Ecuador Chair Takes Center Stage at the Migration Week

At the Migration Week in New York, the Ecuadorian Chair of the 2019 Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), represented by Mr. Santiago Chávez Pareja, Vice Minister for Human Mobility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in a series of high-level meetings and events to present the GFMD 2019 thematic priorities and highlight relevant GFMD’s policy discussions and recommendations.

Expert Symposium on International Migration and Development

26 February, UNHQ New York

Speaking at an interactive panel on “Migration and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” of the UNDESA-led Expert Symposium, Vice Minister Chávez Pareja described the progress that has been made in the achievement of the migration-related SDGs and targets, and some important initiatives that have been undertaken in the context of the GFMD. Since 2013, he asserted, the topic of sustainable development has been a recurring theme, embedded in the substantive agenda of the rotating GFMD Chairmanships. It has provided a thematic focus of various GFMD preparatory meetings, roundtable sessions, side events, workshops and  Summit Meetings; and has inspired the formation of a dedicated GFMD Working Group on Sustainable Development and International Migration.

High-Level debate on International Migration and Development

27 February, UNHQ New York

The GFMD 2019 Chair was invited by the President of the UN General Assembly, Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa, to address the High Level debate on International Migration and Development. Speaking at a panel on “Overview of Progress in Achieving Migration Related Goals,” Vice Minister Chávez Pareja recalled relevant GFMD milestones (including GFMD’s thematic inputs to the 2017 and 2018 High Level Political Forum) and pointed to the current policy gaps and emerging issues that need to be addressed in achieving the migration-related commitments in the 2030 Agenda. The Chair also shared some illustrative examples and best practices on implementing the SDGs at various governance levels (from global to the local).

Side Event on Ensuring Fair Recruitment for Realising Human Potential and Sustainable Development

27 February, Room 6, UNHQ New York

On the margins of the High-Level Debate on Migration and Development, the GFMD 2019 Chair co-sponsored an event with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on the topic of fair recruitment and skills mobility. The side event aimed to inform the GCM implementation through a multi-stakeholder sharing of specific experiences and good practices. In his opening remarks, Vice Minister Chávez Pareja highlighted the imperative of promoting fair recruitment and decent work in creating regular pathways for labour mobility through multi-stakeholder partnerships and collective action. While serving as a moderator of the side event, the Chair also shared a number of relevant policy recommendations and good practices that have been discussed in the GFMD over the years, as well as Ecuador’s national experiences and reflections on the issue of labour mobility.

International Dialogue on Migration 2019

28 February, New York

The theme of the first 2019 session of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) is on “Youth and migration: Engaging youth as key partner in migration governance.” Vice Minister Chávez Pareja joined the afternoon panel on “Empowering youth to become actors of change” wherein he emphasized the need to create enabling environments for youth to unleash their creativity and contribution to society and to get involved in global migration discourses. The GFMD Chair also underscored the relevance of the IDM theme, which built upon the GFMD’s proactive engagement with the youth via several events last year, including the first GFMD Thematic Workshop focused on “Children and Youth on the Move” in Agadir, and a youth representation at the inauguration of the Eleventh GFMD Summit in Marrakesh.

The events on February 26 to 28 offered important opportunities for the GFMD to create synergies with the United Nations and other concerned actors in migration and development. In between official functions, the GFMD Chair also held a number of bilateral meetings to promote and seek support for the GFMD 2019 substantive agenda and work plan. 

For the photos of the First GFMD Preparatory meetings, visit this album.