World Migration Report 2024: Chapter 8
Where do we stand today? The lead-up to, and lessons learned from, the International Migration Review Forum
As the first ever intergovernmentally negotiated United Nations agreement on managing international migration, the Global Compact for Migration establishes a blueprint for international cooperation on migration. In 2021, the first series of quadrennial preparatory regional reviews preceding the IMRF covered five regions: Africa, the Arab States, Asia, Europe and the Americas. These regional reviews were hosted, with the support of the United Nations Network on Migration, by United Nations regional commissions in the case of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); in the case of Africa, Morocco hosted the meeting for UNECA Member States. The reviews were attended by government representatives and other stakeholders, and focused on national, subregional and continental progress towards the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. Undertaken during a period when parts of the world were still under COVID-19 restrictions, the IMRF roundtables and regional reviews were hybrid or virtual. While this allowed a wider audience to connect to the important gatherings, they followed standard United Nations procedures that do not always allow for an open and constructive debate, as they are centred on statements being read out by representatives of Member States. Furthermore, the context of the pandemic highlighted new priorities and emerging challenges for migration governance.
Stakeholder contributions in the lead-up to the International Migration Review Forum
Between 2020 and 2021, 86 Member States, regional mechanisms and other actors submitted voluntary reports reviewing the status of their implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. An analysis of these 86 reports revealed the difficulty in tracking the implementation of a non-binding agreement lacking a formal, systematic mechanism for review.a It also underscored the importance of data and evidence for policy processes, as well as the centrality of issues such as return, trafficking, decent work and vulnerable migrants. Despite the limitations of voluntary reporting, an analysis of these reports is useful to assess the overall focus of Member States’ monitoring and reporting, including those objectives that have received less attention (e.g. missing migrants, discrimination, remittances). The analysis also highlights the need for clearer monitoring framework and process.
In November 2021, the GFMD held a stakeholders’ hybrid forum with 180 delegates from 81 GFMD Member States, three GFMD mechanisms, youth groups and 25 organizations in attendance, because the Global Compact for Migration calls on the GFMD to report on the findings, best practices and innovative approaches to the IMRF.b This forum provided the basis for the GFMD report on the Global Compact for Migration (published May 2022).
In January 2022, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a report on Global Compact for Migration implementation, to inform the IMRF, as required by the United Nations General Assembly.43 In addition to inputs from Member States, stakeholder consultations and discussions with groups within the United Nations system, the Secretary-General’s report also drew on the outcomes from the Global Compact for Migration regional reviews.
The inclusive process in the lead-up to the IMRF also involved multiple stakeholders providing inputs, comments and responses to various versions of the Progress Declaration.44 Non-State actors called for a critical look at the progress, challenges and gaps in the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, citing the need for both a more dynamic and progressive dialogue with all stakeholders and a robust monitoring framework, in order to achieve a more meaningful review of the full Global Compact for Migration. This seemed especially important because of the limitations of voluntary reporting without an agreed framework, and without means of independent verification.45
Furthermore, analyses by scholars and other stakeholders including representatives of civil society and the GFMD articulated contributions to the Progress Declaration and outlined the lessons to be drawn from the IMRF process, including the need for a stronger voice for migrants.
Source: United Nations Network on Migration, n.d.d.
The Pledging Initiative was conceived to help build momentum for the review and implementation of the Global Compact for Migration in the context of the IMRF.46 Pledges are measurable commitments made by Member States and other stakeholders, such as local authorities and civil society organizations, with the purpose of advancing the implementation of one or more of the guiding principles, objectives, or actions of the Global Compact for Migration. As of January 2023, 233 pledges had been received and displayed on the online dashboard.47 Objective 7 of the Global Compact for Migration, focused on reducing vulnerabilities, has had the highest number of pledges towards its achievement (133 pledges).
The first IMRF resulted in an intergovernmentally unanimously agreed Progress Declaration that outlines progress, challenges and gaps in the implementation of the Global Compact, as well as a set of recommended actions.48
As part of the IMRF, in May 2022, the President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly hosted an informal multi-stakeholder hearing with over 250 representatives from non-State actors covering all regions.49 The focus was on assessing progress, gaps and challenges in the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, as well as cementing commitments and recommendations to advance the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. The forum also proposed concrete recommendations for action, and it emphasized the “nothing about us without us” inclusive approach that puts migrant voices at the core of migration governance.
Among other things, the IMRF showed a growing recognition of the importance of RCPs, in line with earlier discussions at the GFMD. Through the GFMD and other forums, there has been multi-stakeholder discussions to clarify and advance the role of RCPs in realizing the objectives of the Global Compact for Migration, bringing Global Compact for Migration stakeholders closer to RCPs. The Secretary-General’s 2022 report highlights the IMRF as an opportunity to harness the power of multilateralism to provide concrete guidance on the promotion of inclusive societies, enhanced diversified pathways, opportunities for regularization and sustainable reintegration as well as reducing vulnerabilities. All these issues are within the scope of RCPs and their role in supporting efforts that ensure participation of and measures at national and subnational levels.