Throughout history, migration has been one of the forces connecting the world, driving cultural exchange, enriching societies, spurring growth and innovation, and saving lives. The opportunities offered by the movement of people for societies and individuals across the world are clear and have been recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Together with the Global Compact on Refugees, other relevant international instruments, as well as key regional agreements, these frameworks map out how to ensure and amplify the positive impacts of human mobility and address its challenges.
However, today’s increasingly fragmented world is shaken by conflict, climate change and a fragile global economy. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has faltered, forced migration is the highest on record, millions of people are being displaced by the effects of climate change. Vulnerabilities associated with displacement are often compounded by exploitation, violence and abuse and discrimination along migration routes. These challenges are particularly rife in the context of irregular migration with thousands of people dying each year on unsafe migration journeys, because they see no accessible, safe alternative.
All these factors will continue to shape and drive the movement of people, while putting unprecedented pressure on States, societies and individuals around the world. Global trends point to more migration in the future. This increases the scale of opportunities offered by the movement of people for societies and individuals across the highly interconnected and interdependent world, as well as the potential costs of not adequately addressing it. A major positive shift in how migration is approached is critical.
Regular pathways for migration are integral to delivering on the promise of migration to address global challenges. Where and how people migrate, and with what outcomes, depends largely on the options available to them. The evidence highlights that the currently available options are insufficient for the complex, shifting contexts of today and tomorrow. There is a need to strengthen regular migration pathways and to mitigate the risks of deepening divides and exacerbating inequalities globally. A comprehensive approach to facilitating regular pathways must draw on both Global Compacts and other relevant frameworks, and be coupled with other measures to save lives, minimize and deliver solutions for displacement, as well as to combat irregular migration, and provide for safe and dignified returns and sustainable reintegration. Change and innovation are urgently required to enable functional and impactful regular pathways as a key element of safe, orderly and regular migration.
This International Dialogue on Migration session will bring States and diverse partners together to explore how to create more and better opportunities for people to move in a regular and beneficial way as part of a comprehensive approach to human mobility. This will include exploring policy, operational and technical cross-sectoral solutions that are needed throughout the migration cycle, from pre-migration to admission, stay, exit, eventual return and reintegration or onward migration. This discussion will be taking place in the context of ongoing GCM Regional Reviews and ahead of the UN Summit of the Future. Joint action to achieve real progress in the migration and asylum space is critical for a better future. Such action must be a key part of wider efforts to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, enable adaptation to climate change, fill labour shortages, manage demographic transitions, provide safety to those fleeing violent conflicts and facilitate alternatives to dangerous, abusive, and exploitative irregular journeys.
- WHAT IS THE AIM OF THIS SESSION?
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This IDM session aims to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including States, United Nations system organizations, civil society, the private sector and migrants and their communities to promote a global, multilateral conversation on how to seize the opportunities and address the challenges of migration while supporting vulnerable populations in an increasingly interdependent and complex world.
- WHAT ARE THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE SESSION?
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This session will contribute to:
- An evidence-based understanding of the challenges and opportunities for migration today and tomorrow, including geopolitical crises and scaling-up of solutions, as well as ways to address gaps in current knowledge.
- Identifying innovative and cutting-edge solutions that governments at local, national, and regional levels have already put in place or could develop in the future, to harness the potential of regular pathways for migration as part of a 360-degree approach to human mobility.
- Unpacking how multilateral action and broad-based partnerships including private sector, diasporas and local communities, at the national, regional and global levels to facilitate regular and safe pathways for migration contribute to the response to some of the most distressing crises in the world, supporting integration and the transition to peace and prosperity.
- Understanding how to achieve more accessible, people-centered, rights-based, accessible, sustainable and safe regular pathways, including key policy, operational and technical solutions that should be in place throughout the migration cycle.
- KEY FINDINGS
Welcome session
21 May, 2024 | 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (EDT)
Panel Videos
Regular pathways for migration are integral to delivering on the promise of migration to address global challenges. Where and how people migrate, and with what outcomes, depends largely on the options available to them, but evidence highlights that the currently available options are insufficient for the complex, shifting contexts of today and tomorrow. There is a need to strengthen regular migration pathways and to mitigate the risks of deepening divides and exacerbating inequalities globally. Change and innovation are urgently required to capitalize on the opportunities pathways for migration can offer.
