Seminar on Labour migration: protection, gender and development

Date: 3 October 2008
Venue: United Nations Headquarters

Objectives:

Convening for the second time since the General Assembly’s High Level Dialogue (HLD) on International Migration and Development in 2006, the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), to be held in Manila from 29-30 October 2008, will focus its attention on the interlinkages between migration, development and the human rights and protection of migrants.

These discussions seem to rest on three key assumptions and arguments. Firstly, migrants who are better protected will contribute more to development in both their host and home countries. Second, evidence suggests that different groups of migrants face different degrees of vulnerability, linked to gender differences, as well as their legal and occupational status, which must be addressed. Thirdly, there is widespread consensus that the best way to afford protection to migrants is to ensure that migration can happen in a legal and orderly manner.

The seminar will examine these arguments, looking at various legal and regulatory frameworks for labour migration and mobility at the international, regional, bilateral and national levels. It will focus on the regard given to concerns of protection, gender and development under these arrangements, and examine how existing frameworks deal with these sometimes conflicting concerns. Throughout, the question of how regulatory policies strike the balance between the interest of various stakeholders, and how they distribute rights and responsibilities among them will be discussed.

Working Language: English

Related Documents (pdf):

Current Priorities in Intergovernmental Dialogues on Labour Migration
Ms. Sophie Nonnenmacher, Labour Migration Specialist, IOM

Guidelines of the Immigration Policy of Spain on Legal Migration and Development
Mr. Jose Matres, Adviser to the Secretary General for Consular Affairs and Migrations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Spain

Mexico's Consular Activities to protect Mexicans abroad
Mr. Mario Cuevas, Consul of Protection, Consulate General of Mexico in New York

Assessing temporary labour mobility schemes for low-skilled workers: Lessons for GATS Mode 4 and other initiatives
Mr. Paul Ladd, Adviser, UNDP

African regional and multilateral frameworks for labour mobility
Prof. John Oucho, Marie Curie Chair, Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations, School of Health and Social Studies, University of Warwick

Creating Opportunities for Temporary Foreign Workers: Innovation in Capacity-building and Skills Transfer in Latin America
Ms. Barbara MacLaren, Project Manager, Labour Mobility, Trade and Development Program, FOCAL

Temporary Foreign Workers Capacity Building Process
Flow Chart developed by FOCAL / CONNEXION INTERNATIONALE / 2008

Challenges Associated with Health Worker Migration & the Role of Normative Instruments
Mr. Ibadat Dhillon, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Realizing Rights: Ethical Globalization Initiative, Aspen Institute

Human Development on the Move
Ms. Jeni Klugman, Human Development Report Office, UNDP

Microfinance and Remittances in Haiti
Ms. Katleen Felix, Project Manager, Fonkoze

Bibliography on Remittances by Katleen Felix, Fonkoze

Information note on the seminar organization

Seminar programme

Related Links:

2008 Global Forum on Migration and Development

2006 UNITAR Workshop on Labour Migration