On a right(s) path? My first thoughts on the Zero Draft of the Global Compact #ForMigration

The zero drafts for the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees are out now, with the compact for “safe, orderly and regular migration” having been being made available earlier this week. The compact is to be agreed upon in a meeting in Morocco on 10-11 December 2018 – very likely in a version with significant differences to the “zero draft”. I have not found many assessments yet, so let me share my immediate impressions: There is a solid rights-based language in particular in the vision and guiding principles but also throughout the recommendations; it is also commendable how the compact does not shy away from some touchy issues such as facilitating family reunification, access to services regardless of migration status, using migration detention only as a last resort & working towards alternatives and putting particular emphasis on the rights of domestic workers, women and children. The compact refers to many existing frameworks, but it is very notable which one is completely absent:

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#InternationalMigrantsDay in the times of Compacts: A #MigrantsDay compilation #IMD2017

Today is International Migrants Day, marking the 27th anniversary of the adoption of the “International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families” by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Since last year there seem to have been two additional ratifications, bringing the total number up to 51. This number is unlikely to rise significantly in the near future, since the  the international community (except the USA…) seems to now focus its energy  on the deliberations for the planned “global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration”. These developments also dominate todays’ statements – as in the past years, I have compiled some resources surrounding International Migrants Day:

Out now: 2 book chapters on regional #migration governance and civil society in (South)East #Asia

Two edited volumes have been published for which I was able to contribute chapters on regional migration governance in #ASEAN and on migrant civil society in Asia. The first chapter is called “Labour Migration in Southeast Asia: In search of regional governance”, and appears in the third edition of “Contemporary Southeast Asia: The Politics of Change, Contestation, and Adaptation” edited by Alice D. Ba and Mark Beeson. The second one was co-authored with Daniel Kremers, is simply titled “Migration” and part of the “Routledge Handbook of Civil Society in Asia”, edited by Akihiro Ogawa. Here is some more information on the volumes and contributions:

A Global Compact from Below? Civil society issues “Ten Acts” for a compact on human #mobility and #migration

The consultations on the proposed ““Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration” are entering into their final phase. The final regional civil society consultation will take place this week for the Pacifc region in Fiji, followed by a stocktaking meeting in Mexico from 4-6 December 2017. This stocktakign phase will continue until January 2018, followed by the intergovernmental negotiations from February to July 2018. Migrant civil society has been very involved in the consultation phase and held independent meetings as well. As a result, a tool for advocacy has now been released: “Now and How TEN ACTS for the Global Compact”. The goal of the document is

Bridging the „micro“ and the „macro”: The Mayoral Forum on #Migration and #Development An interview with Colleen Thouez (UNITAR)

“How can we connect the global debates with the policies on the ground?” was one of the main questions that kept coming up during the recent cluster of events in Berlin on global migration governance, development and the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration. One process tackled precisely this question: The 4^th Global Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development (“Mayoral Forum”). The theme of the forum was “Mayors as Humanitarian and Development Actors – Preparing, Welcoming, and Integrating”. I was able to participate as an observer and talk to the co-founder of the Forum, Dr. Colleen Thouez:

PGA opening in Berlin: A time to be excited or cautious? #MigrantRightsBerlin

The 2017 Peoples’ Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights (PGA) has started today in Berlin. More than 130 migrants grassroots and civil society representatives have gathered at the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES) in order to discuss strategies and advocacy with particular focus on the negotiations of the “Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular migration”. Why another meeting after a packed week of deliberations in Berlin taking place within and around the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)? The answer is clear:

Impressions of #GFMD_CSD Day 1: Global Compact? You know nothing, Jon Snow!

I will post brief first impressions after each GFMD Civil Society day – here comes Day 1: After a very fitting opening at the Brandenburg Gate on the evening before (Day 0, so to speak, see picture), the GFMD Civil Society Days went to work quickly on Thursday. Some disappointment was voiced over the opening ceremony speeches; without being unfair to the German representatives, but do we really need to be told again how many migrants are there worldwide and how high the amount of remittances is in relation to development aid? The Davos style panel debates that followed provided