The Global\nForum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit started today, 21 January,\nwith a morning of side events followed by the opening ceremony. In her address\nto the participants of the GFMD, civil society co-chair Stella Opoku-Owusu highlighted\nthe role of civil society organizations in achieving the commitments of the Global\nCompact for Migration (GCM) adopted by 152 States, and the need to act on those\ncommitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the 12th<\/sup>\nGFMD, she challenged participants to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are all\nleaders in our own right. Each and every one of us has a vision \u2013 for ourselves\nand for those we serve. We all want better lives for ourselves, our children,\nour constituencies. Our search for a better life is not driven by national or\ninternational processes. It is driven, by an innate human need in the search\nfor fulfilment,\u201d said Ms. Opoku-Owusu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Holding each\nother accountable \u2013 and that includes governments, local authorities, civil\nsociety organizations, the private sector \u2013 means understanding the reality of\nthe life of migrants, and what that entails. \u201cIn a search for a better life, we\naccept working conditions that are discriminatory, based on our migration\nstatus, nationality, or gender, and for women in particular, we face even more\nrisks and exploitation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms. Opoku-Owusu\nalso highlighted the role played by leaders and the media, as they \u201cincreasingly\ninfluence the language on immigration and perpetuate a narrative of \u2018deserving\nrefugees\u2019 vs \u2018economic migrants\u2019 in the pursuit of self-interest.\u201d This is why\n\u201cwe see a rise in nationalism that fuels xenophobic sentiments and violence\nagainst the so-called \u2018bad migrants\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, she\nurged the audience to consider the vital role that migrant and diaspora\ncommunities play. \u201cAs we deliberate on implementation and collective action, we\nmust be guided by the reality that migrants face in their search for better\nlives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her speech was\nfollowed by Jos\u00e9 Dolores Suazo Mej\u00eda, better known as Don Lolo, the other civil\nsociety co-chair. Don Lolo brought to the front his personal experience with\nthe tragedies that migration may bring about. His brother Mauricio was murdered\nalong the migration route from Honduras through Central America, and his\nremains were never returned to this family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In his passionate\nspeech, he urged participants not to close their eyes to the tragedies\nhappening everyday around us. He affirmed civil society\u2019s commitment and\nwillingness to sit together with governments, local authorities and businesses,\nto discuss how to improve the reality of migrants\u2019 lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He called for the\nhumanization of the way in which we interact with one another, for a more attentive,\ncaring eye towards each other, and especially the most vulnerable among us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow, the Civil Society Day will kick-off with a full program. Stay tuned for updates!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit started today, 21 January, with a morning of side events followed by the opening ceremony. In her address to the participants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gfmd-csd-2019","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n