Philippines hailed as gold standard in migration management

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines was recognized during a migration summit for setting “the gold standard” in migration management and being a “migration champion.”

At the 14th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Ma. Theresa Dizon-de Vega, head of the Philippine delegation, put emphasis on Philippine gender-sensitive practices, especially in migration management.

De Vega co-chaired with International Migration Policy Director Stephanie Leung of Canada the launch of the Global Migration Narratives Outlook and the Summit’s fifth Roundtable on Culture and Narratives.

The roundtable was aimed at initiating global discussions on culture and narratives as transformative elements in the improvement of public opinion on migration and the cessation of negative perceptions of migrants.

The officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and other Philippine government agencies participated in the summit on Jan. 23-25.

The GFMD is the dedicated state-led platform that explores the nexus between migration and development. It brings together member-states, United Nations observers and representatives from civil society.

The theme of this year’s summit is “The Impact of Climate Change on Human Mobility,” especially as some of the roundtable discussions and side events covered the effects of climate change, climate change-related disaster on migration and mobility and policy implications.

Other discussions and side events focused on themes related to migration and development, such as human rights, governance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, diasporas, culture, gender-responsiveness, inclusivity, data-related actions, resilience and social development.

The GFMD’s rotating presidency for 2022-2023 was held by France. The summit concluded with France turning over the presidency to Colombia for 2024-2025.