Partnerships in Migration: Engaging Business and Civil Society (2006)

Governments have much to gain by forging strong partnerships with non-state actors such as business and civil society to find ways to successfully manage today’s global and multi-dimensional migration patterns.

Civil society brings an essential human dimension into the development of migration management policies and ensures the voice of migrants is heard. NGOs, diaspora organizations and religious communities can provide networks at local, national and international levels that can further strengthen relations between governments and migrant communities and improve integration processes.

The private sector and civil society also have a key role to play in increasing the development impact of remittances on countries of origin by setting up secure, transparent and low-cost channels to encourage migrants to invest some of their savings in development initiatives through diaspora banks, microfinance institutions, post office networks and credit unions.

Agenda

Tuesday, 28 November 2006

11:00 - 13:00

Special Interactive Discussion with Members of the Global Migration Group (GMG)

• Brunson McKinley, Director General, IOM
• António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Current Chair of the GMG)
• ILO - Ibrahim Awad, Chief, International Migration Branch
• UNCTAD - Lakshmi Puri ,Director, Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities
• UNDP - Odile Sorgho-Moulinier, Director, UNDP Geneva
• UNFPA - Mari Simonen, Deputy Executive Director
• UNHCHR - Bacre Ndiaye, Director, Human Rights Procedures Division
• World Bank - Luca Barbone, Sector Director, Poverty Reduction Group

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15:00 - 18:00

International Dialogue on Migration - Partnerships in Migration: Engaging Business and Civil Society (i) Opening presentation - IOM Administration (ii) High-level presentations and discussion

• Arturo D. Brion, Secretary of Labor and Employment, Republic of the Philippines
  (Presentation | Bio)
• David Arkless, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Manpower, and member of IOM’s Business Advisory Board
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Thomas McCarthy, President, GhanaCoop (Italy) (Presentation | Bio), and Jerry Oware,Manager, Migrants for GhanAfrica (Ghana) (Presentation | Bio) - co-presentation
• Rafael Hurtado, President, Federación de Clubes Zacatecanos del Sur de California
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Moderator:  Imogen Foulkes, BBC

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Wednesday, 29 November 2006

10:00 - 13:00 (IMDI)

An International Migration and Development Initiative   (i) Opening presentation - IOM Administration (ii) High-level presentations and discussion

• Konstantin O. Romodanovsky, Director, Federal Migration Service, Russian Federation
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Kan Oye Fong Weng-Poorun,Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, Mauritius
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Antonio Peñalosa, Secretary General, International Organisation of Employers
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Chairman of the Board for the Executive Committee, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Luca Barbone, Sector Director, Poverty Reduction Group, World Bank
  (Presentation | Bio)

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13:00 - 15:00

Special Event: Luncheon at Château de Penthes for Permanent Representatives to the United Nations and Heads of Delegations Launch of New Counter-Trafficking Modules

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15:00 - 18:00

The Year in Review – Selected Highlights

• Kevin O’Sullivan, Director of Immigration Policy, Irish National Immigration Service, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ireland, on the comprehensive review undertaken by the Government of Ireland of its migration policy
  (Presentation | Bio)
• María Elisa Berenguer, Ambassador, Deputy Secretary General of the Ibero-American Secretariat (SEGIB), on Ibero-American Migration Developments
  (Presentation | Bio)
• Régine de Clercq, Ambassador for Migration and Asylum Policies, Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs, Belgium on the Migration and Development Conference and Global Forum on Migration and Development
  (Presentation | Bio)
•  Modérateur: Peter Bosch,Head of Immigration and Asylum Unit, European Commission, Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security