Global Forum to evaluate the threats and opportunities of international migration
Press release 137/2007
9 July, 2007
The challenges posed by international migration are discussed at the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which is being held on 9–11 July in Brussels. Illegal migration from poor to rich countries attracts much debate in the media, but the perspective often remains shallow. Little information is available about how migration affects the countries of origin, transit and destination, or how it affects development in general. The purpose of the three-day event is to increase and deepen knowledge about the effects of migration on development. Influential actors such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso are participating in the dialogue. Under-Secretary of State Marjatta Rasi from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is chairing one of the task forces.
As migration accelerates the need to determine its long, medium and short-term impacts increases. The event also strives to establish the needs of governmental and non-governmental actors and to merge their interests by intensifying cooperation.
Establishment of the Global Forum was agreed at the High-Level Dialogue convened by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2006, which was the first global conference on the topic of migration and development. The Global Forum is an unofficial government-led consultation process that does not make binding decisions. In future the Global Forum will meet once a year, the site alternating between developing and industrialized countries.
The first meeting now being held focuses especially on two themes. The first theme is migration and socio-economic development. Among others, remittances by immigrants, the transfer of skills and immigrant workers’ participation in development cooperation are topics linked with this theme. The second theme involves strengthening the links between migration policies and development policies, and the possibilities of partnership.
The Global Forum begins with the Civil Society Day held on 9 July. Some 200 actors from all over the world, including researchers, civil society organisations, diaspora organisations and representatives of the business world, are participating in this event. The results of the Civil Society Day will be reported at the opening plenary session of the intergovernmental meeting on 10–11 July.
Based among other things on the results of Finland’s EU Presidency, Finland was asked to organise one of the roundtable discussions at the Global Forum. Under-Secretary of State Marjatta Rasi from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs serves as chair of the task force focusing on the availability of sufficient credible information about the mutual impacts of migration and development. The task force discusses how the impacts could be measured better and how information could be utilised more beneficially. The goal is to achieve more coherent planning of migration and development policies in both developing countries and industrialized countries.
Since 2004 Finland has worked to promote development policy coherence at various international forums. The aim is to strengthen the positive impacts in developing countries arising from policies in different spheres of activities. Issues pertaining to migration constitute a central thematic entity, and active effort has been made to strengthen the interconnections of these issues with development.
In Finland, migration and development issues are handled by a special working group with participation by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of the Interior. The working group’s goal is to achieve a holistic approach by intensifying cooperation between the administrative branches dealing with migration-related issues. The segments of migration-related issues include, among others, immigration and integration, employment and education as well as development. Finland considers the role of civil society important in the handling of migration and development issues, and so non-governmental actors are actively consulted at the planning stage. Finland also stresses the role and importance of civil society in the Global Forum.
Additional information: the Internet website of the Global Forum, www.gfmd-fmmd.org(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window), especially the pages concerning civil society, www.gfmd-civil-society.org(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window). Inspector Kirsi Brolén (national coordinator), Department for Development Policy of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, E-mail: [email protected], tel. +358 9 1605 6433, mobile tel. +358 400 431 972; Senior Adviser Tuomas Koljonen, Ministry of the Interior, E-mail: [email protected], tel. +358 9 1604 2720; Director Mervi Virtanen, Ministry of Labour, E-mail: [email protected], tel. +358 01 60 48021.