMD process has brought together expertise from all regions and countries at all stages of economic, social and political development. Policy-makers from a wide range of government agencies participate, including from Ministries and Departments of Immigration, Development, Labour, Foreign Affairs, Gender Equality, Home Affairs, Justice, Interior, Integration and Nationals Abroad. Over the years, the GFMD has operated on the basis of a unique participative working method, involving governments and policy makers from a varied background. UN and other international agencies, civil society organizations and businesses are also engaged as distinct and crucial partners in the process, based on terms that are defined as appropriate by governments.
The GFMD has worked closely with UN specialized agencies and international organizations, particularly the GMG agencies, not only in developing the GFMD thematic agenda, but in fostering a common understanding of current global migration realities and challenges, while highlighting the mutually reinforcing links between migration and development. With support from the GMG and the UN community, the GFMD has engendered a human rights-centered approach to migration policy-making and advocated successfully for the inclusion of migration in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
The civil society process has accompanied the GFMD from the beginning, aiming to give voice and recognize the expertise of academia, NGOs, trade unions, the private sector, migrants and diaspora representatives in the Forum. Civil society days (CSD) are held usually prior to the GFMD Summit. The results of CSD deliberations are put forward as recommendations and action plan for consideration by the governments. To deepen the engagement between governments and civil society, a “Common Space” beginning 2010 has brought together governments, civil society representatives and international organizations at the opening of the GFMD Summit to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest.
At the Istanbul Summit in 2015, governments endorsed the establishment of a new GFMD business interaction mechanism in order to fill the empty seat at the GFMD table. The aim is contribute to migration governance by enabling employers to actively contribute to contemporary migration policy debates, on one hand, and enabling governments to understand how migration policies and practices affect business operations at national level, on the other hand. A pilot of the new mechanism is being implemented under the current GFMD Chairmanship of Bangladesh.
Current Focus
Governance of Migration
Migration Policy coherence and mainstreaming
Migration and development
Labour migration and mobility, temporary and circular labour migration
Minimizing costs / maximizing human development
Diaspora
Migration and Trade
Regular legal Migration
Remittances
Irregular Migration
Rights of migrants
Data and research on migration
Civil society and the private sector
Participating States (195 states)
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Afghanistan |  |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
Iran (Islamic Republic of) |  |
Montenegro |  |
Singapore |
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Albania |  |
Costa Rica |  |
Iraq |  |
Morocco |  |
Slovakia |
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Algeria |  |
Côte d'Ivoire |  |
Ireland |  |
Mozambique |  |
Slovenia |
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Andorra |  |
Croatia |  |
Israel | |
Myanmar | |
Solomon Islands |
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Angola |  |
Cuba |  |
Italy |  |
Namibia |  |
Somalia |
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Antigua and Barbuda |  |
Cyprus |  |
Jamaica |  |
Nauru |  |
South Africa |
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Argentina |  |
Czech Republic |  |
Japan |  |
Nepal |  |
South Sudan |
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Armenia |  |
Denmark |  |
Jordan |  |
Netherlands |  |
Spain |
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Australia |  |
Djibouti |  |
Kazakhstan |  |
New Zealand |  |
Sri Lanka |
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Austria |  |
Dominica |  |
Kenya |  |
Nicaragua |  |
Sudan |
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Azerbaijan |  |
Dominican Republic |  |
Kiribati |  |
Niger |  |
Suriname |
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Bahamas |  |
Ecuador |  |
Democratic People's Republic of Korea |  |
Nigeria |  |
Swaziland |
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Bahrain |  |
Egypt |  |
Republic of Korea |  |
Norway |  |
Sweden |
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Bangladesh |  |
El Salvador |  |
Kuwait |  |
Oman |  |
Switzerland |
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Barbados |  |
Equatorial Guinea |  |
Kyrgyzstan |  |
Pakistan |  |
Syrian Arab Republic |
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Belarus |  |
Eritrea |  |
Lao People's Democratic Republic |  |
Palau |  |
Tajikistan |
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Belgium |  |
Estonia |  |
Latvia |  |
Palestine |  |
United Republic of Tanzania |
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Belize |  |
Ethiopia |  |
Lebanon |  |
Panama |  |
Thailand |
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Benin |  |
Fiji |  |
Lesotho |  |
Papua New Guinea |  |
Timor-Leste |
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Bhutan |  |
Finland |  |
Liberia |  |
Paraguay |  |
Togo |
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Bolivia (Plurinational State of) |  |
France |  |
Libya |  |
Peru |  |
Tonga |
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Bosnia and Herzegovina |  |
Gabon |  |
Liechtenstein |  |
Philippines |  |
Trinidad and Tobago |
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Botswana |  |
Gambia |  |
Lithuania |  |
Poland |  |
Tunisia |
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Brazil |  |
Georgia |  |
Luxembourg |  |
Portugal |  |
Turkey |