IOM has made facilitating regular migration pathways a key goal in its 2024-2028 Strategic Plan. Analysis of longitudinal data allows us to better understand human mobility and growing global migration inequality in the context of governance regimes at the global, regional, and national levels. The evidence base underscores the centrality of regular pathways but also the increasing risks to realisation to a global migration system that is truly based on safe, orderly and regular migration. In the absence of safe pathways and situations of crises, it is similarly critical to be aware about human mobility which is happening along dangerous routes, resulting in loss of life and rights abuses.
This first panel helps to set the scene for the IDM session by laying out the evidence base on regular pathways. It brings together key global and regional analysis on the development of regular pathways over time, including through sharing key analysis and findings from the forthcoming World Migration Report 2024 at the global level, which show growing migration inequality. The analysis highlights long-term (25 years) of evolution of regular migration pathways with a focus on human development and policy regimes. The panel will also highlight regional realities on regular migration pathways to help inform the subsequent panel discussions on solutions.
Setting the scene of the IDM by presenting an evidence and foresight-based understanding of the challenges and opportunities for migration today and tomorrow’s future generations, including impacts of climate change, geopolitical crises and scaling-up of solutions, as well as ways to address gaps in current knowledge and connect it with action.
Dr Andrew Selee, President (MPI) (Moderator)
Dr Selee is President of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a global nonpartisan institution that seeks to improve immigration and integration policies through fact-based research, opportunities for learning and dialogue, and the development of new ideas to address complex policy questions, a position he assumed in 2017. He also chairs MPI Europe's Administrative Council. Dr Selee’s research focuses on migration globally, with a special emphasis on immigration policies in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Dr Linda Adhiambo Oucho, Executive Director, African Migration and Development Policy Centre, Kenya
Dr Oucho is an established migration expert and Executive Director of the African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC), an independent research think tank leading in policy-based research on migration and development issues in Eastern Africa and beyond. She contributes to research activities in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the aim of influencing policy change on migration dynamics based on evidence. She serves as an editorial board member of the International Migration Review and Migration Policy Practice journals, and is a Migration Research and Publishing High Level Advisor for IOM. She is a member of the Technical Working Group on Counter Trafficking in Kenya and an active member of the National Coordination Mechanism for Migration (NCM) led by the Government of Kenya in partnership with non-state actors. She is co-editor of IOM’s World Migration Report 2024.
Laura McGorman, Director, Data for Good, Meta
Ms McGorman has 15+ years experience leading data, analytics, and operations teams at technology companies and in the public sector. As the Director of Data for Good at Meta, she oversees a global programme leveraging Meta’s big data, data science expertise, and computing power to deliver innovative datasets to governments, universities and non-profits working to expand economic opportunity, improve global health and support small business. She also serves on the Board of Advisors of CapoeiraDC, a local non-profit focused on youth and community development through Afro-Brazilian cultural arts.
Dr Marie McAuliffe, MRPD and WMR Editor/lead author of regular pathways chapter in the WMR 2024, IOM HQ
Ms McAuliffe is the head of the Migration Research and Publications Division at IOM and Editor of IOM’s flagship World Migration Report series and IOM’s Migration Policy Practice journal. She is an international migration specialist with over 25 years of experience in migration as a practitioner, senior government official and researcher. Marie serves on the editorial boards of scientific journals International Migration, Migration Studies and Migration and Development, and is an Associate Editor of the Harvard Data Science Review. She has worked on migration research, policy and programming in North Asia, South-East Asia, West Asia (Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan), Türkiye, Russian Federation, Western Europe and Australia. More recently, her analysis features global migration trends in the context of major transformations (geopolitical, technological and environmental).
This panel seeks to inspire more governments to join the global effort to establish, expand and enhance regular pathways as a key element of ensuring safe, orderly and regular migration. Sound migration policies and legislation aligned with international law, key global frameworks, and supported by the capacity to implement them are vital for coherence and consistency in regular pathways and effective migration governance more broadly and provide a starting point for operational implementation mechanisms. Using the Migration Governance Indicators success stories as a basis, participants will discuss innovative policy instruments that governments can leverage to facilitate regular migration as part of a 360-degree approach to human mobility.
This panel aims to provide a space for participants to discuss innovative migration policies which, by facilitating regular migration, have benefited migrants and societies. The panel will explore how these policies respond to the dynamic nature of migration, support establishing, expanding and enhancing regular pathways, as well as addressing challenges of migration. It will emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships in developing and implementing such policies.
