19 July 2013: The Office of the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has released a summary of the recent Panel Discussion on Migration and Development, calling for migration to be recognized as an intrinsic part of the post-2015 development agenda. The panel discussion among Member States took place at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 25 June 2013, in preparation for the UNGA’s second High-Level Dialogue (HLD) on Migration and Development on 3-4 October 2013.

As noted in the summary, participants discussed how to promote safe, orderly and legal migration. They argued that increased border security hinders voluntary return and migrant circulation, and that migration should become part of countries’ national development strategies. They affirmed the work of the Global Forum on Migration and Development that was convened after the previous HLD in 2006, and called for the Forum to cooperate closely with the Global Migration Group that the UN Secretary-General established in early 2006.

Participants called on all countries to ratify and implement the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. They also called for: strengthening the evidence base on migration and development through expanding migration research; making greater efforts to protect the rights of migrants, and strengthening partnerships. Overall, they urged concrete progress in improving the well-being of migrants. [Panel Discussion Summary] [Global Migration Group website] [IISD RS Story on Panel Discussion]