Germany and Morocco will jointly assume the chairmanship of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) on 1 January 2017. The symbolic hand-over of the chairmanship to Moroccan State Secretary El Nadir of the Ministry of Moroccan Expatriates and Migration Affairs and to Markus Ederer, State Secretary at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, will occur today (12 December) during the annual GFMD conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Next year, the focus will be on how the GFMD can contribute to a United Nations Global Compact on Migration. The compact is intended to constitute a strong signal to the international community for an enhanced global migration policy and is to be adopted by the community of states in 2018.

The motto of the GFMD will be “Towards a Global Social Contract on Migration and Development”. In particular, the balance of interests between migrants and their countries of origin, transit states and destinations will be addressed within the framework of regular and orderly migration.

Germany and Morocco will be the first countries to jointly head the GFMD. Through the co‑chairmanship, they will be symbolically bridging the Mediterranean and highlighting the close link between Europe and Africa. This will help emphasise the positive aspects of migration, as well as the need for orderly and safe migration in order to further develop global migration objectives.

Background information:

The GFMD was established in 2007 by United Nations Member States with the aim of advancing understanding on the relationship between regular migration and development, as well as fostering practical and action-oriented outcomes. The GFMD process brings together expertise from all regions and countries at all stages of economic, social and political development.

Since its inception, the work of the GFMD has been based on a uniquely participatory model, in which governments and policy-makers from a wide range of areas cooperate. Through series of events that are closely coordinated with the GFMD, representatives from civil society and from NGOs are included in the process, as well. Via the Business Mechanism that was established in 2015, the GFMD is engaged with businesses to jointly develop regulations for decent working conditions around the world.

Close involvement in the GFMD process by the United Nations Special Representative for International Migration ensures that GFMD efforts remain tied to and aligned with those of agencies and other bodies of the UN.