Speaking at the opening of the GMG meeting in London on
Wednesday, the two co-chairs of the Group, IOM's Director General, William Lacy
Swing and FAO's Director General, José Graziano de Silva, highlighted the
importance of the current negotiations of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly
and Regular Migration, and of the Global Compact on Refugees, due to be
completed later this year.
DG Swing said: "This is a period of great promise, but
also uncertainty. The UN family, working in close partnership with each other,
must be ready to support governments and relevant stakeholders at all levels in
implementing the outcome of the Global Compact negotiations itself in the
coming years."
"Migration can contribute to development, and that
should be kept front and centre of public attention" added FAO
Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
"The GMG brings together the diverse expertise and
operational capacity of its members. This is fundamental to harnessing the many
opportunities migration brings for development, and managing the challenges
that can arise. In addition, the members of the GMG can help states achieve the
sustainable development goals which are influenced by human mobility."
The Global
Migration Group (GMG) is an inter-agency group comprised of 22 UN
agencies working on migration issues. It is co-chaired by FAO and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2018, and is providing
technical support to the intergovernmental negotiations taking place in New
York expected to lead to the adoption of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and
Regular Migration by December 2018.
The Group discussed ways in which they can help ensure that
communication on migration increases understanding, counters xenophobia and
ensures a more balanced picture of migration, to give space to governments to
develop fact-based migration policies. A number of events highlighting case
studies and examples of good practice are planned for coming months.
The GMG's members include the following organizations, in
addition to FAO and IOM: IFAD, ILO, OHCHR, UNCTAD, UNDESA, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO,
UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNODC, UN Women, UNU, World Bank, WFP,
WHO, and the UN regional commissions.
