The global forum on migration and development: a new path for global governance?

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is a new initiative of the international community aiming to address the migration and development nexus in a practical and action-oriented manner. It is conceived as an informal, non-binding, voluntary and government-led process, open to all UN member states. Created in 2006 on the proposal of the UN Secretary-General, the GFMD held its first meeting in Brussels in July 2007. This meeting brought together more than 800 governmental participants, representing over 150 countries, as well as 200 representatives of civil society from all over the world. The purpose of this article is to present this prototypical initiative in the light of the global debate on migration and development, offer some reflections about its future and analyse its position with regard to other initiatives aimed at the management of global issues.

Paper presented at the 2008 ACUNS Annual Meeting The United Nations and Global Development Architecture, Bonn, Germany, 5-7 June 2008.
(Photo credit: Kevin M. Gill, Flickr)