On 13 March 2025 Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), WARBE Development Foundation and BASUG (Diaspora and Development) under the platform Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants (BCSM) in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), supported by the European Union a consultation meeting was held engaged civil society, key stakeholders and beneficiaries to share and discuss critical migration issues and ensure meaningful contributions to the GFMD discussions. The overarching theme for the 15th summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) chaired by Colombia is “Regular Migration, Labour Mobility, and Human Rights: Pillars of Development and Well-Being of Societies” will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia on 9-10 June: Preparatory Days and 11-13 June 2025.
Background
The BCSM journey began in 2016, with a focus on the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). This platform has provided civil society with a strong voice in migration governance. Since its inception, BCSM has brought together those who work on migration, all contributing on a voluntary basis. The BCSM platform consistently upholds grassroots voices through national-level advocacy. This commitment has led to significant progress and achievements.
The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is the most significant space on the global agenda to promote an open and transparent dialogue on the governance of international migration, based on the understanding that the nexus between migration and development is an evident fact and that with good management of public policies it can become a tool that allows us to enhance the contributions and positive effects of migration towards the well-being of our societies in countries of origin, transit and destination.
The 2024-2025 Colombia´s GFMD Chairmanship promotes a debate based on the principle of shared responsibility, with a focus on South-South and triangular cooperation, where labour migration and its different mechanisms allow us to create and recognize regular pathways where migrant workers become, under a regulated mechanism, the vehicles to reduce global inequalities, as well as the gap between the centre and the periphery. It will also be addressed that migration has the potential to bring positive socio-economic outcomes for both society and migrants. For countries to reap these benefits, their policies and practices must promote the socio-economic well-being of migrants and society, while adhering to international standards that respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of people within the territory of a state without discrimination based on nationality, race, gender, religion, or immigration status.
Objectives
The pre-consultation of GFMD 2024-25 was aimed to:
- To stimulate an open discussion among diverse sectors, on the themes of 15 th GFMD summit in connection with migrants’ reality and CSO’s experience at the grassroots level.
- Prepare an outcome document which would enable the Bangladeshi delegation to provide more evidence-based inputs during the GFMD discussions
Modalities
While the overarching theme of the 15th GFMD is “Regular Migration, Labour Mobility, and Human Rights: Pillars of Development and Well-Being of Societies”. The pre-consultation divided into the following sessions as per the priority themes of the GFMD Summit:
Part 1: (a) Inaugural Session (b) Six parallel working sessions on priority themes of the upcoming GFMD.
Part 2: Plenary session on outcome of the first session to the key stakeholders.
Saiful Islam Chowdhury, Additional Secretary of MoEWOE; Md. Ashraf Hossain, ADG of BMET; Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui, Chair of BCSM; Syed Saiful Haque, Co-Chair of BCSM; Ishita Shruti, Head of the Migration Policy and Sustainable Development Unit at IOM; Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, Member of the Labour Reform Commission (LRC); Shahreen Munir from IOM; Mahbuba Sultana, Treasurer of BCSM from INAFI Bangladesh; along with representatives of organizations from the BCSM platform, were also present and contributed valuable comments and insights.
