Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)

Sweden Leads GFMD in Meeting the Challenge of “Unlocking the Potential of Migration for Inclusive Development”

Geneva – 28 February 2013. Ambassador Eva Åkerman Börje, GFMD 2013-2014 Chair, rallied the GFMD Steering Group and the Friends of the Forum to meet the challenge of “Unlocking the Potential of Migration for Inclusive Development” when she convened the first successive meetings of the two GFMD bodies on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 in Geneva.

Flanked by the GFMD Troika members Mauritius (2012 Chair) and Turkey (2015 Chair) and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) Sir Peter Sutherland, the Swedish GFMD Chair invited some 150 delegates to take the GFMD to a new, upgraded phase and make it more development-focused, more dynamic and more durable. These three mutually reinforcing key objectives concerning the substance, process and sustainable impact of the Forum are embodied in the ambitious Concept Paper and Work Plan presented by the Swedish Chair.

At the heart of the GFMD 2013-2014 central theme is the assumption that governments can provide the key to help unlock the potential that each migrant holds to contribute to social, economic and human development, through an adequate policy mix, legal framework, comprehensive policies and cooperation. To this end, the Swedish Chair will facilitate GFMD discussions on finding the fitting key(s) for Governments and partners to use at the national, regional and global levels.