IofC Switzerland supports multi-stakeholder dialogue on migration and refugees

On 31 May 2018, Initiatives of Change Switzerland facilitated the plenary sessions of the informal dialogue,  “Migrants and Refugees in the Compact Era: Ensuring that no one falls through the cracks”, organized by the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) in partnership with the Action Committee in Geneva.

Civil society, governments, international organizations and other stakeholders gathered together to discuss four main gaps emerging in the processes leading up to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and  Global Compact for Refugees (GCR) : mixed migration flows; refugees beyond the 1951 Geneva Convention; victims of (sudden-onset) natural disasters; (slow-onset) environmental degradation and climate change; and migrants in vulnerable situations, in particular when they find themselves in an irregular situation.

IofC Switzerland’s facilitation supported open and honest conversations enabling representatives from civil society, governments and international organisations to exchange views and practical expertise on the four themes. From those discussions, an outcome document was produced proposing new language and good practices for both Global Compacts which participants can use for forthcoming negotiations and advocacy.