Discussion Spaces
Draft Network Workplan 2022-2024
Draft Network Workplan 2022-2024
Welcome
The Network’s Executive Committee invited all stakeholders to contribute ideas towards developing the Network’s workplan. The workplan highlights key priority issues from the GCM and the IMRF’s Progress Declaration for Network activities to support GCM implementation.
A working draft of the Network’s workplan was provided on this space for comments, questions, as well as indications to join working groups and workstreams to help deliver on the suggested activities.
The workplan was discussed at the Network’s annual meeting on 18-19 October at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, and will be finalized with the Network’s Executive Committee Principals meeting in December 2022.
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Discussion Questions & Comments
As Caritas Internationalis Confederation, comprising 162 national Caritas members and 7 regional offices, we welcome the UNNM draft Work Plan 2022-2024 as a crucial tool to contribute to effectively implement the GCM objectives and the Progress Declaration (PD) through a joint and coordinated multi-stakeholder work.
We acknowledge the efforts made by the Network to highlight the top priorities for the years to come and to structure the work in working groups to achieve the GCM objectives and other relevant international commitments. However, we think that the draft work plan needs to be further elaborated and reinforced to capture today’s major challenges and priorities in the GCM implementation.
For our Caritas Confederation, today’s major challenges concern four axes:
1. Safe and regular migration pathways for migrants – especially for vulnerable migrants (women, children, people with disabilities, environmentally and climate-induced migrants etc.);
2. Integration of migrants and IDPs in host communities [ access to basic services; food and shelter; decent work / access to a legal status (long term permits – citizenship) and family reunification; integration of migrants and refugees in urban contexts; empowering migrants and migrants-led organizations in decision-making and in the life of host communities; counteracting systemic discrimination];
3. Mitigation, community resilience building, legal protection and integration of environmentally and climate-induced migrants and displaced people;
4. Voluntary and safe return and reintegration of migrants and IDPs in their communities of origin.
As regards the NEW THEMATIC PRIORITIES in the UNNM draft workplan, our Confederation appreciates the introduction of a new Priority 5 dedicated to “Strengthening the socio-economic integration of migrants”. This is a crucial topic, as full-inclusion of migrants implies various factors, among which:
It is not clear which of the above mentioned aspects of the socio-economic integration of migrants will be addressed under Priority 5. The objectives and thematic areas should be more clearly specified to produce focused and impactful results.
Concerning ONGOING PRIORITIES, we regret the fact that the draft work plan fails to address a key issue of the GCM Progress Declaration, namely the establishment of safe and regular migration pathways in the context of climate change and environmental degradation.
Indeed, paragraph 24 of the PD notes that "the availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration remains limited in many cases". Paragraph 59 includes a commitment by States to "strengthen our efforts to enhance and diversify the availability of pathways for safe, orderly and regular migration, including in response to demographic and labour market realities, and for migrants in vulnerable situations, as well as those affected by disasters, climate change and environmental degradation".
Despite this commitment, which would require strong support from the UN Network on Migration to States for its implementation, the 2022-2024 draft Work Plan does not have a specific priority on safe and legal migration pathways for vulnerable populations, including for those moving in the context of climate change and environmental degradation. The previous 2021-2022 Work Plan took into account the existence of a specific working group on "enhancing regular pathways for migrants in vulnerable situations" (TWG3). This group is no longer included in the 2022-2024 draft Work Plan, and the work on legal and regular pathways is limited to bilateral labour migration agreements (ongoing priority number 4 in the draft work plan).
On the other hand, climate issues are addressed in ongoing priority number 6 entitled Climate Change, the GCM and the Paris Agreement. This is a crucial priority for advocating with States to address the root causes of environmentally and climate change-induced displacement as well as find durable solutions in terms of mitigation, community resilience strengthening and adaptation and reimbursement for Loss & Damage.
But this priority only refers to climate change adaptation and mitigation issues, and does not consider the issue of protection of migrants and the work on safe and regular pathways.
As regards the WORKING METHODOLOGY, we express our appreciation for a strengthened engagement of the Network at country and regional level, in synergy with Member States, country and regional networks or other regional/country migration coordination mechanisms.
