APMM hosts Migrants’ Echo Conference on GCM Regional Review

On May 21, in collaboration with Bonigi Monitoring, APMM hosted the Virtual Migrants’ Echo Conference on the Asia-Pacific Regional Review of the GCM. Its purpose was to hold a discussion on the outcomes of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) Regional Review in the Asia-Pacific, which was hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Regional UN Network on March 10-12, 2021. 

The Echo Conference was participated by more than 90 participants coming from 50 migrant organizations, migrants’ rights advocates, faith-based organizations, trade unions and civil society organizations and from 12 different countries. 

At the Asia-Pacific GCM Regional Review, it was put forth that the review would help ensure that, “Asia and the Pacific would be well represented at the International Migration Review Forum in 2022 to make migration a priority in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region.” 

APMM saw the need to continue the conversation on the GCM after the review, as migration issues have become ever more pressing under the pandemic. There are as many as 65 million international migrants in the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for over a quarter of the world’s international migrants. 

To open the conference, Aaron Ceradoy from APMM said, “In the struggle for change, the GCM is an arena that we must not be remiss...it is one of the instruments that resulted from the untiring efforts of migrants and advocates to not let the issues of migrants be sidelined.”

But while the GCM has been hailed as a landmark agreement that calls for the improvement of migration governance, by giving significant weight to migrants’ rights, and by appealing for greater engagement between government and stakeholders – many migrants have felt left out of the decision-making process. 

Rey Asis from APMM said that engagement in the GCM process “should be based on the empowerment of migrants and serve their continuing empowerment.” 

“This starts with first and foremost acknowledging migrants as people with rights, freedoms and dignity,” Rey continued, “not as non-citizens, national security threats, or modern-day slaves.”

Following that, Eve Lester from Bonigi Monitoring noted that there has been genuine efforts by ESCAP and the UN Network on Migration to better listen, be more open, and to be more inclusive of other stakeholders in the consultation process.

Afterwards, CEO of the Institute for Informatics and Development Syeed Ahamed said that the current level of stakeholder engagement has much room for improvement. He described the prevailing dynamic as a form of pyramidical engagement that encourages gatekeeping, where decisions are made by the few.

These problems were reiterated by Sringatin, chairperson of Indonesian Migrant Workers Union and also a domestic worker in Hong Kong, who shared that, “there was lack of consultation with grassroots migrants from local to national prior to the Regional Review last March.” 

“Because of this, many of our important and urgent concerns, such as job loss, forced to go home, stranded, denial of right to the Covid-19 testing and vaccination as well as access to health services, denial of subsidy for repatriated migrants, erosion of rights from rest day to food, stigmatization and discrimination and so forth are not expressed fully in the resolutions and recommendations,” Sringatin said. 

According to APMM’s COVID Migrant Monitor project launched last year, many governments have excluded migrants from financial assistance packages, even families of migrants in countries of origin.

In the breakout sessions, participants echoed their issues with the level of inclusivity and engagement. Some mentioned that governments would only consult selected NGOs, leaving out many grassroots migrants. They also blamed embassies for failing to facilitate a discussion on the GCM. As a result, many migrant workers are not even aware of the GCM, let alone know how to participate in the process. 

The Regional Review of the GCM itself failed to be accessible to migrants. Migrants were not familiar with the platform used to host the review, interpretation was not provided in the native languages of migrants, and it was even held on a weekday when most migrants are working. 

In order to strengthen migrants’ involvement and engagement with the GCM and its regional reviews, participants recommended forming a coalition between various organizations. By doing so, grassroots migrants can initiate and organize activities outside the UN process, establish control over the dialogue, and give direction to the UN regional migration network and even sending & receiving governments.

Most importantly, participants called on the UN and national governments to help socialize and familiarize grassroot groups with the process of the GCM. 

An evaluation of the Echo Conference is due to be released soon.