Media Release
International, local NGOs call for a genuine Global Forum on Migration and Development
Makati, Philippines- Local and international non-government organizations are set to organize a parallel event on migration and development from October 22-30 2008. Dubbed as the “Peoples’ Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights”, the international event is initiated by grass-root level organizations in response to the official Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) slated on October 27-30 and organized by the Philippine Government through its Department of Foreign Affairs.
On July 11 and 12, the Philippine Working Group on GFMD, a coalition of civil society organizations in the Philippines, held a meeting with migrants organizations and advocates, trade unions, faith based-organizations and women groups from Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Latin America at the ILO Office in Makati for a joint planning of the independent international forum. The group worries that the official GFMD will not tackle the issues more urgent to the migrant workers and their families, such as human rights and the protection of undocumented workers. It remains a foremost concern of the participants in the meeting to provide a wider space for discussions among civil society organizations (CSOs); this even with the CSO Days program of the official Forum.
“When we started our mobilization process for the GFMD 2008, we told organizations to apply for the conference and they just replied ‘What for?’”, according to Colin Rajah of National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR). Rajah added that the said organizations are more interested in a parallel structure than the actual civil society days. This mirrors the common sentiments of civil society groups from around the globe that view the CSO days as limiting and restrictive.
There are other practical reasons why many CSOs are expressing discontent with the official process.
“In West Africa, it is more complicated to get information about the Forum. The filling out of the form in itself is already difficult”, according to Mamadou Goita, of Institut de Recherche et de Promotion des Alternatives en Développment. Goita added that “Translation is frustrating and opportunity for West Africa to be participating on a global level is almost impossible because there are not enough facilities to fulfill all requirements”.
Currently, more than 200 organizations have applied out of the 1400 downloads of applications for the CSO Days, and July 15 is already the last day of application. While this report shows a weak CSO participation in the said dimension of the official Forum, the group is projecting around 2,500 delegates from the Philippines and around the globe to the parallel event. The Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) alone, a global union federation with members in the building, building materials, wood, forestry and allied sectors for instance will bring about 200 participants from Asia, Africa, Caribbean, Middle East and West Europe on the 25th of October for a trade union forum. The Global union’s participation in the Peoples’ Global Action could be the biggest gathering of trade unions in the world.
The group emphasized that the parallel event will not only respond to the migration-related development agenda of the governments but will also create a strong and genuine agenda for the main stakeholders of the process – the migrants themselves. Instead of boycotting the official Forum, the group has adopted an approach that will continue engagement from both inside and outside the GFMD.
Among the activities for the parallel event to come out of the meeting are workshops, panel discussions, mobilizations, exhibits and cultural performances. A press briefing was later held on the second day of the meeting to launch the international process. After, some of the representatives of the international group proceeded to the Rajah Solayman Park for an ocular visit to the parallel event campsite where the week of action is to happen
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