Regional Information Brief
June 2024
Arab Region
This Brief provides an overview of the current state of the UN Network on Migration and aspects of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) in the Arab Region. It serves as an introduction to and background for the second Regional Review of the GCM which will be hosted by the League of Arab States, jointly with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (UN ESCWA) on 3-4 July 2024, in Cairo, Egypt.
Learn More About the GCM Regional Review for the Arab Region
Download the Regional Information Brief for the Arab Region (PDF)
UN Network on Migration for the Arab Region
IOM serves as Coordinator of the Regional Network; IOM and UN ESCWA form the co-secretariat. Executive Committee Members: ILO, IOM, OHCHR, UNDP, UN-ESCWA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, WHO.
The Regional Network was established under the Issue-based Coalition on Migration in the Arab Region.
The Regional Network has finalized its 2023-2024 Workplan and shared it with the Network Executive Committee.
Practices
23 practices from the Arab Region by GCM objective (8 per cent of all practices).
Please note that most practices cover multiple GCM Objectives.
Number of practices implemented in Member States
Many practices in the region cover multiple countries and have a regional focus, rather than covering a single country.
Practices from the Arab States are largely related to labour market integration and addressing the needs of migrant workers. Practices addressed in Northern Africa are more diverse, focusing broadly on improving the situation of different vulnerable migrant groups.
The most addressed focus areas of the practices in the region are: Reducing vulnerabilities (Obj. 7); Saving lives (Obj. 8); Labour market inclusion (Obj. 6); Access to basic services (Obj. 15), and Social cohesion (Obj. 16).
More submissions of practices should be encouraged from the Arab Region. Coverage is still relatively low; nearly half of the countries have yet to publish a practice. While the Hub does not translate content between Arabic-English, Arabic language content is warmly welcomed.
Selected practices from the region
Piloting fair recruitment from Bangladesh to Qatar in the construction sector
Dedicated Shelter for Victims of Trafficking in Persons
See the videoPledges
A pledge is a measurable commitment to advance the implementation of GCM principles, objectives, or actions. It can take various forms, including financial contributions, human resource support, process-oriented commitments, and policy-oriented commitments. Pledges should be concrete, measurable, realistic, forward-looking, time-bound, and preferably developed in partnership with others, consistent with international law and the 2030 Agenda.
12 pledges from the Arab Region have been submitted.
They come from seven Member States, two Local Authorities, one Civil Society Organization and two UN Regional Networks.
Please note that most pledges cover multiple GCM Objectives.
Number of practices implemented in Member States
Many practices in the region cover multiple countries and have a regional focus, rather than covering a single country.
Member States and stakeholders are encouraged to report on the implementation of their pledges through the webform here.
15 UN Country Networks on Migration established in the region
Click on each country to get direct access to the Country Network’s Terms of Reference.
Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen.
3 Champion countries in the region
Following the first International Migration Review Forum and the introduction of new working arrangements to deepen and expand the overall engagement of Member States, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of El Salvador assumed the roles of the inaugural co-chairs in October 2023.
A series of dialogues and initiatives among GCM Champion countries underscored the collective commitment to enhance migration governance and advance the implementation of the GCM in the Arab Region.
These engagements yielded key recommendations to foster collaboration and steer efforts towards accelerated action for GCM implementation.
In January 2023, a first Informal Dialogue of GCM Champion countries from the Middle East, Africa, and Europe brought together technical representatives from 16 GCM Champion countries in Rabat, Morocco. The gathering laid the groundwork for subsequent discussions, and resulted in key recommendations to act as a roadmap to support continued commitment.
In November 2023, Ghana hosted an Informal Dialogue of Champions that convened representatives from 28 countries in Africa, the Arab States, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss regional and cross-regional collaboration in GCM implementation. The meeting concluded in a set of key recommendations to guide these efforts.
During the 8th Pan-African Forum on Migration, representatives of Africa’s three Champion countries explored opportunities for collaboration and synergies, further reinforcing the commitment to collective action.
Subsequently, Morocco and El Salvador chaired a Champion countries GCM Talk on building a balanced/evidence-based narrative around migration and migrants on 14 February 2024. The GCM talk addressed the pressing need for an evidence-based narrative on migration and, served as a platform for discussions around the challenges of deconstructing/reconstructing the narrative on migration and migrants to counter xenophobia, racism, and all forms of discrimination.
7 voluntary GCM reports ahead of the International Migration Review Forum
The Abu Dhabi Dialogue also submitted a written contribution to the IMRF to showcase how this Interstate Consultative Mechanism meets Objective 23 of the GCM.
Click on each country to get direct access to the Voluntary GCM reports.
Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
UN Network Workshops for 6 UN Country Teams
Six UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in the region (Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco) have received support from the Network’s regional facilitation team to explore how safe, orderly and regular migration can be integrated into their work with governments and stakeholders.
Click on the countries to get direct access to more information on the UN Network Workshops.
Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco.
Information about these workshops can be found on the Migration Network Hub.
Stakeholder engagement
In May 2023, the Arab regional UN Network Stakeholder Advisory Group was launched during an inaugural partners briefing in Cairo. The Stakeholder Advisory Group consists of twelve members who represent the diversity of stakeholder sectors identified in paragraph 44 of the GCM, including civil society, youth, trade unions, local authorities, the private sector and others.
In October 2023, a hybrid GCM Talk was held by the Arab Regional Network on a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies from which migrant workers can benefit from and contribute to. The event included trade unions and employers’ organizations, civil society, migrant groups and diaspora organizations, youth and other stakeholders who shared and discussed practices, gaps and needs for a just transition and how to promote climate-related labour mobility through national, regional and cross-regional schemes.
Stakeholders from the Arab Region participated in regional Network organized activities including a GCM Talk on Alternatives to Detention.
The Stakeholder Advisory Group serves in a guiding role as part of the task team for stakeholder engagement in the preparations for the Arab Regional Review.
An Arab regional stakeholder pre-consultation two months prior to the Regional Review gathered inputs on GCM thematic priorities and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Six online regional stakeholder consultations on regional thematic priorities that will feed into the development of background papers for roundtable discussions during the Regional Review.
Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (M-MPTF) in the region
The Fund Steering Committee has set the total capitalization target at USD 150 million by the next International Migration Review Forum (2026). To date, considering the most recent pledges, close to 40 per cent of this target has been mobilized from 21 Member States.
Only 7 of the 161 concept notes the Fund has received since its creation came from the Arab States. This represents 4 per cent of all submissions. Despite this, two programmes have been funded.
2 Joint Programmes funded
in the Arab Region (out of 21 worldwide).
2 Joint Programmes funded by the M-MPTF
2 former Steering Committee members
GCM implementation, follow-up and review: Resources and tools
The 2024 Regional Review in the Arab Region provides States and stakeholders, including regional consultative processes, an opportunity to assess their progress in implementing the objectives and guiding principles of the Global Compact for Migration, with a particular focus on regional collaboration and dialogue. Download here the roadmap for the Regional Review process for the Arab Region.
The Intergovernmental Conference is being organized around six priority issues identified during the first round of Regional Reviews in the Arab Region in early 2021.
A Multi-stakeholder Consultation will be hosted the day prior to the Conference, and the Network Coordinator’s high-level panel on regular pathways will be the first plenary session of the Regional Review Conference.
Submit your request to organize regional or national GCM Talks here.
GCM Review Timeline
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).