Intergovernmental Conference in Marrakech 10 and 11 December 2018
CEIPA (Centre for European and International policy Action) is a leading think tank in the field of migration, international security and humanitarian affairs. Through its leaders, CEIPA has been involved in migration policy formulation since decades, particularly within the scope of the European Union and its institutions and professional agencies. Its board members have facilitated governmental and non-governmental consultations on policies focusing on regular, labour and irregular migration, on protection of human and civil rights, on strategies combating and preventing international organized crime, terrorism, smuggling and trafficking in human beings. Numerous CEIPA initiatives and actions are promoting multilateral cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin, transit and destination of migrants and refugees, while enhancing the implementation of relevant provisions of international, UN, and European conventions, covenants and directives and conventions.
CEIPA fully subscribes to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to be adopted in the frame of the Intergovernmental Conference in Marrakech on 10 and 11 December 2018. It appreciates the Migration Compact as a new flexible and effective platform for the identification and adoption of viable solutions towards humane, safe and orderly movement of people beyond national borders. Moreover, CEIPA fully endorses its cross-cutting and interdependent guiding principles as essential to the international migration policy framework.
CEIPA is convinced that, when professionally and consequently managed, the Global Compact will give a positive impetus to improved coordination amongst governments, NGO as well as UN agencies fully and partly mandated to deal with migration policy and action. The Global Compact may create conducive conditions for enhancing existing, and initiating new, regional and global dialogues and bring viable solutions for governments, migrants and their families. Transparent exchange on and coordination of fresh, innovative and practical approaches in the field of migration under the UN umbrella along with expertise from governments, academia, and NGO’s will definitely help to reduce the risks and the negative impact of migration. Recognizing that orderly and managed migration and well-set rules for cross-national human mobility may bring multiple benefits for developing as well as industrialized countries, CEIPA fully supports the process initiated by the Global Compact.
CEIPA contribution to objectives of the Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular Migration
At the occasion of the adoption of the GCM, CEIPA reconfirms its devotion to contribute to a strengthened international cooperation framework with respect to migration policy and action. As based on its vision and portfolio, CEIPA supports the further development of migration policies and action, and the exchange and growing awareness on complex aspects of migration. The process initiated by the Global Compact will facilitate new and viable solutions for a number of cross-cutting issues at the core of migration policies. At the center of CEIPA’s activities range promoting international cooperation by way of establishing pragmatic and flexible pathways for orderly and regular migration; enhancing economic and social development; reducing and preventing irregular migration, smuggling and trafficking in human beings.
More specifically, CEIPA will continue to initiate dialogues and round table discussions among diverse institutions and entities in countries of origin, transit and destination, by full participation of experts, governments and NGOs. Migration and human mobility shall be seen in the holistic way and fully take into consideration the need for economic and social development as well as the specific skills and potentials of the migrants. Fair and balanced migration policy implies respect for human and civil rights, respect for laws and duties to be fulfilled by migrants in the host country. Means to leveraging the potential of migrants’ transfer of knowledge as well as flexible mobility of skilled and highly qualified migrants will continue playing an important role in CEIPA’s future activities (objective 5, 16, 19). Facilitation of labor permit agreements, protection and safety, civil liberties and human rights of the migrants with special attention given to optimizing gender balance and family unity, will remain a priority. Furthermore, CEIPA will undertake efforts to increase awareness on the link between economic development, demographic imbalance, and market availability when promoting labor mobility and transparent channels of remittances established according to specifics of each individual region and state in question (objective 18, 19, 20).
CEIPA furthermore envisages to organize a number of structured dialogues focusing on standards of protection of civic and human rights of migrants on international as well as national levels with special attention given to the issue of trafficking in human beings (objective 7, 9, 10). Migrants’ associations as well as NGO’s, regional and national authorities will be convened to discuss and identify common grounds and possible concerted measures strengthening the impact of the provisions set by Global Compact.
While assisting existing NGO networks dealing with assistance to victims of trafficking and aiming at preventing and combating trafficking, CEIPA will conduct research and dialogues between international and national entities, law enforcement officials, law makers, researchers and experts. Based on its long-term experience, CEIPA will design awareness raising projects for NGO and the public sector in countries of origin, transit and destination of migrants/victims of trafficking.
Intending to enhancing efficacy in implementing norms and laws of UN, intergovernmental and national bodies and authorities, CEIPA will initiate consultations with of experts involved in the counselling of victims of trafficking and law enforcement officials assigned to combating perpetrators from countries of origin and destination. CEIPA will undertake efforts to create focal points at national and regional levels, dealing with the implementation of UN, intergovernmental and regional standards of preventing and combating trafficking, and of protecting victims of trafficking. Special attention will be given to treatment and protection of women and children.
General Principle for the Implementation of the Global Compact of Migration
As a matter of principle, CEIPA will involve representatives of the relevant UN organizations, intergovernmental agencies, regional bodies, NGO, as well as governmental experts. CEIPA has a particularly strong and meaningful affiliation and network with the area of the European Union, its agencies as well as with its civil society. At the same time, it strives for exchange among diverse stakeholders beyond national and regional boundaries and institutional belonging. It generates and draws on multidisciplinary expertise, promoting the translation of different perspectives and lessons learnt into good practices. It intends to feed into evidence-based policies (objective 17), to contribute to the empowerment of migrants and societies of origin and of destination (objective 16, 19) and hence, in the frame of its scope, to contribute to the overall aim of coherent international cooperation (objective 23).
