Sustainable development is one of the ten cross-cutting and guiding principles of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Global Compact is grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

The contribution of migrants to the development of their countries of origin, through remittances, diaspora investments and trade, far exceeds official development assistance and foreign direct investment. The contribution of migrants to economies and societies of destination are similarly essential, as the recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated.

This webinar assesses progress made in implementing Objective 19 (Create conditions for migrants and diasporas to fully contribute to sustainable development in all countries) and Objective 20 (Promote faster, safer and cheaper transfer of remittances and foster financial inclusion of migrants) of the Global Compact. The webinar will also contribute to strengthening the global evidence base on international migration and how this may support an informed policy debate (Objective 1). Furthermore, it aims to identify how the transnational engagement of migrants can be further strengthened to maximize their vast potential. The webinar will pay specific attention to how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected these contributions and what actions can be taken to leverage their contributions as countries are building back from the crisis.

Good practices and recommendations identified by the webinar will inform the first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), to be held in May 2022, when the status of implementation of the Global Compact will be assessed and, in particular, Roundtable 3, which will review, inter alia, objectives 19 and 20. The seminar will also inform the negotiations on the Progress Declaration, which will be adopted during the Forum.

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