Given that the progress declaration fell short of our expectations in terms of specificity, we want to ensure that civil society plays an active role in the upcoming IMRF to ensure measurable, time-bound, and specific commitments to implement GCM. Syeed Ahamed, CEO of IID, and co-chair of the Labour Migration Technical Working Group of Bangladesh UN Migration Network (BDUNNM) made the remarks at the 13th LMTWG meeting held on 26th April 2022.
Mr Ahamed also pointed out that, Bangladesh civil society, and particularly the BDUNNM has been exemplary in terms of promoting a whole-of-society approach to GCM implementation. Since the inception of GCM, civil society, UN Bodies, and the Government of Bangladesh have often organized tripartite consultations prior to and following global negotiations which helped in solidifying one Bangladesh voice in the global arena both in the case of GFMD and throughout the GCM process. The Tripartite consultations conducted in the lead-up to the IMRF helped in strengthening Bangladesh’s voice during the GCM regional review. He emphasized that civil society could play a more active role in the upcoming IMRF, particularly in roundtable discussions for progress declaration and government-led pledge initiatives to ensure that the IMRF conjures up measurable commitments across the GCM’s different aspects and guarantees a balanced outcome consistent with the GCM’s 360-degree approach.
The meeting co-organized by UN Women and IID focused on providing an update on the work of the BDUNNM and its Technical Working Groups, as well as on CSO initiatives undertaken in advance of the IMRF. Additionally, the participants highlighted specific milestones for the LMTWG’s upcoming Workplan for 2022-2023. The participants were divided into three teams, with each team identifying three partnership and advocacy initiatives for the 2022-2023 Workplan.
Among others, Gitanjali Singh, Head of Agency, UN Women Bangladesh and Chair, LMTWG; Tapati Saha, Programme Analyst, UN Women; Shahreen MUNIR, Head-Secretariat, BDUNNM; Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Officer, UNODC; Mazharul Islam, National Programme Officer, ILO; Shahnaz Farzana, National Programme Officer, IOM; Saiful Haque, Chairperson, WARBE Development Foundation; Sumaiya Islam, Executive Director, BNSK; Syeed Ahmed, IID, Co-chair, LMTWG; and Nansiri Iamsuk, Regional migration specialist, UN were present at the event.
Gitanjali Singh thanked all the partners for their continued engagement and expressed interest in strengthening collaboration to scale initiatives to further the GCM at national and regional levels.
