Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
Name	Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
Abbreviation	PICUM
Formation	1999
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Brussels
Region served	International

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants

The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1999 in Brussels to promote the rights of undocumented migrants across Europe and beyond. It engages with institutions such as the European Union, United Nations, Council of Europe, and national bodies including ministries in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain to shape policies affecting undocumented populations. The organization collaborates with a wide range of civil society actors, academic institutions, and international agencies to produce research, guidance, and advocacy campaigns.

Background and Establishment

The network emerged from consultations among migrant rights groups active in the late 1990s, including organizations linked to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Médecins Sans Frontières, Red Cross, and faith-based charities such as Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Relief Services. Founding participants included representatives from national NGOs in Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. Early meetings engaged scholars from University College London, Sciences Po, Humboldt University of Berlin, and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and solicited input from practitioners at International Organization for Migration, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and trade unions like European Trade Union Confederation. The platform formalized its statutes with support from philanthropic institutions including the Open Society Foundations, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, and European Cultural Foundation.

Objectives and Mandate

PICUM’s stated objectives include protecting human rights of undocumented migrants, promoting access to healthcare, legal aid, education, housing, and labor protections, and opposing policies that criminalize irregular status. It advances these aims through evidence-based research, legal analysis, capacity-building, and campaigning directed at bodies such as the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the European Union, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and regional courts like the European Court of Human Rights. The mandate also encompasses engagement with national parliaments in Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, and Luxembourg and supranational forums including the United Nations Human Rights Council and thematic mechanisms like the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Governance and Membership

Governance is exercised via a board of trustees and a secretariat based in Brussels, drawing on expertise from NGO leaders, lawyers, academics, and former diplomats. Member organizations represent migrant advocacy groups, legal clinics, service providers, and research centers across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Member entities have included national networks in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as international partners like CARE International, Save the Children, Refugee Council (UK), Jesuit Refugee Service, Kirkens Nødhjelp, and Diakonie Deutschland.

Key Activities and Programs

Activities include policy research, publication of toolkits, training for frontline workers, and strategic litigation support. The platform produces reports cited by agencies such as World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and academic publishers at Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Programs address access to healthcare, workers’ rights in sectors like agriculture and construction represented by unions including International Trade Union Confederation and Solidarity Center, child protection in partnership with UNICEF, and anti-trafficking initiatives aligned with UNODC. It also runs campaigns timed to international events such as World Refugee Day, International Migrants Day, and sessions of the UN General Assembly.

Policy Influence and Advocacy

Through briefings, submissions, and participation in consultations, the organization has influenced directives and policies of the European Commission and rulings of the European Court of Justice. It engages lawmakers including members of the European Parliament from groups like the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and Greens–European Free Alliance, and liaises with national ombudsmen, human rights institutions, and ministries in capitals such as Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, and Vienna. The platform’s advocacy includes litigation strategies invoking instruments like the European Convention on Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and conventions administered by the International Labour Organization.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Partnerships span international organizations, NGOs, academic centers, and municipal networks like Cités Unies France and the Eurocities network. The platform collaborates with legal networks such as European Council on Refugees and Exiles, research institutes including Migration Policy Institute, Oxford Migration Observatory, Refugee Studies Centre (Oxford), Centre on Migration Policy and Society, and philanthropic partners like Ford Foundation and Oak Foundation. It also coordinates with grassroots movements, labor federations, healthcare coalitions, and multilateral initiatives involving World Bank migration projects and regional bodies like the African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Criticism and Challenges

Critiques have focused on tensions between advocacy and engagement with intergovernmental institutions such as the European Commission and Council of Europe, funding dependencies involving foundations like Open Society Foundations and Ford Foundation, and debates over priorities among member groups from diverse contexts including Greece and Italy. Operational challenges include sustaining long-term strategic litigation, measuring impact in national courts such as those in Poland and Hungary, and navigating restrictive immigration frameworks promulgated by legislatures in United Kingdom and Netherlands. The platform faces contested legitimacy from political actors in some capitals and ongoing debates with organizations including Migration Watch UK and think tanks like Bruegel over policy trade-offs.

Category:Migration