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EC, UN launch initiative on migration and development

Migrant and diaspora groups, NGOs, local authorities, members of the European institutions and UN agencies gather in Brussels for a ‘Migration for Development Knowledge Fair’ on 1st – 4th December 2008. The Fair will launch a funding call to provide €10 million for projects which make migration work for development.

Brussels – Hundreds of members of diaspora groups and representatives of NGOs, local authorities from developing and European countries, the EU institutions and UN agencies will gather in Brussels from 1st to 4th December 2008 to share information and ideas based on their experiences in the field of migration and development. The ‘Migration for Development Knowledge Fair’ is the first major event to be held as part of the European Commission - United Nations Joint Initiative on Migration and Development (JMDI), a new, €15 million three-year initiative which is funded by the European Commission through its 'Thematic Programme for the Cooperation with third countries in the areas of migration and asylum'. The initiative is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The JMDI will finance a series of migration and development projects which will be jointly conceived and implemented by civil society groups and local authorities from the European Union Member States working in partnership with their counterparts in sixteen target countries outside the EU, namely Moldova, Georgia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Cape Verde, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ecuador and Jamaica. Successful projects will be selected through a Call for Proposals to be launched at the Migration for Development Knowledge Fair.

In addition, the JMDI will foster exchanges between practitioners working in the field of migration and development, with a view to identifying what actually works at the local and international level. Promoting the establishment of networks between local authorities and civil society organizations based in Europe and in the developing world will also be a key objective of the programme. Discussions and information-sharing will start at the Fair in Brussels and will continue online after the event through the new ‘Migration and Development Knowledge Portal’.

A postcard of UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Maria Sharapova that will be distributed to Fair participants and the media. © UNDP

The Vice-president of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Mr Jacques Barrot, has recalled that "cooperating with its partner countries in order to foster the links between migration and development represents one of the top priorities of the European Union and an integral part of its policy on the "Global approach to migration". He also added that "this Initiative provides a clear demonstration of the capacity of the European Union to translate its policies into concrete actions, as well as of its interest to work with organizations active at grassroots level".

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Development Programme Associate Administrator, Mr. Ad Melkert, welcomed the JMDI, which he described as a “key example of the EC-UN partnership and of the ‘One UN’ approach”, which fosters co-operation between UN agencies. “The JMDI”, Mr. Melkert said, “will contribute to creating ‘triple wins’: for countries of origin, for countries of destination, and for the migrants themselves.”

Maria Sharapova, one of the world’s top-ranking tennis players and a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, welcomed participants to the Migration for Development Knowledge Fair. “Every day, millions of migrants around the world help their families and communities back home – they ensure that food is on the table, that children go to school and that sick family members are treated”, Sharapova said. “I have had the privilege of helping people living in the area where I have my roots and fully support efforts like the European Commission – United Nations Joint Initiative on Migration and Development, which offers organisations in the developing world and in Europe the opportunity to find new ways of making migration work for development”.

The Migration for Development Knowledge Fair will be held at the Musée du Cinquantenaire in Brussels and will start on Monday 1st December at 7 p.m., when the Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Mr. Jacques Barrot, and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Development Programme Associate Administrator, Mr. Ad Melkert, will address participants. The opening ceremony will also feature a concert by an artist from Sierra Leone, Bai Kamara Junior, and an exhibition of artwork produced by Brussels-based migrants. A ‘Migration Celebration’ film festival will be held in Brussels during the Fair.