27 March 2018: The International Dialogue on Migration underscored the role of inclusive partnerships and close, concerted action at local, national, regional and international levels to address global migration challenges and agree on a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Also addressing human movements, recent publications focus on evidence-based analysis of global migration, and refugees’ education.

Participants at the International Dialogue on Migration, which convened from 26-27 March 2018, in New York, US, underscored the role of partnerships at all levels and across international organizations, governments and civil society as critical in addressing global migration. The event was the first of two workshops in 2018 focused on inclusive, innovative partnerships for migration governance, and aiming to discuss partnership models in the migration field. The events are part of the UN’s effort to reach agreement on a the global migration compact.

Speaking at the dialogue, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing stressed cooperation and partnerships as essential to achieving the SDGs, saying partnerships are finding new and creative ways of “conducting our migration business.” Swing stressed that concerted action from the international community is necessary to both conclude negotiations on the global compact and also to ensure implementation, review and follow-up of the expected agreement. The UN Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbor, said discussions in the lead-up to the 2018 International Migration Conference in Morocco should focus on addressing “the daily realities of migrants and their communities of origin and destination.”

“No single State or organization can manage migration alone,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in her remarks. She called for supporting people “to move safely and by choice,” and urged stakeholders to make 2018 the year in which the global community scales up solutions for “people on the move.” International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General Guy Ryder emphasized the importance of decent work, respect for labor rights, social protection, fair recruitment and skills development in protecting migrant workers.

Managing migration is “one of the most urgent and profound tests of international cooperation in our time.”

The 2018 edition of IOM’s annual World Migration Report describes managing migration as “one of the most urgent and profound tests of international cooperation in our time.” The report provides data and research on migration, contributing to evidence-based analysis of global migration issues, with the aim of increasing understanding of migration dynamics and complexities. The report addresses: the development of global governance frameworks for international migration; migration and transnational connectivities; migrants’ perspectives on migration journeys; media reporting on migration; the relationship between migration and violent extremism; and migrants and cities.

On refugees and technology, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a report on the potential of mobile technology to support the education of refugees, whose access to education and learning is limited by their status as refugees, linguistic barriers and other challenges. The report titled, ‘A lifeline to learning: Leveraging technology to support education for refugees,’ highlights how mobile learning can address individual challenges, education system challenges and challenges related to specific levels and types of education. The report showcases stories of refugees using mobile technologies for education and provides lessons learned. UNESCO released the report during Mobile Learning Week, being marked from 26-30 March 2018.

The co-facilitators of negotiations on the global compact on migration have released the latest draft version of the text, ahead of the third round of negotiations on 3-6 April. [UN Press Release on Migration Forum] [IOM Press Release on Forum] [International Dialogue on Migration Webpage] [World Migration Report 2018 Webpage] [UNESCO Press Release] [A lifeline to learning] [Mobile Learning Week 2018] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on draft global compact]