Indeed, the GCM and the Progress Declaration can be successfully implemented if the Network
[Full comments attached]
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
The Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts (a multi-stakeholder partnership of over 30 civil society, trade union, UN and philanthropic organisations united to ensure that children’s rights are at the heart of implementation of the GCR and GCM) welcomes the United Nations Network on Migration’s draft workplan 2022-2024 as an important framework for coordinated multi-stakeholder efforts to support implementation of the GCM and the Progress Declaration.
Almost 4 years since the adoption of the GCM, the Initiative continues to support its child-centred approach and child-sensitive guiding principle and that it is rooted in core international human rights treaties, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international instruments. There is an urgent need to uphold commitments to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes a duty of care and protection for children and families regardless of their nationality, race, gender or religion.
The Initiative continues to advocate for the GCM to be fully implemented with children at its heart in practice. We call for the GCM to be implemented hand-in-hand with the GCR to ensure no children fall between the two. And we call for children’s agency to be recognised and supported and for them to be partners in the process.
We welcome the organisation of work around specific priorities and the ongoing commitment to work on pre-identified priorities as well as the inclusion of new priorities. We do, however, note with concern that Access to Services is not included in this workplan as an ongoing priority - we believe it is important to continue to focus on this and would be interested to continue to collaborate around it.
In order to ensure a comprehensive approach in implementing the work in the many priority areas, we encourage the Network to:
Child sensitive guiding principle – championing it through the workplan
The overview of the workplan outlines that the work of the Network will involve the integration of the GCM’s 10 guiding principles in its priorities. We would like to see this elaborated upon in the plan to understand how the guiding principles, and in particular the child sensitive guiding principle, will be integrated into the work – and moreover, how it will be championed with States. The Initiative is interested to engage with the network on promoting the centrality and paramount importance of the child sensitive guiding principle through the work of the different workstreams.
Partnering with children and youth
We welcome the Network’s commitment to “systematize regular engagement of civil society and other stakeholder partners, including migrant constituencies at all levels, including through capacity building to deepen engagement at country and regional levels on priorities to be identified in line with existing and emerging concerns”.
One of the Initiative’s key priorities is to support children’s participation and to ensure safe spaces and mechanisms for their participation. The GCM calls on a ‘whole of society approach’ in its implementation and we commit to support children and young people, including those on the move, as agents of change and empower them to contribute to the GCM implementation as partners.
We would welcome a commitment through the workplan to partnering with children in migration and supporting their meaningful participation in conversations at different levels and to creating spaces and sustainable mechanisms for this.
Capacity Building of states to support the implementation of the GCM for and with children
Since the GCM’s adoption, whilst some States have taken important steps to empower and reduce the vulnerability of migrant children, progress has been slow. Much greater action is needed by States in collaboration with other stakeholders to implement the GCM for and with children and uphold the best interests of the child.
We believe that the UN Network on Migration has an important role to play in championing child-focused and child-sensitive implementation of the GCM to a greater extent and working with States to ensure that it is prioritised, to identify any blockages, such as in terms of capacity. Given the relative lack of reporting on how the GCM is being implemented for children, it would be important to determine what support is needed by governments to implement the GCM and ensure a continuum of protection, care and access to services for children.
See full reflections in the attached file.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
Yes, the work plan covers a comprehensive plan to support GCM implementation. However, I feel women migrant's issues need more attention. There is a gender dimension aspect captured in point 8 but it would be better to add a separate agenda item on women migrant worker's rights as they experience violation of reproductive rights. In many countries when women migrant workers are found pregnant as result of mandatory medical testing to review their work permits, they get arrested, detained and deported. Women migrant mainly work as domestic workers which is not recognized as work in certain receiving countries hence not covered under labor laws. So, women migrants labor rights are being violated largely. They live at employers' houses and experience physical, sexual and mental violence in many cases. They lack access to health services; employers usually do not cover medical needs, do not allow them to go and see the doctor with a paid leave. There is exploitation by the recruiting agents also. Thus, women migrants' rights need to be included as a priority point in the work plan to pay more attention to their issues.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
The UN Network on Migration’s draft workplan lists as a new priority “Strengthening socio-economic integration of migrants” with reference to thematic areas 5 (Improving the social inclusion and integration of migrants) and 4 (Facilitating regular migration, decent work and enhancing the positive development effects of human mobility). This priority area is not yet supported by suggested activities in the draft workplan.
