High-level Debate on International Migration and Development
Panel 3: Partnerships for implementation, 27 February 2019
Alexis Nadine Bautista, Migrant Forum in Asia, Global Coalition on Migration
Thank you, H.E. Mr. Agustin Santos Maraver. As in previous years, including the IDM last year, we have been talking about partnerships among different stakeholders and actors at different levels—making migration work for all but ensuring that human rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled. We’ve also heard a lot about this during the Marrakesh Migration week last December 2018.
During the Mayoral Forum, there was recognition of civil society and the need to collaborate to design and implement development plans of local communities to ensure integration and inclusion of migrants, which also involve the participation of migrant children and youth. There are existing support groups and shelters by women migrants in countries of destination, and in countries of origin by the women migrant returnees. This shows how they are seen beyond the vulnerable situations they are or were in, but more of women leaders and catalysts of change.
At the national level, partnerships within civil society and with other stakeholders continue to exist and we are finding ways on how to strengthen that. Some examples of this is what was mentioned yesterday by PICUM on migrants’ access to services regardless of their status, this can also be seen in different countries in Latin America; bilaterally, there is
As civil society, partnerships are not new to us, and we understand how it is a process of trust-building and confidence-building. It’s not just about sharing experiences and perspectives, what one thinks should and can be done, but also listening to what else is out there. Hearing one’s voice is different from listening and meaningfully and genuinely understanding those voices. With the examples I mentioned, it was done through continuous and consistent conversations, dialogues, consultations, workshops, and such.
After the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) last December 2018, it would be crucial that at the national level, governments and civil society would identify focus areas and linkages of the GCM objectives to the current national action plans and national development plans. As a step further, we need to also see the linkages and developments in sub-regional and regional consultative processes, keeping in mind the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Again, partnerships are not new but as a way of moving forward, we can start with what we already agree with and in many ways, we have. But it shouldn’t stop there. We need to take those extra steps to talk and collaborate more on some of the more difficult issues in this toxic political climate which may not have been addressed as much in the GCM such as irregular migration, criminalization, detention of children, access to health, and access to justice, as well as looking at the nexus between climate change and migration.