MIGRANT NEWS, Issue 84, 28 October 2004

MIGRANT.NEWS

Issue 99, May 2007

Content

News on the Migrant Workers’ Convention
International Platform (IPMWC)
European Platform (EPMWR)
UN News
Global Forum on Migration and Development
Update on December 18’s activities
Latest Articles, Publications and Press Releases

1. News on the Migrant Workers’ Convention

Status of the Convention:

To date, there are in total 36 ratifications and 15 signatures. The two latest countries to ratify the Convention were Mauritania on 22 January 2007 and Argentina on 27 February 2007.

For more information about the Convention (including updated list of ratifications and signatures) and NGO campaigns, please click here.

Committee on Migrant Workers:

The sixth session of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (UN CMW) took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 23 to 26 April 2007. The Committee welcomed the Egyptian delegation with which it had a constructive dialogue about the initial report of Egypt on the implementation of the Migrant Workers’ Convention. In a one-hour exchange with NGOs during the plenary session, the Committee received additional information from various sources. In particular, an alternative report prepared by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and the Fédération Internationale des ligues des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH), and a short report prepared by the Hotline for Migrant Workers, Israel, were submitted to the Committee and presented during the Committee’s session. These documents, with other alternative information, can be found on the CMW page. After the interactive dialogue, the Committee adopted concluding observations about the implementation of the Convention by the Egyptian Government.

The Committee also started the examination of the initial report of Ecuador and adopted a list of issues the Government will have to reply to. The Coalición interinstitucional para el seguimiento y difusión de la convención internacional para la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y sus familiars from Ecuador prepared an alternative report that was submitted to the CMW to help establish the list of issues. During a private session of the Committee, the Coalición, the International Catholic Migration Commission, as well as the IOM gave a presentation on some issues of concern about migrants’ rights in Ecuador. For more information click here.

Recently, the Committee received the initial reports of Syria (Arabic and English), El Salvador (in Spanish only) and Bolivia (in Spanish only). The reports of Syria and Bolivia will be considered at the seventh session of the CMW, to be held from 26 to 30 November 2007. NGOs that have information for the Committee about the situation of migrant workers in these countries should contact the Secretariat of the Committee: CMW@ohchr.org. To receive more information on the work of the Committee or to get technical support, NGOs can also contact the coordinator of the International NGO Platform on the Migrant Workers Convention (IPMWC) at ipmwc@december18.net.

The Committee decided to organise a Day of Celebration of the Convention on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the Migrant Workers’ Convention during its eighth session in 2008. This day could be a vehicle for promoting the Convention. Further details will be discussed during the next session, which is scheduled for November 2007. The Committee also discussed the upcoming Global Forum on Migration and Development to be held in Brussels, as well as the Treaty Body reform process. Furthermore, a public meeting with States parties took place, during which the status of reporting under the Convention, the Committee’s working methods in examining the initial reports submitted by States parties and the promotion of the Convention were discussed.

Global Campaign for the Ratification of the Convention

The Global Campaign for Ratification of the Convention on Rights of Migrants was set up originally in 1998 to activate the ratification of the Migrant Workers’ Convention, and its entry into force. More recently, the International Steering Committee of the Global Campaign has organised events in parallel to sessions of the Human Rights Council in Geneva to boost the ratification rate. These panel events aimed at promoting the UN Convention in the context of the international debate on migration and development. They were entitled: Bridging the Gap: Human Rights, Migration and Development and Migrants’ Rights: the missing link for development. To see the flyers of these events, as well as the members of the International Steering Committee, go to the Global Campaign website.

2. International Platform on the Migrant Workers’ Convention (IPMWC)

The IPMWC held its eighth meeting in preparation of the CMW session on 16 April 2007. You can consult the minutes of this meeting by clicking here. On Monday 23, a meeting between the IPMWC members and two representatives of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (Hossam Bahgat and Soha Abdelaty) was organised, in order for them to present to members of the Platform the alternative report they wrote (together with FIDH).

Information on the IPMWC and minutes of former meetings can be found on December 18 website (click here) or by contacting the IPMWC coordinator at ipmwc@december18.net.

Please note that Marie d’Auchamp is on maternity leave. She is temporarily being replaced as IPMWC coordinator by Aude Guimont.

3. European Platform on Migrant Workers’ Rights (EPMWR)

In March, the European Platform launched its first set of Shadow Reports on the Rights of Migrant Workers in EU Member States. This report is a comprehensive study on the situation of migrants in Estonia, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The authors used the UN Migrant Workers Convention as the reference framework for these reports.

