Repository of Practices

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

Training material

Geographic scope

Geographic Scope:

Global

Summary

The practice is a response to the limited awareness and knowledge of the Global Compact for Migration as well as the critical elements embedded in its objectives. Spearheaded by civil society, the organisations saw this as an opportunity to socialise the importance of the GCM to the public and interested parties in the migration governance and diaspora engagement space. In parallel, it provides an opportunity for participants to bring in their lived local experiences and realities in discussions shaped around regional and global platforms. Since Sept 2020, the co-organisers have offered this FREE online certificate programme (6 months) on the Global Compact for Migration. Now training a second cohort or intake, the certificate programme has cumulatively attracted nearly 500 students signing up from over 50 countries. It is conducted through special lectures and a GCM review Webinar series of 23 weekly sessions of thought-provoking dialogue and discussions. The webinars break down the 23 GCM objectives with experts, policymakers, academic speakers and migrant workers from CSOs, private sector, international organisations, governments, UN agencies and other development partners. From the first intake, around 120 students from 30 countries successfully completed the certificate programme and graduated following assessment and participation in the taught lectures and webinar series. The thematic areas included topics under migration and diaspora (theory and methodology), Global Compact for Migration and project work. The 23 webinars focus on progress at the global level of each of the 23 GCM objectives, with an unpacking of the experiences in various localities or settings of the implementation of the GCM which often exposes the global-local disconnections while proposing options for filling gaps. The idea is to bring across new thoughts and reflections in light of developments around the globe on migration, including the impact of the COVID pandemic and the regional reviews of the GCM as well as to ignite new thinking around the possibilities for reform and reshaping of GCM at the upcoming IMRF. Open to students and the general public, the webinars and lectures audiences are a mix of migration students and experts from civil society, government, academia, international organisations, among others attracting on average 120+ participants to the weekly sessions. Through the weekly multi-stakeholder moderated webinars, we have hosted on the panels over 120 experts and officials from various UN agencies, civil society organisations, migrant organisations, international NGOs, academia and migrants to share their reflections and experiences on the relevant objectives. The students have been taught topical units through lecturers and resource persons from universities, think-tanks and organisations based in Africa, Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. This activity facilitated the birth of the People’s Migration Challenge (below).

Organizations

Main Implementing Organization(s)

Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT)

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)

Partner/Donor Organizations

Cross-Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants

International Institute for Migration and Development

Metropolis Asia - Pacific

The Civil Society Action Committee - CSAC

Benefit and Impact

The training offers participants from diverse geographic and professional backgrounds, interests and roles an expose the interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach for better understanding of the various facets of migration informed by the grassroots to the global level. The first intake can already attest to their learning and being informed as they were empowered to be agents of change through conversation, dialogue, knowledge sharing, campaigns and other methods. The undertone of all sessions was pinned to fostering a migrants-centred perspective based on a human rights approach.
The first convocation ceremony for the 120 graduates was held in April 2021, inaugurated by the late Ambassador William Lacy Swing - former DG of IOM. Students shared their feedback and expressed their satisfaction from the various elements of the programme and its undertaking. Students expressed the need for more opportunities to engage with diverse speakers from the migration and development space.
In formulating the second and ongoing course, the organisers were informed by the internal evaluation from the students, feedback from experts and academic scholars as well as drawing on the contextual discourse from the migration community through the People Migration Challenge.

Key Lessons

The main challenges faced during the first intake helped to shape the programme for the current intake. These challenges and remedial mesaures included: (1) limited understanding of salient migration issues or the interlinkages of GCM objectives which organisers adjusted in terms of topical lectures and referring in webinars under the second intake; (2) while the application process attracted over 800 participants in first intake, organisers could only accommodate a limited number (lesson: the organisers rely on their extensive network to support lectures and webinars); (3) the limited participation of government officials on webinars due to administrative requirements on the governments’ part (early planning for government interventions/participants). Two key lessons for virtual learning: Flexibility in planning and Ample space for students to engage with panel. We are able to adjust better in second intake, despite other pending constraints (e.g. unintended late cancellations of speakers or students due to COVID or personal emergencies) which we anticipate and accommodate in our plans (i.e. additonal speakers and recordings). During sessions, students are provided an opportunity to engage with panelists and organisers share resources and information via virtual classroom platform.

Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)

We are currently offering the second intake of the FREE certificate programme and plan on continued undertakings as well as tailored support to participants at regional and national (including sub-national) level. We recommend flexibility in managing plans and supporting students given the challenges that some may face in virtual participation. We remain open to parties who are interested to engage and walk-the-talk in facilitating and bringing diverse voices onto the regional and global platforms to collectively address challenges and seek opportunities for enhanced steps towards safe, dignified, regular and orderly migration. (http://www.globalcompactmigration.com/) (https://peoplesmigrationchallenge.org/)

Innovation

The training is delivered virtually using Google Classroom as a students/organisers/key lecturers platform as well as use of virtual platforms for meetings and communication. All communication is shared via the platforms to allow all participants to access information easily.
The undertaking of the certificate programme was instrumental in shaping the People’s Migration Challenge (PMC), an initiative that is an extended and inclusive global civil society mobilization process to reflect and highlight people's migration challenges from the ground and bring to light civil society's ambitious interpretation around the five identified priority areas.
The PMC continues to feed into and inspire the selection of panelists and perspectives to explore under the certificate programme. As an ongoing initiative, the PMC will need the GCM training to be scalable and sustainable.

Additional Resources

Online Six Months Certificate Programme (Global Compact for Migration)

GCM Objectives Review Series

Media

GCM Objectives

Additional Images

Date submitted:

02 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.