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Blueprint for Action of the Remittance Community Task Force

Primary GCM Objectives

GCM Guiding Principles*

*All practices are to uphold the ten guiding principles of the GCM. This practice particularly exemplifies these listed principles.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dates

2020 - Present

Type of practice

Partnership/Multistakeholder initiative

Geographic scope

Geographic Scope:

Global

Summary

On 19 March 2020, the UN Secretary-General called for an urgent and coordinated response from the international community to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Five days later, the Remittance Community Task Force (RCTF) was launched by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Union, and the World Bank Group. To date, over 40 organizations have joined the RCTF, including international organizations, intergovernmental bodies, industry and private sector groups, diaspora networks, and international experts.

After due observation and current assessment of the impact of COVID-19 in the remittance market, the RCTF released a Blueprint for Action in November 2020, which contains concrete measures, actions and relevant examples deemed useful for spurring the recovery and the resilience of one billion people involved in remittances in the post-COVID-19 economic environment. These include 200 million migrant workers – half of them women – and 800 million of their family members in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) who rely on remittances. Guidance on implementable policy options is proposed for immediate action as well as for the next 6 to 12 months, as appropriate to national priorities and needs. Since its establishment, the RCTF has worked on guidelines for identifying measures that facilitate response, recovery and resilience, enabling government authorities to contribute to maintaining the flow of fast, low-cost and safe remittances.

This final report presents a compilation of the effects of COVID-19 on the remittance market until September 2020 and incorporates the consensus of RCTF members on the measures needed to promote the recovery of remittance senders, recipients and service providers. In addition to the GCM, the Blueprint findings also support several international fora and processes, including the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the UN process on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond, and the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), particularly the country roadmaps and the publication of an IFAD-World Bank study on remittances and COVID-19.

Organizations

Main Implementing Organization(s)

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Partner/Donor Organizations

World Bank
African Union
+40 members

Benefit and Impact

The Blueprint contributed to shed light on the impact that COVID-19 has had on migrants and their families and the dire consequences of the pandemic on their jobs and wellbeing. In parallel, the report highlighted several, multi-stakeholder initiatives that have been implemented since the beginning of the pandemic, to show that the global community is willing, and already working together to support end beneficiaries – the so-called remittance families – to overcome the difficulties they faced.
Several initiatives included in the Blueprint are still being implemented, and will be updated this year, including impact measurement, as a continuation to the RCTF activities.

Key Lessons

Putting together the core team at the very beginning took a lot of coordination and bilateral discussions. Risks of misunderstanding were overcome through the setup of dedicated terms of reference that regulated the RCTF activities. A close follow up was needed to ensure practices were collected, shaped in a user-friendly way, and included in the Blueprint for the broader public. Initiatives included in the Blueprint will be constantly updated to ensure adequate follow up is done by the respective implementing partners.

Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)

The RCTF members gathered to contribute to a common goal: to shed light on the importance that remittances and migrants’ contribution have for the survival and wellbeing of their family members back home, despite the pandemic. This is the common denominator that allowed multi-sector stakeholders to work together and highlight potential for collaboration. The will to work together and contribute to global processes for the benefit of migrants and their families was the engine that pushed the over 40 members to join efforts.
It is important to have terms of reference to guide a group’s work, and to constantly follow up bilaterally through dedicated communication to make them feel part of a community working towards a common goal. A constant communication flow and equal treatment among members are also crucial to ensure empowerment and uptake from them.

Innovation

The innovation lies in the virtual component of the RCTF, being created at the dawn of the pandemic without the possibility of meeting in person. The way it has been setup and managed stimulated similar initiatives focusing on working together to leverage the impact of remittances in times of crisis. The scalability involves the participation of additional members in the RCTF, which was gradually achieved since its first establishment, reaching over 40 organizations.

Date submitted:

01 February 2022

Disclaimer: The content of this practice reflects the views of the implementers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations, the United Nations Network on Migration, and its members.

 

 

*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).