The EPMWR also published the results from a mapping exercise it undertook on positions of civil society actors, government agencies and policy makers in EU Member States. The publication “The UN Migrant Workers Convention: Steps Towards Ratification in Europe” will be used as a basis to develop a European ratification campaign.

Both publications are available online on the Platform’s website and can be found by clicking here: Shadow Reports and Mapping Exercise.

The Platform held its general meeting in Brussels in March, where the members agreed to work on a Charter on Migrant Workers Rights, to participate in events around the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Brussels, and to organise a follow up meeting to discuss the next steps for a European ratification campaign.

For more information on the EPMWR please write to epmwr@december18.net or visit www.epmwr.net

4. UN News

Human Rights Council

The election of fourteen members of the Human Rights Council will be held on 17^th May 2007. To see the list of candidates, go to this page.

The Human Rights Council will hold its fifth session from 11 to 18 June 2007 in Geneva. During the upcoming session, a number a Special Procedures will present their reports to the Council. The Council will also adopt resolutions concerning its institution building. In this respect, the Working Group on the review of mandates, the Working Group on the agenda, programme of work, methods and rules of procedures, and the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which met respectively from 10 to 27 April 2007, will present their conclusions to the Council. Finally, the Council will adopt the report of the session. See the main webpage of the Council.

See also the December 18 page on the Human Rights Council.

The Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants

The Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Prof. Jorge Bustamante from Mexico, has presented his annual report to the Human Rights Council on 22 March 2007. He also presented his reports on the two missions he undertook at the end of 2006:

- From 4 to 12 December 2006: visit to South Korea

- From 12 to 21 December 2006: visit to Indonesia

The following visits are planned for the coming year:

- From 30 April to 16 May 2007: the United States of America; follow-up visit

- Mexico; follow-up visit

- South Africa

NGOs that would like to meet with the Special Rapporteur during his visits, or find out more about them or any other aspects of the mandate, should contact Ms. Sepideh Mohadjer at smohadjer@ohchr.org. For more information on previous country visits undertaken by the Special Rapporteur, visit this page.

5. Global Forum on Migration and Development

At last year’s UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, Belgium proposed to hold the first annual Forum on Migration and Development, which is seen as follow up meeting to the HLD, although it is not a formal UN meeting.

The first meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) will take place in Brussels on 9, 10 and 11 July 2007. The governmental discussions are scheduled for 10 and 11 July and they will be preceded by a meeting of civil society representatives on 9 July. The official website describes the GFMD as follows: “This will mark the start of a new global process designed to enhance the positive impact of migration on development (and vice versa) by adopting a more consistent policy approach, identifying new instruments and best practices, exchanging know-how and experience about innovative tactics and methods and, finally, establishing cooperative links between the various actors involved.” See: http://www.gfmd-fmmd.org/

6. Update on December 18’s Activities

Radio 1812: Tune in on International Migrant’s Day!

In 2006, the December 18 team developed and implemented the pilot version of the Radio1812 initiative. With limited financial resources, significant volunteer input, and great support from the participating radio stations and migrant organizations the first-ever global radio marathon on migration was a success, with participants strongly interested in taking part in a second edition in 2007. The report on the pilot edition can be found here

If you are interested in participating in the 2007 edition, please write to radio-info@december18.net

7. Latest Articles, Publications and Press Releases.

A grasp from the latest articles, publications, press releases, newsletters and statements…

· Equal Rights – Equal Voices: Migrant Women in the European Union

21/01/2007 – Results from a workshop held in Brussels. Published by: European Women’s Lobby (Belgium)

· Rethinking Immigration and Integration: A New Centre-Left Agenda

24/04/2007 - This book argues for renewed debate amongst the European centre-left on issues of immigration and integration, including multiculturalism, citizenship, identity and the cause of rising populism. Published by: Policy Network (U.K.)

· Undocumented Migrants Have Rights!

30/03/2007 – An Overview of the International Human Rights Framework. Published by PICUM (Belgium).

More articles can be found in our content database that is updated on a daily basis. To add your articles, papers and press releases on the human rights of migrants please forward the text and/or URL to info@december18.net

To access the archives, click on the links below:

English: http://www.december18.net/web/papers/start.php?menuID=41&lang=EN

Spanish: http://www.december18.net/web/papers/start.php?menuID=41&lang=ES

French: http://www.december18.net/f-papers.htm

Italian: http://www.december18.net/web/papers/start.php?menuID=41&lang=IT