About the Forum
Background
In the General Assembly resolution A/RES/73/195, Member States agreed to review the progress made at the local, national, regional and global levels in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) in the framework of the United Nations through a State-led approach and with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.
Member States further decided that:
- The High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, currently scheduled to take place every fourth session of the General Assembly, shall be repurposed and renamed “International Migration Review Forum”;
- The International Migration Review Forum shall serve as the primary intergovernmental global platform for Member States to discuss and share progress on the implementation of all aspects of the Global Compact, including as it relates to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.
Building cooperation and partnerships at the national, regional and global levels
The Forum
The quadrennial International Migration Review Forum (Forum) will be held at the highest possible political level, including Heads of State or Government.
It is open to the participation of all UN Member States and all members of specialized agencies that have observer status with the General Assembly.
Format details
In resolution 73/326 (“Format and organizational aspects of the international migration review forums”), the General Assembly decides that the Forum will consist of:
- four interactive multi-stakeholder round-tables during the first day and the morning of the second day,
- followed by a policy debate in the afternoon of the second day, at the beginning of which the technical summaries of the round-tables will be presented;
- the plenary will be held during the third and the fourth days.
Roundtables
The four round tables will offer space for discussion covering all 23 objectives of the Global Compact with the aim of reviewing the progress made in its implementation at all levels, bearing in mind that the Global Compact is based on a set of cross-cutting and interdependent guiding principles.
Background notes
Please refer to the resources section for related background notes and documents.
GCM Objectives
All 23 objectives of the Global Compact shall be covered in the following indicative way:
Round table one
(2) Minimize adverse drivers, (5) Regular pathways, (6) Recruitment and decent work, (12) Screening and referral, and (18) Skills development and recognition
Round table two
(4) Legal identity and documentation, (8) Save lives, (9) Counter smuggling, (10) Eradicate trafficking, (11) Manage borders, (13) Alternatives to detention, and (21) Dignified return and reintegration
Round table three
(14) Consular protection, (15) Access to basic services, (16) Inclusion and social cohesion, (19) Migrant and diaspora contributions, (20) Remittances, and (22) Social protection
Round table four
(1) Data, (3) Information provision, (7) Reduce vulnerabilities, (17) Eliminate discrimination and (23) International cooperation
Policy debate
The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as Coordinator of the Network, will facilitate the policy debate focusing on challenges in the implementation of the Global Compact, including the links with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the capacity-building mechanism and contemporary and emerging issues related to migration.
The policy debate will also consider possible guidance for the United Nations system to strengthen its efforts in improving system-wide effectiveness and coherence and in supporting Member States in implementing the Global Compact, upon the request of Member States, based on their national policies and priorities.