Click here (PPS file 2.29 MB) to view the presentation on the GMG during the 48th session of the UNITAR Board of Trustees (November 2009).
UNITAR’s engagement in the field of international migration dates back to the early 1990s. For over a decade until 2003, UNITAR joined forces with IOM, ILO and UNFPA to provide capacity-building on migration and refugee issues to governments from developing countries around the world. Having spearheaded its migration work at UN headquarters in the context of UN General Assembly's 2006 High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, UNITAR re-launched its Migration Programme out of its Governance Unit in Geneva in 2009.
Facilitating Global Policy Dialogue: UNITAR’s chairmanship of the Global Migration Group in 2009
In 2009, UNITAR was chair of the inter-agency Global Migration Group (GMG), and was leading the Group’s revitalization. In this capacity, and through its training activities, the Institute actively supports the global inter-governmental process of dialogue and sharing of ideas and practices on international migration and development initiated with the 2006 UN High Level Dialogue, and continued through the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).
“How do we start putting together all the pieces of the migration and development puzzle? This knowledge is scattered not just in the many United Nations offices, funds and programmes, but also in the halls of Governments around the world, in the minds of experts, in the experiences of employers, in the activities of civil society organizations and in the hearts of migrants….” - International migration and development: 2006 Report of the UN Secretary-General
At United Nations Headquarters, UNITAR hosts the Migration and Development Seminar Series. Since 2005, the Series has served to inform, educate and advance policy thinking and dialogue on migration-related topics among New York’s diplomatic community. It is organized in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the MacArthur Foundation.
UNITAR also offers the annual International Migration Law (IML) course at UN headquarters and (soon) in other UN locations around the world. The IML course provides diplomats and other stakeholders with in-depth knowledge and practical application skills of relevant international legal instruments.
Strengthening Local Migration Governance
UNITAR works with networks of municipal authorities and other local actors to enhance knowledge and capacities on migration, integration and diversity issues at the local level. In collaboration with the IOM, the Institute will launch an initiative to foster partnerships between traditional and recent cities of immigration. Through online communities of practice; regional and inter-regional workshops, as well as study visits and training (i.e. on leadership, mediation and negotiation skills) the initiative will facilitate cross-cultural and professional exchanges and build local capacities pertaining to inclusive migration and integration governance.
Technical Cooperation
UNITAR supports the coordination and planning of humanitarian relief efforts by IOM,
UNHCR and member states through satellite derived geographic information and analysis. UNITAR also develops methodologies and builds local technical capacity pertaining to the satellite imagery. It offers training services both in Geneva and in-country, including generic and customized training courses.
In addition, through a number of pilot projects at the national level supported by the Government of Spain, UNITAR and the IOM will engage governments and UN country teams in an effort to replicate good practices in migration governance and cooperation across countries, and to explore innovative ways of harnessing migration for development. One such pilot will focus on new models of collaboration with diaspora organizations in the context of post-conflict reconstruction and peace building.
Our approach:
The goals advanced by UNITAR’s activities in the field of international migration can be summarized as follows:
- to inform, educate and advance policy thinking and dialogue on migration issues through targeted training for a variety of stakeholders;
- to produce and disseminate an increasing body of analysis and thematic knowledge;
- to deliver results for beneficiaries and partners through regular evaluation of all activities; and
- to strengthen governance structures for international migration by: supporting inter-governmental processes of dialogue and collaboration on migration issues in the context of the UN General Assembly, the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and regional fora; fostering inter-agency collaboration within the UN, as well as with other international organizations; and providing civil society organizations, migrants and diaspora with greater exposure in the UN context.
Beneficiaries:
- Government representatives of 192 Member States of the UN
- UN Staff
- Civil Society Representatives
- Private Sector Representatives
- Local authorities
Key results
Its activities in this field have profiled UNITAR as the principal convenor at the UN for discussions on international migration and its inter-linkages with development. UNITAR was recently commended publicly by the UN community as an “excellent tool for ensuring that migration and development remain on the international agenda”.
In response to this growing recognition of the Institute as a neutral and constructive player in the international migration arena, UNITAR was asked to assume the GMG chairmanship in 2009, and will represent the 14 agencies during the third GFMD meeting in Greece (4-5 November 2009).
Partners
The main partners are: the Government of Spain; IOM; UNFPA,
the MacArthur Foundation;
UNDP,
UNDESA,
UNIFEM,
UNODC, UNHCR,
OCHA, ILO,
ICRC,
the World Bank,
the UNITAR-affiliated network of CIFAL Centres, as well as the
Alliance of Civilisations Secretariat, the
Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), the Center for Migration Studies.