Pratima Singh, Principal, Policy and Insights at Economist Impact (Moderator)
Pratima Singh is a Principal with Economist Impact’s Policy and Insights team in New York. She is an expert in sustainability, infrastructure, circular economy, natural resource management and social impact. Pratima works with foundations, corporates, governments and nonprofits seeking evidence-based analysis and policy recommendations. She leads several of the organization’s global sustainability-themed research programmes. Prior to her role as Principal and Americas Team Lead in New York, Pratima was based in Singapore and London. She has worked with a number of organizations across the public and private sector including the National University of Singapore – where her research focused on economic and social policy issues – the Centre for Civil Society, the Asian Development Bank, and Frontier Strategy Group, where she supported senior executives at several large multinational companies build their Asia Pacific business strategies. Pratima holds a Master’s degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and a BSc Economics degree from the Singapore Management University.
Fábio Santos Pereira Silva, Chief of Staff, National Secretariat of Justice from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Brazil
Chief of Staff for the National Secretariat of Justice from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Brazil. Public Servant from the Caixa Econômica Federal (Brazilian Public Bank), previously worked with policies for Micro and Small Business and now oversees the process of modernization of procedures for the whole Secretariat, including the Department of Migrations.
H.E. Pilar Mendez, Ambassador at Large for Migratory Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, Spain
She has been involved in discussions and events focusing on migration, such as the High-Level Panel on Regular Migration Pathways. This panel discussed leveraging good practices and international cooperation based on human rights and labor standards to inform future policy and practice, including for the next International Migration Review Forum (IMRF). Her role is significant in shaping policies that address the complexities of migration in a way that respects human rights and contributes to sustainable development.
DHon. John-Charuk S. Siafa, Mayor of Monrovia, Liberia
John-Charuk S. Siafa, Monrovia's 28th Mayor, brings over two decades of entrepreneurial expertise in Administration, Accounting, Sales and Marketing, and Business Operations. With a passion for development in his hometown, he envisions an enhanced quality of life for the people of Monrovia. Previously, he coordinated the JNB-JKK Inaugural Volunteers Cleanup Campaign, mobilizing over 10,000 volunteers to remove 11 million kilograms of waste. As Head of Business Development at the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine and Founder/CEO of Siafa Group, he fostered trade relations and orchestrated strategic restructuring. Educated at the Rome Business School and AME University, his leadership extends to community service, exemplifying his commitment to Monrovia's prosperity. As Mayor, John-Charuk Siafa welcomes a new era of progress and sustainable growth.
The role of community as a peacebuilder can address integration, inclusion, and peaceful co-existence in the context of the facilitation of regular pathways in at least three areas: social cohesion, migration governance and participation/inclusion. Integration of migrants, including IDPs in humanitarian contexts, points to the need for a more strategic and systematic peacebuilding engagement with migration in the areas of social cohesion, migration governance and participation. This includes addressing social cohesion by improving relations between different groups of migrants, host communities, governments, service providers and international or national NGOs, including in countries of origin and destination. It also includes working with migration actors and policies to minimise the risk of migration management leading to conflict and to enhance its positive impact on peace.
Social cohesion is a key issue at the intersection of peace and migration, particularly when we are discussing the centrality of regular migration pathways. Horizontal relationships (e.g. between migrants and host communities, or between different groups of migrants) are as important as vertical relationships (e.g. between host communities and local authorities, or between migrants and service providers). In this context, peacebuilding community actors can play a role in addressing factors that undermine or enhance social cohesion, as well as the centrality for preventing conflict and sustaining peace.
During this panel, the discussions will contribute on the general objective to unpack actions on regular and safe complementary pathways for migration and the role of community in social cohesion, strengthening safety and security, and good governance. Social cohesion, migration governance and inclusion are relevant areas of engagement for policymakers interested in an integrated approach to migration. Additionally, political, economic, and social challenges in border areas often hamper development efforts and complicate interventions for the resilience and prosperity of border communities in conflict zones. In prioritizing whole-of-government, whole-of-society approaches to safely connect people, goods, services, knowledge and innovation, IOM is increasingly prioritizing strengthening Member State governments’ border governance approaches to be more inclusive to achieve safer cross-border movement and reduce irregular migration. Integrated approaches that combine cooperative border management and community-centered approaches further facilitate regular pathways and provide more safety and security protections and assistance to migrants in vulnerable situations and contributes to larger national and regional stability.
During this IDM session, IOM will discuss approaches from Africa, the Americas, and Europe to identify innovative community engagement and social cohesion efforts to harness integration of migrant communities in host countries as a key component of regular pathways.
