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Zimbabwe today ends participation at the Global Forum on migration and development (GFMD) summit which began on 23 January 2024 in Geneva Switzerland.The country took a leading role in Roundtable 4 on labour migration as co-chair together with the United Arab Emirates and the GFMD Business Mechanism. Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Hon. July Moyo presided over this Roundtable.
Also In Roundtable 5 on Culture, Narratives and Migration, Zimbabwe was well represented by the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon. Chido Sanyatwe who participated as a discussant in the Roundtable.
Zimbabwe’s Mission has participated in several preparatory meetings since the beginning of 2023 and has been involved in the preparation of the background paper for Roundtable 4, while also actively participating in Roundtable 1 and 5. As a run up to the Summit, the GFMD also invited Zimbabwe’s Mission to participate in the “Run of Show” meetings for RT4 and 5 on 16 and 17 January 2024 respectively.
According to Minister July Moyo,
” GFMD came into existence after discussions at the first High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (HLD) held from 14-15 September 2006. The idea was suggested by the then United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan given that over 140 Member States had discussed the complexity of the nexus between migration and development, and the continued increase in migration flows and yet there was inadequate information and data around the migration discourse.”
“In addition, it was observed that there was lack of an all-encompassing global forum to bring together policy makers on the two critical issues of migration and development.
“While some best practices had been implemented in a piecemeal way by many governments and international agencies globally, it was observed that these needed to be more widely understood and adapted, and more cooperative frameworks needed to be explored.
“In view of the foregoing, the GFMD was born, hosting its first Summit meeting in 2007 under the direction of the first GFMD Chair, Belgium. The GFMD has since remained as the largest informal, non-binding, voluntary and government-led process, bringing together expertise from all regions and countries at all stages of economic, social and political development. Since its inception, the GFMD has operated on the basis of a unique participative working method, involving governments and policy makers from varied backgrounds. Policy-makers from a wide range of government agencies participate, including from Ministries and Departments of Immigration, Development, Labour, Foreign Affairs, Gender Equality, Home Affairs, Justice, Interior, Integration and Nationals Abroad.”
The GFMD has operated on its state-led but not state only nature and has also established formal links with: –
GFMD Civil Society Mechanism;
GFMD Business Mechanism;
GFMD Mayors Mechanism; and
Youth.
These institutional links have allowed the inclusion of the voices and expertise of diverse stakeholders, including academia, NGOs, trade unions, the private sector, migrants and diaspora representatives, local and regional governments as well as youth, in GFMD discussions.
GFMD Objectives.
The Chairpersonship of the Summit
The current chair of the GFMD is France and the upcoming chair will be known at the forthcoming Summit. To date, there have been no indications on which country will take over from France. Since its initial inception in 2007, the GFMD has been chaired as followed: –
France – 2022-2023
United Arab Emirates – 2020
Ecuador – 2019
Germany and Morocco – 2017-2018
Bangladesh – 2016
Turkey – 2014-2015
Sweden – 2013-2014
Mauritius – 2012
Switzerland – 2011
Mexico – 2010
Greece – 2009
Philippines – 2008
Belgium – 2007
The 14th GFMD Summit discussed the future of the Summit where issues of its governance structure and funding mechanism led from the onslaught from 23-25 January 2024 at the CICG in Geneva, Switzerland under the Presidency of the Government of France.
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