13 April 2016: The co-facilitators of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) high-level meeting (HLM) to address large movements of refugees and migrants issued a revised version of the draft decision on the modalities of the meeting, following discussions on 7 April 2016. The new draft takes the form of a draft resolution, and includes a proposal of six themes for interactive roundtables. Co-facilitators Dina Kawar, Permanent Representative of Jordan, and David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland, informed UN Member States that the text will be discussed during at informal meeting on 18 April.

The HLM is scheduled to take place on 19 September 2016, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.

On participation, the draft invites Member States, Observer States and intergovernmental organizations and entities that have observer status with the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to be represented at the highest possible level. It also invites the UN system, the Bretton Woods institutions, and NGOs that are in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to participate in the meeting, including in the interactive multi-stakeholder round tables and the preparatory process. It requests the UNGA President to draw up a list of other “relevant representatives” who may participate in the plenary meeting and interactive round tables, and to submit the list to Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis. It also asks the UNGA President to organize a one-day informal interactive multistakeholder hearing no later than July 2016, as part of the preparatory process, and indicates a process for selecting members of refugee and migrant communities who will make statements in the opening session of the HLM.

An annex to the draft resolution lists six themes for the interactive multistakeholder round tables: addressing the root causes of large movements of refugees; assessing the root causes of migration and the contribution of migrants; international action and cooperation on refugees and migrants – the way ahead; protection issues related to refugees; global compact for safe, regular and orderly migration – towards realizing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development; and responsibility-sharing for refugees.

The text states that intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document will be in accordance with the rules of procedure and established practices of the UNGA, and that successive drafts of the outcome document “will be prepared by the co-facilitators on the basis of views provided by Member States.” It also envisages that negotiations will consider the forthcoming report of the UN Secretary General on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, as well as the outcomes of “relevant summits and high-level meetings.” [Draft Resolution] [IISD RS Story on Modalities Consultations]