The Dag Hammarskj?ld Library, as part of its Insight Series, brought together migrants, humanitarian workers, Member States, UN agencies and advocates to discuss the issue of migration in relation to the finalized draft in September 2016, the UN and its Member States have been spearheading efforts towards a Global Compact. The draft text was finalized on 13 July 2018 and will be the focus of the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, to be held in Morocco in December 2018. But what does the Compact mean, and what has the past 18 months of dialogue revealed?
The Library¡¯s Second Floor Reading Room provided a serene setting for the group of panelists and the participants to scrutinize this topic. The stimulating discussion, moderated by Suzanne Sheldon, Senior Policy Advisor, Global Compact for Migration, IOM¡¯s Office to the UN, generated an insightful look into a potentially volatile subject.
The panel comprised Tolu Olubunmi, DPI Communications Advisor (Migration), Richard Blewitt, Head of Delegation and Permanent Representative to the UN, IFRC, Ambassador Brian Flynn, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN and Ambassador Dionyssios Kalamvrezos, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Greece to the UN.
Event attendees asked a number of questions of the panel ranging from statistics gathering, to the impact of climate change on migration, to the realities of humanitarian efforts. Attendees lingered after the event to chat with panelists and view Library resources.
The Insight Series represents the Library¡¯s effort to share valuable knowledge accumulated by UN Staff, UN affiliated actors and the Library itself.