Civil Society Action Committee

Civil Society Action Committee 

The Civil Society Action Committee was set up by civil society in 2016 ahead of the High Level Summit to Address Large Movements of Migrants and Refugees, with the aim to drive collective strategy, organising and communication as an extra level of civil society advocacy towards Summit outcomes and implementation thereof.

End of 2016, Action Committee members voted to continue to work together to ensure concrete implementation by bridging and connecting (not controlling) civil society organisations around the four commitments that states unanimously adopted in the Summit’s New York Declaration through 2017 - 2018: 

  1. To develop a Global Compact for Refugees
  2. To develop a Global Compact on Migration
  3. To expand a global campaign against xenophobia and for inclusion of migrants
  4. To consider adopting guidelines and principles on improving treatment of migrants in vulnerable situations

 

 

The Action Committee is co-convened by International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) and the NGO Committee on Migration, with ICMC as the convening organisation supporting the scope of activities within its Terms of Reference, such as:

  • Publication of newsletters
  • Organizing of open webinars
  • Organisation of civil society meetings, as appropriate
  • Development of specific communication materials
  • Coordination of joint positions and sign-on statements

The Action Committee’s mandate was extended for 2019 by strong request from its members. During this year, the AC will focus on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, by offering a space for collective civil society strategy around it. It will also keep its ‘bridging’ role with civil society groups working on the Global Compact for Refugees and the Internally Displaced People Work Programme 2020 (IDP WP 2020).

At the same time, the Action Committee will look towards the future, and serve as an interim body to develop a new model for future civil society engagement. To prepare for this complex exercise, the AC co-conveners launched a consultation process to look into civil society organising in the new era of international migration governance as of 2019. 

Membership

In 2016, the Action Committee brought together 11 NGOs active in refugee protection, identified through the ICVA network, and 11 NGOs active in migrant rights, identified through ICMC’s Global Forum on Migration and Development network, with several active in both. This membership has gradually expanded to include the regional civil society coordinators of civil society regional consultations.

These are the current members of the Action Committee (as of January 2019):

  • ActAlliance
  • Africa-Europe Diaspora Development Platform (ADEPT)
  • Amnesty International
  • Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN)
  • Asylum Access
  • Bloque Latino Americano
  • Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI)
  • CARE-International 
  • Caritas Internationalis
  • Global Coalition on Migration (GCM)
  • InterAction
  • International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)
  • International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
  • International Detention Coalition (IDC)
  • International Rescue Committee (IRC)
  • Lutheran World Federation 
  • Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)
  • Mixed Migration Centre (MMC)
  • National Network on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
  • NGO Committee on Migration (CoM)
  • Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
  • Oxfam International
  • Pan-African Network in Defense of Migrants Rights (PANiDMR)
  • Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
  • Save the Children (StC)
  • Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN)
  • Terre des Hommes
  • The Cross-Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants (CCRM)
  • The Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO)
  • United Nations Mayor Group on Children and Youth (MGCY)

 

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