We are with you! UN establishes pioneering trust fund for cooperation in migration

United Nations, May 11: Migration is one of the most burning issues of today’s world. 1 in every 30 people in the world is migrant. To face this problem on such magnitude, the UN comes with various schemes and programme.UN now comes up with one of the most innovative ways to fight this issue.

 

The heads of the eight United Nations organizations constituting the Executive Committee of the United Nations Network on Migration have established the Start-up Fund for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

This is the first financing instrument of its kind, to support international cooperation on migration. Also referred to as Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (Migration MPTF), this mechanism will help to jumpstart projects and foster greater cooperation in pursuit of well-managed migration policies.

 

The Fund is now open for contributions. This new mechanism is expected t to mobilize funding from a wide array of contributors, including governments, the private sector, foundations, and other stakeholders.

While safe, orderly and regular migration brings benefits to migrants and communities of origin, transit, and destination, unregulated migration presents various challenges, including the risk of migrants becoming subject to abuse and exploitation. Given the growing scope and impact of contemporary migration, and the complexity of its drivers, migration has moved to the forefront of international cooperation.

 

António Vitorino, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration and Coordinator of the Network, who will also serve as chair of the Fund’s steering committee, highlighted the significance of the occasion, noting that “today we established a new mechanism fostering international cooperation towards safe, orderly and regular migration: an inspiring example of what the UN can do together”.

A joint effort for international cooperation on migration-

The Migration MPTF was called for by the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which was adopted by the General Assembly in December 2018.

As a UN pooled financing mechanism, its primary purpose is to assist the Member States in implementing the Global Compact. Drawing on the collective expertise of the different participating UN entities, this mechanism will allow the UN to work with stakeholders, including national and local authorities and civil society, to implement joint programmes, providing a multidimensional response to addressing migration opportunities, challenges and needs.

While a specific focus will be given to joint programming at the national level, the Migration MPTF will also support local, regional and global initiatives, heeding the call of the Global Compact to strengthen implementation at all levels.

As a collective endeavor of the UN system, Member States and other partners, the Fund is an example of how the UN development system can support the Member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, this mechanism will advance SDG target 10.7 aimed at facilitating “orderly, safe and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies”.