The long-awaited GFMD annual Summit is upon us!
As the Ecuadorian capital prepares to host the Summit from 21 to 23 January, some 250 civil society leaders from across the world are getting ready to participate in it.
They, alongside some 50 observers, will gather at a Civil Society Day (CSD) on 22 January. Their focus will be on how best implement the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) adopted by more than 150 States in December 2018.
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“This is a crucial moment for all working on the migration front,” says Stéphane Jaquemet, Director of Policy at the International Catholic Migration Commission.
“One year ago, in Marrakech, there was incredible energy and adrenaline to adopt the Global Compact for Migration. Today, we cannot afford to be exhausted or inattentive. If not properly implemented, the Global Compact will lose its meaning. And to see real commitment in the implementation, we will need twice the energy and adrenaline we had before. Implementation, more than adoption, is the real moment of truth,” Jaquemet adds.
During the Civil Society Day, participants will discuss the commitments of governments, local authorities, the private sector and their own organizations. They will also seek new and innovative partnerships for the benefit of migrants and their hosting communities, considering that civil society organizations often are the first to provide migrants with vital services such as health and education.
Five major themes will be up for discussion among civil society representatives at the Civil Society Day:
- access to services for all migrants;
- mixed migration movements;
- labor migration;
- climate-related displacement; and
- the criminalization of migrants and those assisting them.
In addition to these themes, a number of cross-cutting issues will be taken into consideration at all times: children’s rights and the contribution of youth, gender-sensitive approaches, the inclusion of the diaspora and countering negative views on migration.
For civil society organizations, this meeting is an opportunity to bring national and local priorities and challenges into the discussions at the global level. They present their recommendations to government representatives, city mayors and business leaders.
For the first time this year, the entire GFMD summit will be open to civil society participants, making it a truly multi-stakeholder inclusive process and providing additional opportunities for strategizing, networking, advocacy and partnership-building.