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Brunei Darussalam |  |
Germany |  |
Macedonia |  |
Qatar |  |
Turkmenistan |
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Bulgaria |  |
Ghana |  |
Madagascar |  |
Romania |  |
Tuvalu |
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Burkina Faso |  |
Greece |  |
Malawi |  |
Russia |  |
Uganda |
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Burundi |  |
Grenada |  |
Malaysia |  |
Rwanda |  |
Ukraine |
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Cabo Verde |  |
Guatemala |  |
Maldives |  |
Saint Kitts and Nevis |  |
United Arab Emirates |
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Cambodia |  |
Guinea |  |
Mali |  |
Saint Lucia |  |
United Kingdom |
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Cameroon |  |
Guinea-Bissau |  |
Malta |  |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |  |
United States |
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Canada |  |
Guyana |  |
Marshall Islands |  |
Samoa |  |
Uruguay |
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Central African Republic |  |
Haiti |  |
Mauritania |  |
San Marino |  |
Uzbekistan |
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Chad |  |
Holy See |  |
Mauritius |  |
Sao Tome and Principe |  |
Vanuatu |
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Chile |  |
Honduras |  |
Mexico |  |
Saudi Arabia |  |
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) |
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China |  |
Hungary |  |
Micronesia (Federated States of) |  |
Senegal |  |
Viet Nam |
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Colombia |  |
Iceland |  |
Republic of Moldova |  |
Serbia |  |
Yemen |
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Comoros |  |
India |  |
Monaco |  |
Seychelles |  |
Zambia |
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Congo |  |
Indonesia |  |
Mongolia |  |
Sierra Leone |  |
Zimbabwe |
Current Chair: the current GFMD Troika is comprised of Turkey (past chair) and Bangladesh (chair-in-office) and Morocco (next chair).
The GFMD Steering Group comprises 30 governments:
Observers
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
ACP Observatory on Migration
African Union
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Asian Development Bank
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
European Union (EU)
Inter-American Development Bank
Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees
International Catholic Migration Commission
International Center for Migration Policy Development
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
International Fund for Agricultural Development
International Labour Office (ILO)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
International Organization of the Francophonie
Joint Migration and Development Initiative
League of Arab States (LAS)
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Organization of Islamic Conference
Regional Conference on Migration (Puebla Process)
Secretaría General Iberoamericana
South American Conference on Migration
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations Development Fund for Women
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations Institute for Training and Research
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
United Nations Regional Commissions
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants
World Bank
World Health Organization
Partners
Civil Society Organizations
Secretariat
The GFMD Support Unit assists the Chair-in-Office with the administrative preparations of the Forum, including the meetings of the Steering Group, the Friends of the Forum, thematic ad hoc Working Groups and the main Forum. It serves the Chair-in-Office by maintaining the GFMD archives, managing internationally contributed funds to the GFMD, performing administrative, financial and logistical functions, and operating the GFMD main web portal. It also oversees the administration of the Platform for Partnership (PfP), a tool to facilitate exchange and showcase projects, programs and policies that are undertaken by governments in the field of Migration and Development (M&D), and which are related to GFMD themes, debates and outcomes.
The GFMD Support Unit is hosted administratively by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva.
Contact Information
GFMD Support Unit
15 Route des Morillons,
1218 Le Grand Saconnex,
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +4122 788 49 46 / +4122 788 49 47
Fax: +4122 788 49 48
Email: supportunit@gfmd.org
Website
http://www.gfmd.org
Recent Meetings
The Eighth Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development “Strengthening Partnerships: Human Mobility for Sustainable Development”, 14-16 October 2015, Istanbul, Turkey
Previous Meetings
The Seventh Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development “Unlocking the Potential of Migration for Inclusive Development”, 14-16 May 2014, Stockholm, Sweden
The Sixth Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development “Enhancing the Human Development of Migrants and their Contribution to the Development of Communities and States”, 19-22 November 2012, Port Louis, Mauritius
The Fifth Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development “Taking Action on Migration and Development – Coherence, Capacity and Cooperation”, 29 November to 2 December 2011, Geneva, Switzerland
The Fourth Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development “Partnerships for Migration and Human Development -- shared prosperity, shared responsibility”, 8-11 November 2010, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The Third GFMD Meeting “Integrating Migration Policies into Development Strategies for the Benefit of All”, 2-5 November, 2009, Athens
The 2nd GFMD Meeting "Protecting and Empowering Migrants for Development", 27-30 October 2008, Manila, Philippines
First Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, 9-11 July 2007, Brussels, Belgium
Related Links
http://www.gfmd.org/docs