To identify tangible actions and best practices that would foster and strengthen regular migration pathways and highlight the importance of social cohesion, inclusion, proactive engagement, governance, and resilience of migrant communities towards achieving sustainable peace.
Eskinder Negash, President and CEO of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) (Moderator)
Eskinder Negash is President and CEO of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), an organization founded in 1911 to protect the rights and address the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide. Mr Negash brings over 40 years of experience. He served in the Obama Administration from 2009-2015 as Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the largest government-funded refugee resettlement organization in the world. Under Negash’s leadership, ORR served a total of 850,000 people. He also served as Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the International Institute of Los Angeles. He received an “Outstanding American By Choice” award from US Citizenship and Immigration Services and has been a board member of the Joint Voluntary Agencies Committee of California, the California State Refugee Advisory Council, the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and is currently a board member of InterAction, a coalition of US non-profits.
Dr Marcel A. Baglo, Director of Agence Beninoise de Gestion Integree des Espaces Frontaliers (ABeGIEF), Ministry of Interior, Benin
Dr Oucho is an established migration expert and Executive Director of the African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC), an independent research think tank leading in policy-based research on migration and development issues in Eastern Africa and beyond. She contributes to research activities in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the aim of influencing policy change on migration dynamics based on evidence. She serves as an editorial board member of the International Migration Review and Migration Policy Practice journals, and is a Migration Research and Publishing High Level Advisor for IOM. She is a member of the Technical Working Group on Counter Trafficking in Kenya and an active member of the National Coordination Mechanism for Migration (NCM) led by the Government of Kenya in partnership with non-state actors. She is co-editor of IOM’s World Migration Report 2024.
Luana Medeiros, Director of the Department of Migrations, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Brazil
Luana Medeiros is the Director of the Department of Migrations, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Brazil. Prior to this job, she was the General Coordinator of the National Committee for Refugees. In addition, she has been a specialist in Public Policy and Government Management since 2011.
Gunther Van Neste, Chief of Staff of Flemish Minister of the Interior, Administrative Affairs, Integration and Equal Opportunities
Gunther Van Neste is currently chief of staff of Flemish Minister for Domestic Administration, Integration and Equal Opportunities, Gwendolyn Rutten. At the beginning of his career, Gunther Van Neste started working on education and employment projects for people with a migration background. He then spent 12 years as director of the House of Dutch in Brussels and as operational director of the Flemish Agency for Civic Integration. Gunther Van Neste is an expert in the field of language acquisition, integration, education and employment. In his current position he works closely with the IOM within the new project Displaced Talent for Europe.
Josefina Etchenique, Youth Engagement Officer and GFMD Programme Manager at the Migration Youth and Children Platform, Argentina
Josefina Etchenique is an Argentinian lawyer with a Political Science, International Relations, and Refugee and Asylum Law background. She is the Youth Engagement Officer and GFMD Programme Manager at the Migration Youth and Children Platform. She successfully collaborated in enhancing youth engagement throughout the XVI GFMD summit and led the planning, coordination, execution, and resource mobilization of the Youth Leadership and Innovation, a global contest empowering young leaders to drive innovative solutions for migration challenges. Her journey in the migration field began with her practices at the Bergruh asylum center in Amdem, St. Galen, Switzerland, and in three other centers in the canton of St. Gallen, including the departure and emergency aid center in Vilters, where she gained insights into case management and administration and actively worked with residents. Josefina is deeply interested in and convinced of the power of communication techniques and, innovative tools and policies to collaborate effectively to change migration narratives.
Today the world is more interconnected, globalized, and interdependent than it has ever been in history. This has profound implications for the movement of people across borders, both voluntarily and involuntarily. Migration is not a new phenomenon, but it has become more complex and diverse in the 21st century. Among the various types of migrants, the diaspora, or the people who live outside their country of origin or ancestry, play a significant role in shaping the social, economic, cultural and political dimensions of their host and home countries.
The diaspora are already contributing to the development of both their countries of origin and destination, through remittances, investments, trade, skills transfer, cultural exchange and civic engagement. The World Bank reported in 2023 that remittance flows to low-and middle-income countries alone were estimated to have reached $669 billion.
Diaspora also act as bridge between different cultures, communities, and regions, fostering dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding. However, the diaspora also faces many challenges and barriers.
One of the key issues that affect the diaspora is the availability and accessibility of regular pathways for migration. Regular pathways are the legal and safe channels that allow people to migrate for various purposes, such as work, study, family reunification, humanitarian protection or personal reasons. Regular pathways can also reduce the risks and vulnerabilities associated with irregular migration, such as human trafficking, smuggling, exploitation and abuse. However, regular pathways are often limited, restrictive, costly and cumbersome, especially for low-skilled workers, women, youth and refugees. Therefore, it is important to expand and diversify the regular pathways for migration, in line with the global and regional frameworks, such as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons.