We would recommend that a key objective for such priority area would be the strengthening of migrant participation in law and policy-making, with an eye particularly on increasing the participation opportunities for migrant women. This objective is supported by the IMRF Progress Declaration, which recommends “promoting the meaningful participation of migrants in policy discussions on issues affecting them” (para 51); “promoting [migrants’] meaningful contribution to policy development, delivery and reviews” (para 53) and “ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the formulation and implementation of migration policies, while recognizing their independence, agency and leadership.” (para 56).
In order to ensure that migrants and migrant-allied CSO can meaningfully participate in law and policy-making, such groups must be able to freely exercise their rights to expression, association and assembly. We therefore also recommend that, in addition to activities directly promoting migrant participation, the workplan also include activities that aim to safeguard these crucial civic freedoms.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
The IMRF Progress Declaration notes that progress was made ‘in the recognition of the human, cultural, social and economic capital that diasporas bring as well as their engagement and remittances in national development strategies’. However, we also note that more needs to be done, beyond facilitating remittances, to ‘create conditions for migrants and diasporas to fully contribute to sustainable development in all countries’ as per GCM objective 19. In particular, barriers to inclusion in countries of residence can hamper diasporas’ capacity to contribute to countries of origin as well as to communities of residence.
We suggest including a dedicated item on the workplan - either as standalone or as an activity under new priority 5 - focusing on increasing recognition and engagement of diasporas as key actors and stakeholders, particularly in advancing the sustainable development and climate action agendas of countries of origin and residence (obj 19, 20) as well as in improving inclusion and social cohesion (obj 16) in countries of residence.
One suggested activity would be to raise awareness about and encourage more countries to support the Dublin Declaration.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
During the last three difficult years caused by the health and economic crisis due to covid-19, migrants have contributed enormously to the development and resilience of their countries and communities of origin, either through the remittances they kept sending or the investments they made. Nevertheless, much more is still to be done to facilitate these flows and maximize their impact for the wellbeing and financial independence of hundreds of millions of migrants and their families back home.
Member States do recognise the importance of remittances and migrants’ investment. They seek linkages and entry points, beyond cost reduction, to amplify the development impact of remittances and migrant contributions, as well as on how including these resources in their national strategies and policies, but their requests for guidance have gone often unanswered.
At the same time, private sector entities are increasingly engaged but are still far for being successfully and effectively involved.
GCM Objectives 19 and 20 address the importance of migrants’ contribution to their countries of origin through a set of clear actionable commitments. In particular objective 20 on “Promote faster, safer and cheaper transfer of remittances and foster financial inclusion of migrants”, provides a list of actions that are crucial to achieve not only SDG target 10.c to reduce the costs of remittances, but also to maximize their impact for development.
In the IMRF Progress Declaration, Member States made a renewed commitment to “redoubling our efforts to reduce the average transaction cost of migrant remittances from 6.3 per cent of the amount transferred during the third quarter of 2021 to less than 3 per cent by 2030, including by adopting digital solutions for faster, safer and cheaper remittances, promoting digital and financial inclusion and accelerating access to transaction accounts for migrants”.
Furthermore, the very recent UN Secretary General’s Report on international migration and development presented at the upcoming 77th General Assembly (77/236), made a specific recommendation to Member States and the private sector to work toward that direction, indicating that “Member States are encouraged to enhance the access of migrant workers and their families to financial services. Moving remittances to digital channels could help to reduce the costs of transferring remittances, while increasing access, transparency and financial inclusion”.
