What are the GFMD Civil Society Days?
The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Civil Society Days are the yearly occasion for theMADE regional networks and Working Groups, in addition to a wide array of networks and civil society actors, to come together and discuss what they have been doing to advance the agenda for the protection of migrants’ rights and human development, and to formulate action plans and recommendations for governments to follow up on.
MADE and the GFMD Civil Society Days
Since 2014, the GFMD civil society activities have been coordinated by MADE. This includes the annual GFMD Civil Society Days, which are organised through MADE's Global Civil Society Coordinating Office, in coordination with an International Steering Committee.
Throughout the year, MADE expands opportunities for civil society to prepare for and follow up to the annual GFMD meetings through national and regional meetings and advocacy actions, to ensure that changes for migrants, migrants’ rights and human development are actually implemented on the ground.
More information
For more information on the GFMD and related civil society activities, read the GFMD Civil Society Days brochure (English | French | Spanish)
For an introduction to the GFMD and its components in general and structure and focus of the Civil Society Days, Common Space and Government Days 2017 in particular, listen to the webinar we hosted on 26 January 2017:
Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)
The Global Forum on Migration and Development is a series of activities throughout the year that culminate in a week-long programme of government and civil society meetings that have been taking place since 2007.
The Forum emerged from the first UN General Assembly High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in 2006, as a process outside of the UN system where policymakers and stakeholders from countries all over the world come together to discuss about migration and development.
To this day, it remains the only global mechanism available to discuss migration and development with the full range of actors involved in migration – from grassroots organisations all the way to national governments and international organizations.
Terre Des Hommes, the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit and the Bangladesh Civil Society Coordination Committee jointly organized a national consultation on youth in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 25th of July. Despite the security concern, a large participation from a diverse section of the society has made the event an engaging and thought-provoking platform for the diverse attendees and policy makers who joined the consultation.
During the "2nd Thematic Workshop - Migration for Harmonious Societies" in preparation for the GFMD 2016, the Secretary General of Terre des Hommes International and Chair of the GFMD 2015 Civil Society Days Ignacio Packer presented an inspiring speech on how our daily language on migrants and migration can influence the way we perceive these issues.
