Chibwe Henry, DfAD CEO
More than 250 civil society organizations from over 75 countries have been selected to take part in the Civil Society Days of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), which will be held on 12 – 13 May at the Münchenbryggeriet Conference Centre in Stockholm, Sweden, and the Common Space with Governments, which will take place at the same venue on 14 May.
Global civil society have embraced the 2014 GFMD as the first global opportunity to capitalize on the outcomes of the 2013 High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development and to drive forward the civil society Five Year Action Agenda.
Applications were reviewed by an International Steering Committee (ISC) comprised of civil society leaders from every sector of civil society and region around the world, who had the difficult task of selecting participants from a pool of almost 800 applicants. Representing a great diversity of regions and sectors, selected participants come from diaspora and migrant organizations, human rights and development groups, labour unions and academia and the private sector.
Under the overarching theme of Shaping Migration & Development Goals: global movement, change on the ground, the GFMD Civil Society Program will concentrate on:
1.Shaping goals for labour mobility, labour rights and decent work, particularly in relation to guaranteeing decent work and social protection for migrants and improving migrant labour recruitment, placement and employment practices
• Shaping goals for the protection of migrants and families, with a focus on protecting and empowering migrants in distress, in transit, at borders and in detention, as well as protecting and empowering children in contexts of migration
• Shaping goals for the empowerment of migrants and communities for social inclusion and human development, concentrating on boosting migrant and diaspora contributions to job creation and development in countries of residence, origin and heritage, and facilitating migrant and diaspora organizations as social investors and policy advocates for access to services and public policy changes
I am proud to announce that not only was DfAD selected to attend the GFMD Civil Society Days 2014, we have also been invited to be a “discussion starter” at one of the working sessions. I will be speaking on the panel covering:
Theme 3: Shaping goals for the empowerment of migrants and communities for social inclusion and human development
Session 3.A: Boosting migrant and diasporas’ contributions to job creation and development.
Session 3.B: Facilitating migrant and diaspora organizations as transnational social investors and policy advocates for access to services and public policy changes.
Please follow this link to The final GFMD Civil Society Programme 2014
I am excited at the prospect of sharing the findings of the DfAD Zambia at 50 Years: Engaging the Diaspora in Inclusive Development Report that we launched last week at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) as the Zambia Roundtable which produced this report was conceptualised as DfAD’s follow up and contribution to the GFMD Civil Society Days 2012 and the UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (UNHLD) held in New York last year.
This opportunity to be part of Theme 3 panel validates DfAD’s hard work over the last two years. So kudos to Team DfAD who all contribute their time for free and run DfAD as Diaspora Volunteers!
No Comments to "GFMD Civil Society Days 2014 Sweden"