2013 High-level Dialogue Series Towards the 2013 High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development

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1 Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations 2013 High-level Dialogue Series Towards the 2013 High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development Roundtable 1: The Global Migration Debate from the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICP) to Present 12 October 2012 Statement by Ambassador Paul Seger, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Welcoming remarks and introduction Dear Colleagues, Switzerland is very pleased to co-chair today, together with Mauritius, this first roundtable of the 2013 High Level Dialogue series Towards the 2013 High- Level Dialogue on international migration and development organized jointly by IOM, UNFPA and UNDESA, and I take the opportunity to thank the organizers for their excellent initiative and work on this series of roundtables that will accompany us during the preparations towards the 2013 High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. My government firmly believes that these thematic discussions will provide a useful opportunity for Members States, International Organizations, in particular the Global Migration Group (GMG), civil society organizations and

2 migration experts, to set the stage for open dialogue, exchange of opinions and networking in the lead-up to next year s High Level Dialogue. And needless to say, I am delighted to see that so many of you are able to attend today s first roundtable. We indeed consider it important that UN Permanent Missions in NY have the possibility to develop a common understanding of the evolution of the global migration debate, and in particular its relationship with development, prior to beginning the negotiations on the HLD modalities resolution this fall. This first roundtable aims at reviewing the progress that has been made since the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in The invited panelists have all been part of the different initiatives that in one way or the other were inspired by the Cairo Conference, and it is a pleasure for us to have them here today. Thank you for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, Dear colleagues, Switzerland is particularly pleased to co-chair this Roundtable due to its longstanding commitment to promote the international dialogue on migration and development. Already before the first HLD in 2006, my government has consistently supported this dialogue and the need for enhanced international cooperation. Such early action consisted mainly of the following two central initiatives: In 2001, Switzerland launched the "Berne Initiative ( ), an intergovernmental consultative process that resulted in the publication of the International Agenda on Migration Management. In December 2003, and acting on the encouragement of the then UN Secretary- General, a core group of States led by Sweden and Switzerland, together with the governments of Brazil, Morocco, the Philippines, created the Global

3 Commission on International Migration (GCIM). A considerable number of governments subsequently joined this core group to follow the evolving analysis and work of the Commission, whose mandate, as defined by the Secretary- General, was to provide the framework for the formulation of a coherent, comprehensive and global response to the issue of international migration. In October 2005, the Commission presented its report Migration in an Interconnected World: New Directions for Action to the Member States in NY. The 90-page report provided a comprehensive yet concise analysis of key global policy issues in the field of international migration, and presented six 'Principles for Action' and thirty-three related recommendations that aimed to serve as a guide to the formulation of migration policies at the national, regional and global levels. In 2006, a GCIM follow-up Ad-hoc Group of States in Geneva then focused on these proposals, inter alia to prepare for the 2006 HLD. The GCIM Report and the Berne Initiative s International Agenda on Migration Management have been key reference documents for the 2006 HLD. In the first session this morning we will have the pleasure to hear panelists who have been involved in both processes, and we are interested in knowing to what extent they consider that the outcomes of these documents can still provide guidance for the next year s High-level Dialogue. Last year, in 2011, Switzerland continued to actively engage in the international dialogue on migration and development, by chairing the Global Forum on Migration and Development. Under the overarching theme Taking Action on Migration and Development Coherence, Capacity and Cooperation, Switzerland promoted 14 thematic workshops in all regions of the world, dedicated to focused and action-oriented debate, and engaging a wide range of governments, international organizations and non-governmental stakeholders. In December 2011, the multiple findings of these thematic workshops were brought together in a global gathering, the GFMD 2011 Concluding Debate in Geneva. The substantive discussions at this Concluding Debate were particularly fruitful because of the in-depth preparatory work which brought concrete insights to our debate directly from experiences on the ground with a strong focus on the development perspectives that preceded the thematic part of the final meeting.

4 2011 also constituted a crucial moment in the history of the GFMD, namely the first phase of the GFMD Assessment. A global survey on how the GFMD operates as a process, conducted in 2011 by Switzerland with all GFMD participating States, offered in-depth insights that paved the way, in 2012, for the political and strategic second phase on the future of the Forum. As we already heard from Ambassador Meetarbhan, the 2012 Mauritian Chair has been guiding this second phase of the GFMD assessment throughout this year. Also, throughout the 2-year assessment a team of some 16 governments supported the process, in consultation with all GFMD participating States. We are particularly pleased to have with us today Ambassador Servansing from the Mauritian Permanent Mission in Geneva and the Chair of the GFMD Assessment Team, who will inform us on the process and the preliminary outcomes of the 2012 assessment. Dear Colleagues, Switzerland is convinced that all these different initiatives have allowed States, international organizations and civil society to create concrete partnerships in order to be able to manage, in a spirit of mutual responsibility and partnership, the phenomenon of migration in a manner that is equitable and development oriented. More and more countries face emigration and immigration simultaneously leading to concerns that are similar in nature. In such a context, better managed migration becomes an essential enabler for inclusive social and economic development. Migration should and can be beneficial for all: countries of origin, transit and destination, and, most importantly, for the migrants themselves. To ensure this is the case, the widest possible cooperation is and will be necessary in the future. We therefore need to pursue our commitment to identify ways to maximize the development potential of international migration for both the countries of origin and destination, and to reduce its negative aspects.

5 Switzerland welcomes that in 2013, for the second time in the history of the UN, another High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development will be held in the framework of the 68 th General Assembly, and is looking forward to cooperating with all the stakeholders in a substantive manner to make the UNHLD 2013 a success. The first session of today s roundtable will be focusing on the outcomes from the United Nations and other processes until I am pleased to introduce the panelists: Ms. Ann Pawliczko, from UNFPA, Mr. Bela Hovy Chief of the Migration Section, in the Population Division at UNDESA, Ms. Michele Klein Solomon, Permanent Observer of IOM to the UN and Ms. Eva Sandis of the NGO Committee on Migration. I will now give the floor to Ms. Ann Pawliczko, who will be moderating the session. I thank you very much for your attention. Ms. Pawliczko, you have the floor.

6 Closing remarks Dear Colleagues, We would like to thank the panelists for their excellent presentations and thank you, ladies and gentlemen and colleagues, for having participated in this first Roundtable, the first of a series of 5 Roundtables. In my opinion, the objectives of this first thematic discussion have been achieved: we have acquired an in depth overview on past initiatives in the field of migration and development, which will allow us to be better prepared for the thematic and substantive discussions to follow with particular attention to leveraging the developmental implication of migration. We have learned that past and ongoing initiatives are still very relevant for the preparation of the UNHLD In the coming months and next year, four other Roundtables will be organized by IOM, UNFPA and UNDESA. We hope you will be able to attend these meetings. The next Roundtables will focus on thematic areas connected to the UNHLD 2013 and will allow us to review action-oriented measures, lessons learned, best practices and substantive achievements in these specific areas. Please let me remind you that at the conclusion of the last roundtable, there will be a final integrated report summarizing the discussions from all five roundtables. This report will be made available at the HLD and to the delegates that attended the series of discussions, as well as other interested parties.