In this respect, it is proposed to strengthen the work plan 2022-2024 though an additional priority addressing GCM objectives 19 (diaspora engagement) and 20 (remittances), with both direct deliverables and close coordination with already planned ongoing and new priorities.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
1. Our Confederation would highly recommend the Network to introduce a New Priority focusing on the special protection needs of migrant minors, especially of stateless, unaccompanied and separated minors, girls in particular, who are the first victims of human trafficking (sexual abuse and work exploitation) and suffer the most from psychological stresses and problems. More girls and boys than ever are on the move, with 35.5 million having lived outside their country of birth in 2020 and an additional 23.3 million displaced internally, according to a UNICEF Report published in August 2021. Always according to UNICEF estimates, during 2021, there were 7.3 million new displacements of children as consequence of natural disasters; conflict, violence and other crises left a record 36.5 million children displaced from their homes by the end of 2021 – the highest number recorded since the Second World War. State parties to the GCM have taken this commitment in GCM Obj. 7 (Address and reduce vulnerabilities in migration) and 9 d) and have reiterated and strengthened this engagement in PD 11, 56 and 57. The number of minors fleeing from conflicts or displaced due to a mix of drivers (food insecurity, climate change, environmental degradation) or arriving alone to destination countries in search of better opportunities has dramatically increased. They are exposed to multiple shocks and high vulnerability resulting from a lack of essential services. A Priority and Working Group addressing the vulnerabilities of migrant minors and recognizing at the same time their role and agency in the receiving communities would be of utmost importance.
In relation to minors but not only, we don’t see any more in the draft work plan a priority and WG related to basic services. While the health needs of migrants are included in the New Priority 3, there is no Priority addressing the huge pandemic and post-pandemic challenge of access to education for migrants (kids, youth, adults) and how to overcome the gaps they have experienced and which have caused drop-outs and setbacks in their educational path.
Another highly important Priority would be that of women in migration, as there is a clear female face of migration that has to be considered. Migrant women are the first victims of human trafficking, but also the first providers of care both in the communities of origin and of destination. They contribute with their work and their remittances to the development of the host societies and of their countries of origin. Their empowerment and their agency is crucial in shaping migration and development policies, counteracting climate change adverse effects, and building peace in conflict-affected communities. Protecting and empowering women in migration and recognizing their agency in host communities would deserve a dedicated Priority and WG in the UNNM work plan.
2. Caritas Internationalis also highlights the urgency to invest in the issue of safe and regular pathways for environmental migrants. Our international partners across the world confirm that more and more people are being compelled to leave their territories because of environmental risks. Climate change and environmental degradation are undoubtedly drivers in migration. These phenomena, which are becoming more frequent and more pronounced, have a negative impact on the respect of human rights, such as the right to life, to water, to food, to health and to live in a healthy environment.
Therefore, the UN Migration Network should consider specific work on safe and legal migration pathways for people moving in the context of climate change and environmental degradation.
While there is a growing recognition of the link between climate change, environmental degradation and migration, there is a legal vacuum to protect those who move across borders in this context. There is a great fragmentation of international legal regimes and processes that address this issue, be it humanitarian law, human rights, climate governance and global migration governance, without a strong policy response to move forward in the protection of environmental migrants.
Of the 216 pledges presented in the framework of the IMRF, very few actually address the issue of safe and legal pathways for migration in the context of climate change and environmental degradation. Argentina is an exception, with its humanitarian visa programme for nationals and residents of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean displaced by socio-natural disasters.
This confirm the relevance and need for the UN Migration Network to include a specific priority of work on safe and legal migration routes for environmental migrants, in order to push States to fulfil their commitments in this area.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
Thank you very much to the UN Network for providing this important discussion spaces. CARAM Asia is a regional network of 42 member organizations in 18 countries across Asia including Middle East, working for promotion and protection of migrant worker's labor and health rights with focus of HIV & AIDS. CARAM Asia welcomes the work plan and would like to draw attention on the recruitment reform area which is very important in Asian context especially where at one side the licensed recruitment agencies exploit migrant workers (MWs) and force them to pay extremely high migration cost which bring MWs under debts. At other side the non-licensed agents play a crucial role in bringing migrants on visit visa to the receiving countries on the fake promise of arranging work visa for them when they are there. However, upon arrival in receiving countries they leave them abundant which make them undocumented workers in a foreign country without any help and support system. These agents also exploit MWs and push them into trafficking routes. In recent years there were cases of bringing MWs on student visa and leaving them helpless in receiving countries. So, we suggest Recruitment Reform needs is an important area to handle with. There must be recruitment departments under relevant ministries in sending and receiving countries. Consultations with stakeholders in government and civil society are very important to reform the recruitment system to promote and implement safe migration, reduce MW's exploitation and to reduce trafficking in persons.
