UN NGO Committee on Migration - Migration Advocacy
Team: Kyle Carroll, Leonore Haskell, Gigi Khadivian, Jennifer Velasquez, Andrea Wise, Nejdan Yildiz
Supervisor: Everita Silina
Semester: Spring 2009
PROPOSAL FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PRACTICUM on MIGRATION
Client: The NGO Committee on Migration is one of the many committees of nongovernmental agencies made up of NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which tries to bring the voices of grass roots civil society to policy and practice at the United Nations. For the purposes of this proposal three of the member organizations will work as a group to interact with a student team from the New School to refine the project and timeline described below: Richard Mandelbaum, CATA (Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas - Farmworkers Support Committee), Mary Jo Toll, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, both members of the Executive Committee of the Committee, and Catherine Ferguson of UNANIMA International, a member of the committee. UNANIMA was representedby its intern Nejdan Yildiz, a student at the New School, during the last term.
Context for the Project: In the last three years, there has been much discussion about migration and migration policy both within and outside of the United Nations. Notable among these have been the High Level dialogue on Migration held at the opening of the UN General Assembly in 2006, resolutions of the General Assembly on issues related to migrants in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the first and second Global Forums on Migration and Development (GFMD). The GFMDs have not been formally linked with the United Nations but its work does influence the discussion on migrants and migration policy within the United Nations.
The NGO Committee on Migration would like to be more active and influential in bringing the experience and policy needs of civil society to be part of these discussions and their recommendations. However, in order to be effective in these efforts its members need to have a better understanding of the current positions of the governments and of the diverse policy positions, their implications as well as strategies to achieve these positions. They believe that with this foundation they will be well placed to be effective advocates on behalf of migrants as the migration debate moves forward to the 3rd GFMD to be held in Athens in October of 2009 and also the 4th GFMDto be held in Argentinain 2010. They also believe that they will be more effective in working with the government representatives to promote the best interests of migrants at the UN itself as it is very likely that there will continue to be resolutions related to migration brought forward in New York.
It is in this context that the committee makes the following proposal to the NewSchool.
Proposal:
Policy and Analysis paper: Effective Advocacy on issues related to international migration in the context of the Global Forum on Migration and Development and the United Nations
Terms of Reference:
A team of students researched and developed a policy and analysis paper with the following components:
Part I.
1. A mapping of selected governments' positions on issues related to migration as expressed in their statements at relevant United Nations meetings, their reports for relevant treaty review bodies, and other sources as determined by the student team and the client team such as third-party reports.
2. An analysis of the outcomes and recommendations of the two Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) held in Brussels (2007) and the Philippines(2008).
3. An analysis of the processes used to determine participation at the two GFMD including the Civil Society Days which preceded the Forums. This would include examination and analysis of various models of participation both within and outside of the United Nations
Part II. Recommendations related to the three areas of analysis with regard to
1. The content of the Forum
2. The process of the Forum and the Civil Society Days and
3. Effective advocacy for migrants on the part of Civil Society organizations, particularly NGOs.
Part III. Suggested strategies for achieving the proposed recommendations.
The NGO Committee will use this policy paper as a basis for a plan of action for its migration advocacy work to the benefit of all stakeholders. It will be used particularly as the basis for advocacy related to the upcoming GFMD to be held in Athens, Greece (2008) and even more so inrelation to the foundation which will be responsible for the following one to be held in Argentina and in regard to the Forum itself.
There has been a previous successful example of this kind of collaboration when students from the New School worked with the NGO Committeeon Financing for Development to assist in the preparation for the recent Financing for Development conference in Doha, Qatar.
Proposed Timeline: -15 weeks
Week 1: Student Team and Project Manager from the New School meet with subcommittee of NGO Committee on Migration to clarify the project assignment, expectations, discuss possible resources and approaches for the development of the final paper.
Weeks 2-6: Student Team carries on the research for the project.
Week 7: Student Team and Project Manager from the New School meet with the subcommittee of the NGO Committee to discuss their progress and suggest a possible outline for their final paper.
Week 8: Student Team and Project Manager from the New School meet with the entire committee to discuss their progress and the approach they are taking to the final paper.
Weeks 9-13: Student Team continues work on the final paper.
Week 14: Student Team and Project Manager from the New School meet with the Subcommittee of the NGO Committee for a preliminary presentation and critique of the final paper.
Week 15: Student Team does final presentation for the NGO Committee and for the Project Manager and the New School
From: NGO Committee on Migration
211 East 43rd Street, Room 1207
New York, NY 10017
212-370-0075 tel/fax -office
323-633-1574 (cell)
Core Documents
Terms of Reference
Timeline
Final Presentation
Additional Documents
UN NGO Comm on Migration.pdf
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