¿Qué es la Acción Global de los Pueblos?
La Acción Global de los Pueblos sobre la Migración, el Desarrollo y los Derechos Humanos es un evento paralelo de la sociedad civil, relacionado con el Foro Global sobre la Migración y el Desarrollo (FGMD). Es independiente del proceso oficial del FGMD organizado por los Amigos del Foro y el Gobierno Filipino. El evento paralelo reunirá a migrantes y representantes de movimientos sociales para discutir modelos de una política migratoria que respete los derechos humanos de los y las migrantes y de todas las personas, lo cual requerirá una exploración del rango completo de los diferentes aspectos de la migración, entre ellos los problemas estructurales del desarrollo, la pobreza, la falta de trabajo, y cómo los podemos afrontar colectivamente.
Aunque hay días oficiales de la sociedad civil programados en el FGMD, entendemos que éstos ofrecen oportunidades muy limitadas para la participación masiva, y ya están sumamente estructuradas de acuerdo a los deseos y metas del gobierno anfitrión y de los gobiernos responsables del FGMD.
Esta situación subraya la necesidad de que la sociedad civil participe activamente en el próximo FGMD. Por lo tanto, consideramos esencial la organización de un evento paralelo que involucre a la sociedad civil lo más extensivamente posible, con actividades que se relacionen con y respondan a las condiciones actuales de comunidades de migrantes por todo el mundo.
La Acción Global de los Pueblos se llevará a cabo del 22-30 octubre 2008, en el Parque Rajah Solayman en Manila, Filipinas. Durante la Acción, habrá talleres, mesas redondas, tiempo para reuniones internas de organizaciones, espacio para talleres auto-organizados, presentaciones culturales, y otras actividades.
Background
The issue of labour migration has become a global phenomenon with various multilateral institutions such as the UN, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank looking into the issue. At the UN level, labour migration was taken up as a global issue on December 1979 when the General Assembly decided to adopt a resolution to establish a working group open to all Member States to elaborate an international convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and their families. In 18 December 1990, the UN general Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (Henceforth will be known as MWC) The convention came into force in 1 July 2003 with 23 ratifications by member states. To date, the majority of the 37 ratifications are migrant sending countries.
The United Nations General Assembly through resolution 58/208 of 23 December 2003, also decided to hold a United Nations High Level Dialogue (UNHLD) on international migration and development during its 61st session. The UNHLD on international migration and development took place on September 14-15, 2006 at the United Nations general headquarters in New York City.
The purpose of the UNHLD was to discuss the multidimensional aspects of international migration and development in order to identify appropriate ways and means to maximize its development benefits and minimize its negative impacts. Additionally, the UNHLD focused on policy issues, including the challenge of achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Among the recommendations of the UNHLD was the creation of the permanent forum on migration. The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan was a vigorous supporter of the HLD and believed that it should mark the beginning of inter-governmental discussions about migration and development.
From the UN led process which was the HLD came the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). The GFMD is no longer a UN led process but a non-binding intergovernmental process that will look at developing a practical agenda on maximizing the gains from migration and development. At the UNHLD the Government of Belgium signified its intention to host the first GFMD.
The GFMD will not be a decision-making or policymaking body. It is a voluntary process that aims to address issues related to migration and development in a manner that goes beyond mere analysis. It aims to identify best practices, promote the exchange of experiences, identify obstacles to smart policymaking, explore and adopt innovative approaches, and enhance cooperation among countries.
The first GFMD was hosted by the Belgian Government on 9-11 July 2007. The 2007 GFMD was organized in two parts, the first day devoted to Civil Society or the Global Civil Society Forum on Migration and Development for the GFMD. The second and third day was an intergovernmental process where twelve members of civil society were allowed to participate.
Through a consultative process which involved about 115 governments, two themes were identified as top priorities for the first meeting of the Forum: 'Migration and socio-economic development', and 'Best ways to strengthen the links between migration policies and development policies'. At the first GFMD, these issues were addressed by the governments in roundtable discussions that focus on the following topics:
- Human Capital Development and Labour Mobility: Maximising Opportunities and Minimizing Risks
- Remittances and other Diaspora Resources: Increasing their Volume and Development Value
- Enhancing Institutional and Policy Coherence, and Promoting Partnerships
The Second Global Forum on Migration will be held in Manila on 27-30 October 2008, with 27-28th as the Civil Society Days and 29-20th for the government meetings. This year's central theme is "Protecting and Empowering Migrants for Development".
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