The recognition of private sector diaspora and diaspora leaders as a driving force for regular pathways initiative, and their involvement in migrant voices, demonstrates their transformative power of advocacy and action. This panel will:
- Discuss the diverse and innovative ways that diaspora private sector and diaspora community members engage on development, migrant voices and global human mobility at the centre of global policy discussion..
- Discuss the diverse and innovative ways that diaspora private sector and diaspora community members engage on development, migrant voices and global human mobility at the centre of global policy discussion.
- Showcase the outcomes of recent conferences, such as the African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2024 on human mobility in the context of regular pathways, which could provide best practices and provide innovative solutions for policymaking.
Dr Josh Ghaim, Founder and Managing Partner, Ignite Venture Studio; Board Chairman, African Diaspora Network (Moderator) Dr Josh Ghaim, Founder and Managing Partner, Ignite Venture Studio; Board Chairman, African Diaspora Network (Moderator)
Josh Ghaim is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ignite Venture Studio, a new brand and innovation accelerator focused in the Digital Health and CPG markets as well as investments and support of Women and Minority-led start-ups. Josh is also Chairman Board of Directors, African Diaspora Network. Prior to his new endeavors, Josh was the Chief Technology Officer, Johnson and Johnson Consumer Companies responsible for global research and development organization. Josh’s global background includes leadership experiences at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and at Colgate-Palmolive leading Global Categories and Emerging Market R&D. Josh has lived and held positions in North America, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Josh received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Indiana University.
Dr Ouejdane Mejri, Founding Member and President of the Tunisian PONTES association
Ouejdane Mejri, PhD, from Politecnico di Milano, is an international researcher, lecturer, and consultant with a transdisciplinary focus on the intersection of information technologies and crisis management, particularly in migration processes. Collaborating on numerous international publications, she co-authored "La rivolta dei dittatoriati," explorin g the Tunisian revolution's impact on societal dynamics. Co-founder of Pontes diaspora association, she serves as Director of the Migration for Development Unit, spearheading initiatives to utilize migration for economic growth and reform, notably supporting the Tunisian diaspora in Italy. Her leadership in EU and nationally funded co-development projects fosters entrepreneurship and investment, especially for young and female entrepreneurs.
Ms Riva Walia, Managing Director of France Canada Chamber of Commerce (ON, MB)
Riva Walia is the Managing Director of France Canada Chamber of Commerce (ON, MB). She had been bestowed the Knighthood of France - the Chevalier de l’ordre National du Mérite. She is a global leader with an MBA from Cornell University and 20 years of experience in leadership positions in strategy, management consulting and non-profit organizations, she has managed multibillion transformational programs with multi-disciplinary team at global business organizations like Accenture and Royal Bank of Canada creating and delivering successful business strategies and shareholder value for Fortune 500 clients including in the United States, Canada, India, Philippines, Luxembourg. She is an active member of the community and serves on multiple boards in Canada.
Dr Martin Russell, Founder of the Global Diaspora Insights
Martin completed his PhD at the Clinton Institute (UCD) and is the founder of Glob al Diaspora Insights (GDI). GDI has collaboratively contributed to diaspora engagement in over 50 countries for a variety of public, private, and third sector clients. His areas of expertise cut across diaspora engagement including diaspora diplomacy, diaspora networking, diaspora philanthropy/fundraising, and diaspora policy. He is an advisor at The Networking Institute, serves on the Board of Directors of Ireland Reaching Out, and is a member of the Transition Assistance Practice Group at the Institute for Integrated Transitions. He was previously a visiting fellow at UNU-MERIT. He has also supported the design and delivery of numerous flagship global convenings on diaspora including the Global Diaspora Summit held in 2022.
Magdi M. Amin, Managing Partner of the African Renaissance Partners
Magdi M. Amin is the Managing Partner of African Renaissance Partners, a venture capital firm backing innovators and entrepreneurs who use technology to solve development challenges in East Africa and the Horn. Before launching ARP, Magdi held leadership roles in multilateral development banks, philanthropy, government, and the private sector. He served as Sr. Advisor to the Minister of Finance in the Transitional Government of Sudan (2020-2021), helping with macroeconomic stabilization, access to multilateral finance, external debt restructuring, and reforming the financial sector. Magdi spent two decades with the World Bank and IFC, in Bangkok, Addis Ababa, and Cairo focused on private sector development, economics, and strategy.
