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| Global Commission on International Migration | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Commission on International Migration |
| Formation | June 2003 |
| Dissolved | 2005 |
| Type | International commission |
| Purpose | Migration policy review |
| Headquarters | Geneva |
| Leaders | Lakhdar Brahimi; Mary Robinson; Amartya Sen |
| Parent organizations | United Nations |
Global Commission on International Migration The Global Commission on International Migration was an independent high-level commission established in 2003 to review international migration and propose policy responses, convening figures from across diplomacy, human rights, development and academia. It brought together former heads of state, jurists, economists and civil society leaders to analyze migration in relation to institutions such as the United Nations, European Union, African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Commission issued a final report in 2005 that addressed links to actors including the International Organization for Migration, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Bank, and International Labour Organization.
The Commission was created amid debates involving the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan over responses to migration flows shaped by conflicts like the Kosovo War, Rwandan Genocide, and Balkans conflict, and by labor movements tied to markets in Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and United States. Influential figures including Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Gro Harlem Brundtland, and Mary Robinson advocated for a multilateral review alongside agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme and the European Commission. The initiative drew on precedents like the Brundtland Commission and inquiries such as the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty.
The Commission’s mandate was to map patterns involving destination states like Canada, Australia, Germany, and United Kingdom, and origin states like Mexico, Philippines, India, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, and to recommend cooperative frameworks for migration involving stakeholders such as Migrant Rights International, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and trade unions like the International Trade Union Confederation. Objectives included linking migration to development agendas set by the Millennium Development Goals, rights frameworks upheld by the European Court of Human Rights and Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and to security concerns addressed by bodies such as NATO and the African Union Peace and Security Council.
Chaired by diplomats and statesmen, membership included former presidents like Mary Robinson and scholars such as Amartya Sen, alongside former foreign ministers from countries including Senegal, Mexico, Pakistan, and Norway. Secretariat support came from offices in Geneva and liaison with organizations including the International Organization for Migration, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States and the Organization of American States. The Commission convened roundtables with academics from institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Indian Institute of Technology, and think tanks such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Brookings Institution.
The 2005 final report recommended principles for states including Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, and Spain on areas such as regular migration channels, protection of irregular migrants, and cooperation on remittances involving banks like HSBC and Citigroup and institutions like the World Bank. It proposed enhanced roles for the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration and suggested links to development financing in the United Nations Development Programme and poverty reduction strategies used by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The report referenced models from bilateral accords like the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement era labor arrangements, guest worker precedents in Gulf Cooperation Council states, and readmission pacts used by the European Union with states such as Morocco and Turkey.
The Commission’s report influenced policy dialogues in forums such as the United Nations General Assembly, European Council, G8 Summit, and regional meetings of the African Union, ASEAN, and the Organization of American States. Governments including Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Australia referenced the Commission in white papers and ministerial statements, while international organizations like the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, and the World Bank incorporated elements into program design. Civil society responses came from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, and migrant advocacy networks including Pew Research Center-related studies and academic citations at University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University.
Critics from NGOs such as Migrant Rights International and commentators in outlets tied to institutions like the Open Society Foundations and the Center for Migration Studies argued the Commission did not sufficiently prioritize binding protections and accused some state representatives from European Union member states and United States policymakers of favoring securitized approaches. Others noted limited engagement with labor organizations including the International Trade Union Confederation and regional actors like the Pan African Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Debates invoked legal forums such as the European Court of Human Rights and disputes over interpretations of asylum obligations under instruments like the 1951 Refugee Convention.
The Commission left a legacy reflected in subsequent initiatives, including strengthened roles for the International Organization for Migration, policy instruments used by the European Commission and national strategies adopted by Canada, Germany, Australia, and United Kingdom, and contributed to academic discourse at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and Stanford University. Its recommendations informed discussions that fed into later frameworks such as the Global Compact for Migration negotiations and influenced bilateral migration dialogues between states like Mexico and United States, and between Philippines and Saudi Arabia. The Commission’s convening model became a reference for multilateral reviews involving United Nations mechanisms and regional organizations such as the African Union and ASEAN.
Category:International commissions