Side Event to the 6th Thematic Session to Inform the Development of the Global Compact on Migration

Geneva, Palais des Nations, 13 October 2017

The side event was part of the work program of the Global Migration Compact’s sixth thematic session dedicated to labor migration, irregular movement and skills:

Program of the Side Event (PDF)

The aim of the side event, held at the Palais des Nations on 13 October 2017, was to inform governments and stakeholders participating in the consultations towards a Global Migration Compact about skills recognition practices in three regions: ASEAN, ECOWAS, as well as Latin and Central America. Regional skills recognition practices were screened for improving the “fair, regular and orderly” migration (processes) that are the pillars of a future Global Migration Compact. Which skills recognition practices could be “uploaded” to the Global Compacts process? What is their relation to trade agreements, the liberalization of labor migration, and what is their impact on facilitating return migration and the circulation of skills?

Skills are an incremental element of personal identity and capacity – a loss of skills exposes migrants and refugees to vulnerabilities. The Global Compact process is committed to change and enabling migration “out of choice, not necessity”. Skills transfer and recognition are considered key elements in facilitating choice, strengthening capacity and minimizing vulnerability.

With 70% of migrants in the world of work today, their skills form an important resource, for employers and the labor market, however, their recognition is often associated with protectionism of professional associations. In result, skills are often recognized sector-specifically, where professional associations have created bi-national transfer practices. The role of state-led process such as the Global Migration Compact could be one of co-facilitating trans-regional self-regulation, such as it exists among architects, engineers, nurses.

Dr. Miryam Hazan, Inter-American Development Bank discussed the impact of the UNESCO conventions on skills in the Latin American Region, while Amanda Bisong, ECOWAS Secretariat highlighted the benefits of the African skills transfer card. Joji Aragon, Assistant Secretary, Legal, Legislative and International Affairs, Republic of the Philippines gave an introduction to the intricate system of mutual recognition in the ASEAN.

The ILO, represented by Dr. Nathalia Popova, and the WTO, represented by Pamela Lanyi, critically reflected on skills recognition from a labor standards and trade viewpoint.

From left to right: Nathalia Popova, ILO, Joji Aragon, Philippines government, Amanda Bisong, ECOWAS, and Miryam Hazan, Iter-American Development Bank

The UN Global Compacts process is organized around informal thematic sessions which offers delegations and stakeholders to exchange on six themes on migration in advance of negotiations starting end of 2017. Side-events are one way for stakeholders, such as academia to be involved in bringing about change for migrants. It results from a cooperation between Prof. Elisa Fornalè, SNF Research Professor at the World Trade Institute, and the nccr – on the move project “From ‘Traditional’ to ‘New’ Migration: Challenges to the International Legal Migration Regime”.

Pamela Apazi Lanyi, WTO

This side event concludes the  involvement of the nccr – on the move and the World Trade Institute in several of the Global Compact Process’ thematic sessions, including a statement from the floor at the third thematic session “International cooperation and governance of migration in all its dimensions, including at borders, on transit, entry, return, readmission, integration and reintegration”, which took place on 19-20 June 2017.

Co-sponsored by the government of the Philippines, the side-event provided an opportunity for academia to showcase issues of harmonization and equivalence testing, of the benefits of self-regulation, sub-national delegation and sectoral regulation of skills recognition and its transfer to foreign nationals.

Marion Panizzon, nccr – on the move, Senior Researcher in the project From ‘Traditional’ to ‘New’ Migration: Challenges to the International Legal Migration Regime