Globally, structural changes such as population ageing, automation and digitalisation of the economy and the green transition are affecting labour market dynamics. The global demand for skills has accelerated in recent years with a recent report published in 2023 indicating that nearly 4 in 5 employers globally report difficulty finding the skilled talent, more than doubling the difficulty since 2015.
Migrants, including displaced populations can play a key role in addressing labour market needs in countries around the world. If equipped with the skills, knowledge and competencies needed for the economies of the hosting and destination countries, refugees and displaced people can become a strong match to the labour market needs and find their ways into new life, get jobs which would suite their career aspirations, become financially independent and contribute to the communities in which they are living. Faced with a declining working-age population, the youth dividend and rapidly evolving skills requirements, the private sector is being called upon to harness recruitment as a channel for meeting current and future needs for skilled workers.
Skills-based mobility offers one solution in the search for global talent, providing opportunities with countries, the private sector, and migrants themselves to leverage the positive developments of migration, through targeted interventions that are responsive to labour market needs while at the same time protect migrant’s right. To harness skills-based mobility not only to address labour shortages but to bridge cross-regional skills gaps, IOM promotes tools and approaches that foster a skills-focused approach to labour mobility that is grounded in labour market and skills data and centred around skills development, recognition and matching to the benefit of labour markets, employers, communities, and migrants (e.g. Skills Mobility Partnerships or SMP).
This panel aims to facilitate an exchange on how to effectively integrate skills into labour mobility so countries can establish more accessible, responsible, and socio-economically inclusive regular pathways. It will showcase cutting-edge solutions in innovation and technology, which provides migrants with increased access to information, resources, and training, as well as skills matching and recognition, while harnessing the power of data and artificial intelligence technologies for data analytics. Highlighting innovative partnerships with the private sector, the panel demonstrate how new alliances can serve to make labour and skills mobility accessible to a broad range of migrants, including displaced populations, through regular pathways. Finally, the panel will provide concrete and solutions- oriented recommendations for future action.
Alexander Pinho, Global UN and International Development Lead at Microsoft (Moderator)
In January 2013, Mr Pinho joined Microsoft Portugal as Public Sector Lead, leading the Public Sector business growth in Portugal until 2015. In 2015 he was appointed Services Lead, being also responsible for the creation of the Microsoft Digital Transformation Team in Portugal. In September 2016, while still Services Lead, he was also appointed as Enterprise Group Lead for Portugal, accumulating both functions until July 2017 and being responsible for several Digital Transformation programmes in the Enterprise Sector in Portugal.
Matt Sigelman, President of Burning Glass Technologies
Matt Sigelman is President of The Burning Glass Institute, Chairman of Lightcast, and Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. The Burning Glass Institute advances data-driven research and practice on the future of work and of learning. Previously, as CEO of KKR-backed Lightcast, Matt pioneered the field of real-time labour market data, a breakthrough innovation in how employers, universities, governments, and workers understand the landscape of talent and opportunity. Named by Forbes to its Future of Work 50, Matt holds an AB from Princeton, an MBA from Harvard, and is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Scarlet Cronin, Vice-President for the Americas and Global Strategy at the Tent Partnership for Refugees
Scarlet is Vice-President for the Americas and Global Strategy at the Tent Partnership for Refugees where she oversees Tent’s work in North America and Latin America to mobilize major companies to hire, train, and mentor refugees, as well as oversees several global initiatives for Tent. Prior to Tent, Scarlet worked at the Clinton Foundation for eight years. She was the Associate Director of the Commitments Department and head of the Response and Resilience track at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). In this role, she advised corporate, philanthropic, government and non-profit leaders responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Before that, Scarlet worked at the Elie Wiesel Foundation, founded by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, where she organized international conferences with world leaders. She has a BA from Trinity College Dublin.
Sofie Nordstrom, co-founder of Quizrr
Sofie Nordström is the co-founder and Deputy CEO of Quizrr, an industry-leading EdTech provider of human and labour rights training. Sofie was recently selected for Forbes 50 Over 50 and named one of the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise by Euclid Network. With 20 years of international in-depth experience in corporate responsibility and human rights due diligence, she combines her expertise to scale human rights awareness and knowledge using Quizrr’s tech-based, and user-centric training solution aimed at improving working conditions in global value chains.
Closing session
22 May, 2024 | 5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. (EDT)