(Report on the First FOF Meeting)

GENEVA—On 17 December, the Philippine Government held its first global consultations to prepare for the second meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), scheduled for Manila in October 2008. The Philippines is the new Chair-in-Office of the GFMD, a global consultative process open to all Member States and Observers of the United Nations.

The Geneva meeting with the ‘Friends of the Forum’ was a first review of the key themes to be addressed in Manila next October. 71 Member States, one (1) Observer State, and 20 observer organizations, or a total of 137 delegates, participated in this meeting. The Philippines Chair, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos, shared the podium with UN Special Representative for Migration and Development, Peter Sutherland, and the former GFMD Chair Belgium.

Undersecretary Conejos paid tribute to the “successful outcome of the first GFMD meeting in Brussels in July 2007 with 156 Member States, which had laid an excellent foundation for the GFMD meeting next year”. Director General Veestraeten from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed continued support to the Forum process and praised the preparatory work so far under the lead of the Philippines. Special Representative Sutherland agreed that “Brussels had been a greater success than expected” and stressed that “the States-led and informal character of the Global Forum has legitimated the process launched as a result of the 2006 UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development”. The fundamental objective of the GFMD, “namely to have a dialogue of trust, without finger-pointing and North-South divisions” should also be rehearsed again, he said.

“The key migration and development issues to be addressed in Manila”, explained Undersecretary Conejos, “would build on the Brussels Forum, but would also place special emphasis on the ‘human face of migration””. The theme of the Manila Forum, “Protecting and Empowering Migrants for Development” reflects a growing understanding that the developmental benefits of migration are contingent upon the degree to which migrants are protected and empowered, by both the host and origin countries. Undersecretary Conejos emphasized the “shared responsibility” of States in this regard.

Three (3) roundtable discussions have been proposed for the Manila GFMD 2008 meeting, namely: RTD 1: Migration, Human Rights, and Development; RTD 2: Secure, Legal Migration can achieve greater development impact, and RTD 3: Policy and Institutional Coherence and Partnerships. In choosing these topics, Undersecretary Conejos explained that the Manila GFMD would focus on the human rights and empowerment of migrants on the ground, with a view to governments sharing responsibility rather than finger-pointing. Countries of origin were the first line of defense, as they need to avoid/prevent exploitation even before the migrants leave; and this would also create greater incentives for countries of destination to cooperate.

Manila GFMD 2008 will also look at how to open more legal avenues for migration while addressing the obstacles to regular, protective forms of migration, such as human trafficking and migrant smuggling. It will further consider the need for more reliable migration and development research and data and continue the debate on policy and institutional coherence in linking migration and development. Undersecretary Conejos stressed the need for continuity through implementation of the GFMD Brussels outcomes, and urged governments to focus actively on these recommendations and report on results at the Manila GFMD 2008 meeting.

Governments agreed with the basic thrust of the proposed agenda for Manila GFMD 2008, which will be finalized in the coming weeks. By the time of the second meeting of the ‘Friends of the Forum’ in May 2008, teams of governments and other expert agencies will be busily preparing the thematic roundtables in the spirit of practical partnership that sets this global forum apart from most others of its kind.