New York, March 15, 2018 – With over 250 programs worldwide serving migrants, including shelters, SIMN is well-versed in the reality of large migration movements.  In our experience, we find that stark distinctions between regular and irregular migrants and migrants and refugees do not reflect what is happening on the ground, which is what the GCM is trying to impact.  A person can meet the definition of a migrant or refugee, or can be seen as an irregular migrant or regular migrant, all at the same time.  Continue reading Statement of Scalabrini International Migration Network—Second Round of Negotiations of the Global Compact on Migration →

New York, January 11, 2018 – One of the most significant outcomes of the New York Declaration on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, a non-binding international agreement adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September, 2016, was the launching of a two-year process to develop a Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, or as it is better known, the Global Compact on Migration.

The goal of the Compact is to identify specific policy goals and best practices to which UN Member States can commit in promoting safe and legal alternatives to irregular migration. While the document will reaffirm important principles outlined in the New York Declaration, its success will be defined by the actions Member States agree to take to address large-scale movements of migrants, ideally in a manner which upholds human rights while preserving national sovereignty.  Continue reading Global Compact on Migration: Issues at Play →