Contributed by Anna Lissa Galdo, Anne Jacob, Aslam Abd Jalil, Dennis Raj, Irene Xavier, Prema Arasan, and Yin Xin Chong (Samantha); photos by Satha Selvan Subramaniam, Senior Administrative Assistant, Bar Council Malaysia
Activists working on issues involving migrant workers often feel that they are enveloped in dark clouds. However, the participants found out at the session on “The Global and Regional Context for MW Advocacy: The UNSDGs and Agenda 2030 and the Global Forum on Migration and Development (“GFMD”)” during Day One of the Capacity Building Program, that every cloud has a silver lining.
Presented by Alexis Bautista of Migrant Forum in Asia, participants to this session learnt that there are spaces created within the United Nations (“UN”) systems that are available for migrant workers and their advocates to use. Although the Millennium Development Goals (which were the result of inter–governmental processes) do not specifically refer to migrant workers, one can use development goals such as “No one left behind”, to allude to migrant workers.
The rights of migrant workers are specifically stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”). Migration is a cross–cutting issue in the SDGs and there are indicators that refer specifically to migrant workers.1
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with regard to the migration issue, outlined the following goals:
(1) Respect the human rights of all migrants, regardless of their migration status;
(2) Take into account the vulnerabilities of migrants, refugees and internally–displaced persons;
(3) Recognise the contribution of migration for global sustainable development;
(4) Address forced displacement and humanitarian crises;
(5) Promote international cooperation;
(6) Strengthen the resilience of host communities; and
(7) Support the right of citizens to return to their country of origin.
Alexis also spoke on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda2 — an outcome document of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 2015, which called upon governments to address the followings issues:
(1) Combat xenophobia;
(2) Facilitate integration through education and communication strategies;
(3) Lower the cost of recruiting migrant workers;
(4) Increase portability of earned benefits and recognition of qualifications;
(5) Promote faster, cheaper and safer transfer of remittances;
(6) Enhance the productive use of remittances; and
(7) Mitigate negative consequences of anti–money laundering and counter–terrorism financing measures.
Alexis went on to explain about the annual forum called Global Forum on Migration and Development (“GFMD”) that is chaired by a country of migrant origin or a country of migrant destination on a rotational basis. She explained that the forum provides a space for activists to hold governments to the recommendations that they make on the rights of migrant workers in relation to the SDGs. Parallel to the GFMD, civil society organisations around the world will converge during the Asia Civil Society Day (“ACSD”),3 which is part of the People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights (“PGA”),4 to formulate recommendations to governments in relation to SDGs.
The GFMD 2017 will be held in Berlin, Germany from 28 June to 1 July, with the following roundtable themes:5
(1) Migration and Development through National Strategies: Enhancing the Effectiveness of Domestic Policies;
(2) Migration and Development through Multilateral and Bilateral Partnerships: Creating Perspectives for Inclusive Development; and
(3) Migration and Development: Finding Strategies Beyond the State.
Alexis also shared on the High–Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development6 which is convened under the UN Economic and Social Council. The High–Level Political Forum 2017 will be held in July 2017, and Malaysia has volunteered to be reviewed.7
She also spoke on the High Level Meeting on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on 19 Sept 2016, which had been mandated to draft and finalise the following by 2018:8
(1) Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration;
(2) Global Compact on Refugees; and
(3) A range of common principles and commitments among Member States regarding international migration in all its dimensions.
The conclusion for the session was that there were spaces and processes for both intergovernmental and civil society organisations to advocate the rights of migrant workers.
While there were questions about the effectiveness of these processes, participants agreed that from experience, much can be achieved by using such platforms for advocacy and to effect positive changes.
* This session was part of the Capacity Building Program | Advocating for the Rights of Migrant Workers, jointly organised by the following organisations: Diplomacy Training Program (“DTP”) in partnership with Migrant Forum in Asia (“MFA”), the Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee (“MRIAC”), North South Initiative (“NSI”), and Migration Working Group (“MWG”). This programme, which runs from March to December 2017, contains five modules that spans over a course of four days each. The first module was held from 31 Mar to 3 Apr 20117.
1 Click here to read the document.
3 The ACSD is an independent space for civil society and civil movements in Asia to come together. It aims to provide a political platform for civil society organisations and trade unions from across Asia to discuss urgent and critical issues affecting migrant workers in the region, and to establish collective input to influence the GFMD and beyond. The ACSD brings together Asian regional networks working on migration and refugee issues.
4 The PGA is a broad civil society process bringing together migrant groups, academia, trade unions, faith–based groups and other civil societies, to engage the GFMD.
7 The voluntary national reviews (“VNRs”) aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilise multi–stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the SDGs. (Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2017)