Effective Respect for the Human Rights of Migrants: A Shared Responsibility (2009)

25 – 26 March 2009
International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
17 rue de Varembé, Geneva, Switzerland

Background

The workshop on "Effective Respect for the Human Rights of Migrants: A Shared Responsibility" was held in the framework of IOM’s International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) which in 2009 had an overall theme of "Human Rights and Migration: Working Together for Safe, Dignified and Secure Migration".

Consistent with IOM's mandate and Strategy Document (activity 7), the IDM provides a forum for IOM Member and Observer States, as well as international and non-governmental organizations and other partners, to share experiences and perspectives on migration matters with a view to identifying practical solutions and fostering greater cooperation.

Overview

The importance of the "human dimension" of migration and the need to ensure the effective protection of the human rights of migrants have attracted the attention of policy-makers and other stakeholders involved in migration issues. Increasingly, governments and civil society organizations are considering how best to incorporate human rights, welfare, safety, dignity and security of individuals and communities into migration policies, legislation and programming. In doing so, it is also important to explore the broad context of migrants’ interactions with their families, neighbourhoods, employers and wider communities in countries of origin, transit and destination, since each of these relationships implies rights and responsibilities on the part of all those involved.

The workshop drew on IOM's research and programmes, of which human rights dimensions are an integral part, and built on the issues raised by IOM’s membership on this subject at the 2008 IOM Council session as well as on the discussions held at the Manila Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). This workshop explored the nexus between migration and human rights, and the current state of thinking on these intersecting issues both from a policy and a programmatic perspective.

Specifically, it aimed to:

  • Bring together governments and other relevant stakeholders to share experiences pertaining to migration management and human rights.
  • Provide IOM membership with the opportunity to discuss human rights and migration in depth and to identify effective means for and successful approaches to ensuring the protection of human rights in the migration context.
  • Bring forward and highlight the need for and benefits of multi-stakeholder cooperation for the effective protection of the human rights of migrants.

Agenda

25 March 2009 - Day I
09:00 - 10:00 Registration
10:00 - 10:10

Welcome Remarks

  • William Lacy Swing, Director General, International Organization for Migration (Presentation)
10:10 - 10:30

Keynote Address

  • Ngonlardje Mbaidjol, Special Advisor, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Bio / Presentation)
10:30 - 11:00

Setting the Scene

  • Michele Klein Solomon, Director, Migration Policy and Research Department, International Organization for Migration (Bio / Presentation)
11:00 - 13:00 Session I: Human Rights and Migrants: Frameworks and Implementation
 

Moderator: Ositadinma Anaedu, Minister, Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva

Speakers:

  • Esteban B. Conejos Jr., Under-Secretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, The Philippines (Bio / Presentation)
  • Reyna Torres Mendívil, Deputy Director General, Deputy Directorate General for International Human Rights Policy, Directorate General for Human Rights and Democracy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico (Bio)
  • Corien Jonker, Chairperson, Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe (Bio / Presentation)
  • Johanna Suurpää, Ombudsperson for Minorities, Finland (Bio / Presentation)

General Discussion
13:00 - 14:00 Afternoon Break
14:00 - 15:00 Side Event: Migrants and their Right to Health
15:00 - 18:00

Session II: Fighting Discrimination and Promoting Integration: Human Rights Challenges for Migrants and Societies

Moderator: Mariette Grange, Expert on human rights of migrants and board member of December 18 (Bio)

Speakers:

  • Minelik Alemu, Director General, Directorate General for Legal and Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia (Bio / Presentation)
  • Winfried Mengelkamp, Head, International Cooperation Group, Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany (Bio / Presentation)
  • Andriy Yuriyovych Kasyanov, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, and Jeffrey Labovitz , Chief of Mission, IOM Ukraine (joint presentation) (Bio / Presentation)
  • Michele LeVoy, Director, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

General Discussion
26 March 2009 – Day II
10:00 - 10:30

Migrant's Voice

  • Charles Asante-Yeboa, President, African Center, Kyiv, Ukraine (Bio / Presentation)

General Discussion
10:30 - 13:00 Session III: Labour Mobility: Rights and Responsibilities
 

Moderator: Ibrahim Awad, Director, International Migration Programme, International Labour Office

Speakers:

  • Mohammed Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh (Bio / Presentation)
  • Wael Ahmed Kamal Aboul Magd, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt (Bio / Presentation)
  • Paloma Iznaola Bravo, Technical Advisor, Directorate General for Immigration, Ministry of Labour and Immigration, Spain (Bio / Presentation) and Andreu Peix Massip (Bio / Presentation), Advisor, Fundació Pagesos Solidaris, Spain (joint presentation)
  • Abdelhamid El Jamri, Chairperson, UN Committee on Migrant Workers (Bio)

General Discussion
13:00 - 15:00 Afternoon Break
15:00 - 17:50

Session IV: Realising the Human Rights of Migrants: Partnerships for Success

Moderator: Jillyanne Redpath-Cross , Senior Legal Advisor, International Migration Law Department, International Organization for Migration

Speakers:

  • Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Guatemala to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva (Guatemala in its capacity as Presidency Pro-Tempore of the Regional Conference on Migration) (Presentation)
  • Tony Luka Elumelu, Principal Programme Officer, Director, Department of Free Movement of Persons, Economic Community of West African States (Bio / Presentation)
  • Helena Nygren-Krug, Health and Human Rights Adviser, Department of Ethics, Trade, Human Rights and Law, World Health Organization (Bio), and Davide Mosca, Director, Migration Health Department, International Organization for Migration (joint presentation) (Bio)
  • Peder Michael Pruzan-Jorgensen, Managing Director for Europe, Business for Social Responsibility (Bio / Presentation)
  • William Gois, Regional Coordinator, Migrant Forum in Asia (Bio / Presentation)

General Discussion
17:50 - 18:00

Wrap-up and Closing Remarks

End of the Workshop