22 December 2016: Co-facilitators Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland, and Juan José Gómez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico, have circulated a first draft of the modalities resolution for the intergovernmental negotiations of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. Also on migration, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended the establishment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration.
Lauber and Gómez Camacho issued an elements paper of a draft resolution on modalities for the negotiations on 23 November 2016, and heard initial views from Member States on the elements on 5 December. They then circulated a zero draft of a resolution on modalities on 9 December, which was discussed by governments during an informal consultation on 16 December. The first draft of the resolution was issued on 22 December 2016.
The draft notes that the global compact on migration should be guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
By the text of this first draft, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) would note that the global compact will: present a framework for comprehensive international cooperation on migrants and human mobility; deal with all aspects of international migration, including the humanitarian, developmental, human rights-related and other aspects of migration; and be guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD). It also notes that the process leading to the adoption of the global compact on migration is separate, distinct and independent from the one leading to the adoption of the global compact on refugees, but their outcomes should be complementary.
The draft resolution states that the intergovernmental conference to adopt the global compact on migration should take place at the UN Headquarters in New York immediately prior to the opening of the general debate of the UNGA 73rd session, and shall be held at the highest possible political level, including Heads of State or Government. It requests the UNGA President to appoint two co-facilitators to lead the intergovernmental consultations on issues related to the global compact, the intergovernmental conference and their preparatory process. It underlines that the consultations must be open, transparent and inclusive.
The draft also requests the UN Secretary-General to: appoint a Secretary-General of the Conference; ensure that the expertise of the UN system as a whole is coordinated to support the State-led preparatory process of the global compact and the intergovernmental conference; and prepare a note on the organization of work of the conference. On 21 December 2016, Ban announced his decision to recommend the establishment of a Special Representative for International Migration, to provide support by coordinating contributions of all UN entities “with significant mandates and expertise,” especially the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Secretariat, and could also serve as Secretary-General of the intergovernmental conference on international migration.
The draft resolution encourages effective contributions from and the active participation of all relevant stakeholders, at all stages of the preparatory process and at the conference itself, for example, through the convening of national multi-stakeholder consultations and participation in regional and sub-regional platforms. It notes that relevant stakeholders will be able to contribute views, in particular through informal dialogues where they will be invited by the co- facilitators, and the intergovernmental nature of the negotiations “will be fully respected.”
The draft resolution outlines three phases for the preparatory process leading to the adoption of the global compact on migration. During phase 1 (April-November 2017), the UNGA President, with the support of the UN Secretary-General, would organize informal thematic sessions of a maximum duration of 12 working days at the UN Office in Geneva and at UN Headquarters in New York. The thematic sessions would focus on: human rights of migrants, social inclusion and non-discrimination; addressing man-made and natural crisis situations, including the adverse effects of climate change; decent work, labor mobility and expanding regular pathways for migration; contributions of migration to sustainable development; international cooperation and governance of migration; and trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and contemporary forms of slavery. A three-day preparatory meeting co-chaired by the co-facilitators should be held no later than November 2017, to take stock of the inputs received.
During phase II (November 2017 to January 2018), the co-facilitators should prepare a chair’s summary of the preparatory meeting, which should inform the basis of the zero draft of the global compact, and the UN Secretary-General should synthesize the full range of inputs available and present a synthesis report before the beginning of phase III. During phase III (February-July 2018), an initial draft of the global compact would be prepared by the co-facilitators taking into account relevant inputs and substantive discussions in phases I and II, and would be presented to UN Member States no later than February 2018 for intergovernmental negotiations. According to the draft resolution, phase III would include intergovernmental negotiations on the global compact in February 2018 (three days), in March 2018 (four days), in April 2018 (four days), in May 2018 (five days), in June 2018 (five days) and in July 2018 (five days), with the possibility of convening additional consultations, as required. Phase III would also include at least four days of informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearings, between April 2017 and June 2018, with representatives of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, parliaments, diaspora communities, migrants, migrant organizations and the private sector. These hearings would be organized and presided over by the UNGA President, who should also prepare a summary, and make it available prior to the conference.
On outcome, the draft resolution states that the conference shall result in an intergovernmentally negotiated and agreed outcome, entitled ‘Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration,’ and should include the following main components: actionable commitments, means of implementation and a framework for follow-up and review of implementation. It adds that summaries of plenary meetings and other deliberations shall also be produced.
The draft resolution further calls on the establishment of a voluntary trust fund for the conference and its preparatory process in order to support the travel and participation of representatives from the least developed countries (LDCs) as well as other stakeholder representatives. It urges all UN Member States and other potential donors to consider contributing generously to the trust fund. Consultations on the draft will take place on 16 January at UN Headquarters in New York, US.
Also on migration, the International Labour Organization (ILO) issued a report on ‘Estimates on Migrant Workers.’ The report shows that: migrant workers account for 72.7% of the 206.6 million working age migrants (15 years and over); 48.5% of migrant workers are concentrated in Northern America, and in Northern, Southern and Western Europe; and the vast majority of migrant workers are in the services sectors, followed by industry, including manufacturing and construction, and agriculture.
The report also provides an analysis on migrant domestic workers, and indicates that of the estimated 67.1 million domestic workers in the world, 17.2% are international migrants, and about 73.4% of all migrant domestic workers are women. It notes that migrant domestic workers are likely to continue moving internationally in great numbers to fill in care and household services’ needs, considering the aging of societies and other demographic and socioeconomic changes. [First Draft of Modalities Resolution] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Zero Draft Discussions] [UN Secretary-General Announcement] [ILO Global Estimates on Migrant Workers] [UN News on ILO Report] [ILO Press Release on Report]