This page contains general information about the IGC but it is not its official website.
Type: Interregional forum on migration (regions covered: Europe - Asia - Americas)
Formal association with regional or multi-stakeholder organization: None
Established: 1985
Objectives
The Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) is an informal, non-decision-making forum for inter-governmental information exchange and policy debate on all issues of relevance to the management of international migratory flows. IGC is considered as the first inter-state consultation mechanism on migration.
Current Thematic Focus
IGC places its principal focus on the exchange of national strategy, policy, best practices and data. Areas of thematic focus include:
- Asylum and refugees
- Border management, including admission, control and enforcement
- Data (asylum, removal)
- Country of origin information
- Human smuggling and trafficking
- Immigration (labor, student, family, business)
- Integration, settlement and citizenship
- International engagement on migration
- Multidisciplinary Approach (country- and theme-specific)
- Return, reintegration and readmission
- Technology
Chairing Country
The chairmanship is term-based and rotates among the member States of the IGC. The following countries have recently chaired the IGC: Switzerland, Sweden, USA (2023), Netherlands (2022), United Kingdom (2021), Canada (2019-2020), Spain (2018-2019), Norway (2017-2018), Belgium (2015-2016), Australia (2014-2015), Denmark (2013-2014), New Zealand (2012-2013), Germany (2011-2012), USA (2010-2011), Finland (2009-2010), Switzerland (2008-2009), Sweden (2007-2008), Ireland (2006-2007), Netherlands (2005-2006), Canada (2004-2005), Norway (2003-2004), Belgium (2002-2003), UK (2001-2002), Australia (2000-2001)
Secretariat
IGC Secretariat is administratively hosted by the International Organization for Migration, under the terms of an Administrative Agreement.
- Members
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Member States [called by IGC “Participating States”] (17 States)
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Netherlands, The
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
Past Members: Finland, New Zealand
Note: Founding Members: Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and UK.
Member organizations [called by IGC “Participating organizations”) (5 organizations)
- Partners
- Working Groups
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IGC has the following working groups:
- Asylum and Refugees Working Group
- Country of Origin Information Working Group
- Admission, Control and Enforcement Working Group
- Technology Working Group
- Immigration Working Group
- Integration Working Group
- Selected Documents
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- IGC one-page overview
- In a Constructive and Pragmatic Spirit (2018)
- Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2015)
- Migration Policy Practice (Volume IV, Number 3, July–September 2014)
- IGC Contribution to the High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (2013)
- Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2012)
- Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2009)
- Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants: Towards the Evaluation of Policy and Practice (2009)
- IGC Contribution to the 1st Global RCP Meeting organized by IOM - GCIM (2005)
- Contact Information