As discussed, in question one the women MWs rights also need to be considered as priority area separately.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
Caritas Internationalis is particularly interested in the following priority areas:
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
For The Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts, we would like to express our interest in continuing to/ starting to engage with the UN Network on the following priorities in the workplan, including in developing concrete actions that will make a difference to the lives of children in migration:
Continue our engagement
Start our engagement
We look forward to working with the UN Network in the next 4-year cycle of GCM implementation, to ensure that the child sensitive guiding principle is prioritised in all of this work. Crucially, we look forward to making a measurable difference with and for children in migration.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
UN Network
CARAM Asia's priority area is promotion and protection of MW's health rights hence the Network's area of interest is priority area 3 "Preparing for future health emergencies". Under this priority area the particular areas are:
Promote the meaningful participation of migrants in policy discussions related to safe access to basic services and integration by organising specific dialogues within migrant groups and other relevant stakeholders to exchange practices and lessons learned, and build collaborative spaces. CARAM Asia already have established community contacts and have done capacity building of migrants and their community leaders who can be engaged into this process along side community-based organizations, government officials from district level to high level and other stakeholders who are beneficiaries of CARAM Asia's capacity building activities on migrant worker's health rights.
iv. Organise two capacity-building events to promote the inclusion of public health considerations into migration policies and plans.
CARAM Asia has conducted research in some of member countries on UHC and coverage for migrant worker as well as national budget allocations for MW's health rights. These studies provide evidence for capacity building and advocacy to promote the inclusion of public health considerations into migration policies. This area is an important area of CARAM Asia's advocacy.
In reply to by Migration Netw…
In the past decade, there have been between 75,000 and 120,000 migrant disappearances along the migration route between the Northern Triangle and the United States. Boston University School of Law’s International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC), in collaboration with regional NGOs, has done extensive research to highlight the systemic failures of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the United States to investigate migrant disappearances, provide families with remedies for disappearances, and handle migrant remains in a humane and adequate manner. Accordingly, the IHRC roundly supports the inclusion of Network Priority 2 on missing migrants and humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress.
Within this priority, we encourage the Network to promote transnational mechanisms that facilitate the reporting and identification of missing migrants. In the Central America-Mexico-U.S. migration corridor, for example, Mexican External Support Mechanism for Search and Investigation [Mecanismo de Apoyo Exterior Mexicano de Búsqueda e Investigación] (MAE) assists disappearing migrants outside of Mexico through an inter-state reporting system. While advocates in the region continue to push for improvements to the MAE, it offers a model that could prove useful for other regions and shape activities and recommendations promoted by the Network. Other recommendations that the IHRC and our partner organizations have advanced in previous reports, attached below, include the need to promote proper procedures for repatriating remains, reparations for victims and families of disappeared migrants, and the development of a forensics database to identify missing migrants across regional routes.
We also encourage the Network to promote changes in state policies that cause or contribute to migrant disappearances—such as deterrence and externalization policies—and to promote improved search and rescue operations, especially where such policies are in place. Our research highlights, for example, that the United States’s deterrence policies—which funnel migrants into the desert—as well as the use of similar deterrence policies to Mexico, have resulted in increased migrant disappearances. The Network's priority on missing migrants should promote diminished reliance on such deterrence policies that increase the danger of migrant journeys. Additionally, state policies that harm the ability of NGOs and state agencies to conduct search and rescue, such as the criminalization of humanitarian assistance and policies designed to leave migrants in danger until they are in a weakened physical and mental state should be altered.
The Network’s attention to missing migrants and humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress is essential to upholding migrants’ human dignity. We hope that this comment, together with the attached resources, contribute to the further development of the Network’s work plan.
Some comments from the United Kingdom:
In 04/09/2020, Network of Girls Against Human Trafficking(NoGAHT)in
partnership with action for humanity(Fatou Jagne & lovette Jallow)help bring back 38 Women & Girls back from Lebanon to the Gambia https://youtu.be/DmpXgGqj_c4 Haman trafficking is real. After series of efforts, in October 2022 Fatou Jagne made to bring back our brothers and sisters who were also trafficked to Dubai using false information to get them into such risky journey with them hoping for a better life.
Fatou later on have funding from Jah Oil, The Gambia and some Gambians for the payment of their air tickets to return home. trafficking is real and we still have more
victims that need help.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity always as a survivor of human trafficking
Really appreciate it 🙏🏽 🙌🏿 😌 ☺️ 😊 ❤️ 🙏🏽