Migration is an issue that is most reflective of the times in which we live.

Over the course of the past decade, we have seen an important and continuing increase in transnational efforts by governments, international organizations and civil society to maximize the opportunities of global migration while, at the same time, addressing its challenges.

From an international perspective, the UN has been steadily integrating issues of global migration into its agenda. There have been a number of notable global initiatives, including among others: the appointment of the Special Representative on Migration; the commissioning of the Doyle Migration study, which led to the creation of the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM); the tabling of the GCIM’s report of findings and recommendations; the convening of the High Level Dialogue on Migration to discuss the report and other inputs; and the establishment of an annual Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).

Through these and other processes, UNHCR and IOM continue to demonstrate leadership in strengthening understanding and capacity through the implementation of their respective mandates, regarding different but intersecting aspects of contemporary migration. Similarly, governments—together with international organizations and civil society—have also been active on inter‐regional, regional and bilateral migration fronts, including especially the growing number of regional consultative processes.

As a result, a growing number of knowledgeable people, deeply engaged with the global migration dossier, recognize the importance and necessity of mobilizing global leadership in order to achieve a greater level of international cooperation and collaboration. For many of these experts, it is not a question of whether a discussion of global governance of migration goes forward but rather when and how.

As an international organization that has long been involved with migration, and worked with migration actors at all levels, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) would like to contribute to better understanding the question of “how”.

To read the full document, please click on the PDF link below.

Conversations On the Global Governance of Migration (1.73 MB)