Women in Migration Network IMRF Pledge

The Women in Migration Network has played an active role in preparations for the IMRF, from

participation in Regional Reviews and the Gender workstream of the UN Network, to a role in Progress

Declaration negotiations, to a strong presence at the IMRF in New York. Like many, we see the IMRF not

as an end, but as a step towards deepened Member State commitment to gender-responsive

implementation of the Global Compact. This entails tangible steps to apply the gender-responsive

guiding principle to all objectives in the Global Compact, not merely mentioning women here and there.



WIMN affirms the 360-degree approach of the Global Compact, which envisions a strong role for civil

society and affirms the people-centered nature of migration policy. This has enabled WIMN to engage

with member states and the UN System to advance concerns related to women in migration. This

includes our input to UN Women’s Policies and Practices Guide and our partnership with the Gender &

Migration Hub of Wilfred Laurier University –supported by Canada– both of which offer tools for States

to develop gender-responsive migration policy, as well as our contributions to the UN Network’s

Anti-Discrimination and COVID-19 Advocacy Tool.


That said, it is the responsibility of States to take steps to respect, protect and fulfill human rights

obligations and international labor standards as they implement migration policy, including through the

Global Compact for Migration.


As follow up to the IMRF, WIMN pledges to:

● Center the voices and experiences of migrant women in policy deliberations at the regional and

global levels. Create space for migrant women to assess national migration policies, exploring

“who benefits?” and “who is marginalized or hurt?” Gather the knowledge and priorities of

migrant women in all their diversity as part of gendered migration data collection.

● Work with states and the UN System to approach “gender-responsive” policy in a holistic way

that recognizes migrant women’s agency and leadership, avoids tokenization or victimization,

and addresses women’s concerns including climate change, labor rights, regular pathways, the

need for regularization and access to services, and a shift from criminalization and enforcement

to human rights-centered policy focus.

● Work with the Gender & Migration Hub to review national GCM implementation, monitoring

and evaluation frameworks with a gender lens and support knowledge-sharing and

capacity-building on gender and migration as resources allow.

● Continue to work with the UN Network on Migration to prioritize intersectional gender

perspectives in program priorities. Advocate for a strong gender indicator for GCM

implementation, and the institutionalization and funding of a Gender Rapporteur at all regional

and global GCM-related processes.

LAST UPDATED: 4/JUL/23

WIMN has initiated the Leadership in Global Advocacy (LIGA) Program which aims to center the voices and experiences of migrant women in policy deliberations at the regional and
global levels. 

As part of the Gender Workstream, WIMN is engaging in capacity building strategies for both states and civil society, promote engagement of member states in national implementation; promote the use by member states of the anti-discrimination advocacy tool and seek greater links between gender workstream and indicators workstream.

Disseminate insights for ongoing work within and across regions by issuing a report (on June 2023) on lessons from regional intersectional and intersectoral dialogues on gender & migration held in 2021. 

Contribute to close the gap between global advocacy and local grassroot organizations by implementing a pilot program for engaging, building capacity of GR groups to engage inmigration policy global advocacy and help shape the agenda. 

Continue to work with the UN Network on Migration to prioritize intersectional gender perspectives in program priorities.

Work with states and the UN System to approach “gender-responsive” policy in a holistic way that recognizes migrant women’s agency and leadership, avoids tokenization or victimization, and addresses women’s concerns including climate change, labor rights, regular pathways, the need for regularization and access to services, and a shift from criminalization and enforcement to human rights-centered policy focus.