Multilateral Processes

The Multilateral Processes Division (MPD) of the Department for International Cooperation and Partnerships was established in 2015 as a body through which IOM’s positions and policies in relation to international migration policy could be disseminated. MPD’s main focus began with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the SDGs continue to remain a large part of the Division’s work. The MPD has since expanded to encompass not only the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but a variety of other multilateral processes such as:

Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)
Addis Ababa Action Agenda (Financing for Development)
Habitat III
The New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants
The Grand Bargain

Whom do we work with?

Under the department of International Cooperation and Partnerships, the Division works with IOM partners and colleagues. The Division also frequently meets with colleagues from other UN agencies that work on the subject of migrants and migration, as well as governments, IOM missions and country offices.

The Multilateral Processes Division engages in forums and dialogues related to international migration policy and law. The MPD is involved with the development of the Migration Governance Index, a policy-benchmarking framework aiming to offer insights on policy levers that countries can action to strengthen their migration governance, as well as identify best practices for future programming.

Ongoing Multilateral Processes

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)

IOM plays a partnership and supportive role for the GFMD, providing and producing documents for GFMD sessions and roundtables, as well as participating in discussions, roundtables, and meetings. IOM also hosts the GFMD support unit at the headquarters in Geneva.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

IOM, as the leading intergovernmental migration agency, has been critical in bringing environmental migration to the heart of international, regional, and national concerns, by pursuing broad objectives relevant to environmental migration. The key objectives of IOM’s Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) department are to address the minimization of forced and unmanaged migration; assist, protect and seek durable solutions for forced migrants; and facilitate the role of migration as an adaptation to climate change.

The Sendai Framework addresses small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters, caused by natural or manmade hazards. The outcome of this framework is to improve the livelihoods of all persons, including persons who are particularly vulnerable to natural shocks and disasters. The development of a framework to reduce disaster risk through tools mechanisms may contribute to the reduction of environmental migration at a large scale.

Through the Hyogo Framework for Action, the predecessor of the Sendai Framework, IOM has developed strategic partnerships to draw to the links between human mobility and disasters. IOM has also produced a variety of documents that deal specifically with Disaster Risk Reduction as a result of sudden climate changes. These documents, as well as all other IOM -produced documents on climate change, can be accessed through IOM’s Environmental Migration Portal.

Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA)

The third International Conference on Financing for Development was set out in General Assembly resolutions 68/204 and 68/279 on 13 – 16 July 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The agenda focused on policy commitments and key deliverables in critical areas for sustainable development, including infrastructure, social protection and technology.

The AAAA provides a strong foundation for countries to finance and adopt the proposed sustainable development agenda set forth in the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

Habitat III

Building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996, The United Nations adopted resolution 67/216. The Habitat III conference held in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 – 20 October 2016 focused on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development. An outcome of the conference is the New Urban Agenda which encompasses rules and regulations for urban settlement, planning and design for populations living in urban centres.

IOM has been participating in Habitat III to ensure that all urban inhabitants, including migrants' rights, are respected so that migrants may lead dignified lives. The New Urban Agenda is an important step for national, sub-national and local governments to develop urban governance for local level migration management.

The Sustainable Development Goals

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The topic of migration has been formally incorporated into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlighting the importance of migration in relation to development. Migration appears most prominently in Target 10.7 on “well-managed migration.” However, links between migration and development can also be drawn under a variety of other goals including Goal 3 on health, Goal 4 on education, Goal 5 on gender equality, Goal 8 on decent work, Goal 11 on sustainable cities, Goal 13 on climate action, Goal 16 on peaceful societies, and Goal 17 on partnerships.

The Migration Governance Framework

The Migration Governance Framework (MiGOF) is a recently developed conceptual tool that outlines the essential elements for well-governed migration at the international and national levels. MiGOF draws on the existing body of instruments, norms, research and inter-governmental commitments on how migration should be governed. The framework can be utilised to advise governments on both policy and programmatic priorities for which IOM can provide support and assistance.

MiGOF revolves around three key principles and three objectives. The principles of MiGOF are:

Adherence to international standards and fulfilment of migrants’ rights;
Formulating policy using evidence and “whole of government” approaches;
And, Engaging with partners to address migration and related issues.

These principles will be carried out by prioritizing several objectives. To govern migration in an integrated and holistic way, the objectives are:

Advancing the socioeconomic well-being of migrants and society;
Effectively addressing the mobility dimensions of crises;
And, Ensuring that migration takes place in a safe, orderly, and dignified manner.

Past Achievements

Training in Poland, presented by Jill Helke
Training for LPOs, presented by David Martineau
Training for countries with current RCPs, presented by David Martineau
Training for LPOs, ITOs and Chiefs of Mission, presented by David Martineau
Training for Armenian government representatives, presented by David Martineau
Training IOM RO in Vienna, presented by David Martineau

The Migration Governance Index

IOM, in collaboration with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) have developed the Migration Governance Index (MGI). The goal of the MGI is to ensure a consistent and objective method of evaluation for countries migration policies. The project involves the development of a policy-benchmarking framework to assess the extent to which national migration policies facilitate orderly, safe and well managed migration, as laid out in SDG Target 10.7.

The MGI covers 5 areas of migration governance. The policy domains of the MGI are taken from MiGOF, which bases itself on the most recent international consensus on the definition of “well-managed migration policies”.

Phase I of implementing the MGI involved 15 countries. Selected for their diversity, these countries migration policies were examined in 5 domains:

Institutional capacity;
Migrant rights;
Safe and orderly migration;
Labour migration;
Regional and international cooperation and other partnerships.

Phase II of the MGI will involve an additional 100 countries. The subsequent expansion of the MGI exercise to a sample of 100 IOM Member States will involve data collection using a revised methodology based on findings from the preceding project. The second phase of the project will begin in 2017.

For the full MGI report, click here.