The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency, invites you to join us at the European Development Days on 5-6 June 2018

Make sure to register before 18 May to be able to participate and meet IOM speakers and moderators.

IOM and partners will be engaged in the following events, debates, and spaces:
 

Women and girls comprise 48 per cent of all international migrants. Although as recognized in the 2030 Development Agenda and in the New York Declaration, migrants make an overwhelmingly positive contribution to both host and home societies, women and girls are still exposed to gender specific vulnerabilities that limit their opportunities. Safe, orderly and regular migration, however, can allow women to develop new skills, flourish as entrepreneurs, and contribute to the growth of their host and home countries. Similarly, migration can increase their access to education and economic opportunities, disrupt harmful gender norms, and improve their social and political status.

The High Level Panel will provide a constructive space to discuss how the EU and its partners can reach sustainable solutions to today's migration challenges faced by women and girls, placing a particular focus on their empowerment in order to move away from seeing female migrants primarily through the lens of vulnerability.

This panel is organized by the Swiss Development Cooperation in partnership with IOM, UN Women and ILO.

Panellists

• Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women
• Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General, International Organization for Migration
• Myria Vassiliadou, PhD, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, European Commission,
• H.E. Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang, Vice President, Government of the Gambia
• Michelle Leighton, International Labour Organization
• Esther Nakajjigo, EDD Youth Representative from Uganda
• Moderator: Ambassador Thomas Gass, Assistant Director General SDC

 >> More info and Updates at this LINK

This lab will begin with the stories of two of the guest speakers, who after returning home from Libya managed to process their migration journey and make a successful fresh start back home.

The discussion will be sparked by an IOM representative, an International Trade Centre (ITC) representative, and the Somali Republic Special Envoy on Migrants’ and Children’s Rights to debate  the challenges and opportunities of return and reintegration for girls and women, from a social and economic prospective.

The accent will be put on the resilience shown and migrant women as agent of their own life, who can re-build their lives and bring positive contributions to the communities they live in, with the support of other actors.

This lab will also approach the business opportunities brought by women returnees and the complementarities that could be built to turn more of these opportunities into success stories, while highlighting the need for more in-depth knowledge on gender specific reintegration approaches.

This session is organised by the European Commission and the International Trade Centre in partnership IOM.

Moderator

DG DEVCO, Name TBC

Speakers

• M. Idrissa Sompare, Programme Manager, IOM Guinea
• M. Guglielmo Schinina, Head Mental Health, Psychosocial Response and Intercultural Communication, IOM
• Ms. Mariam Yassin, Somali Republic Special Envoy on Migrants’ and Children’s Rights
• Ms Fatou Mbenga Jallow, project coordinator, Youth Empowerment Project Gambia (implemented by International Trade Centre)

>> More info and Updates at this LINK

In a world on the move, trafficking in human beings (THB) is a billion-dollar business with a high human cost. Globally, millions of people are estimated to be victims of this crime. In line with the SDGs, THB is explicitly recognized as a form of violence against women and girls, and gender and age are being identified as structural, underlying factors linked to THB.

Indeed, identified victims are overwhelmingly female (71 %) and many are children (almost 1 in 3). This session will shed light on the nexus between gender, age and THB, with a strong emphasis on understanding socio-cultural factors and underlying mechanisms that render women and girls vulnerable to exploitation, with the ultimate aim of preventing trafficking of these groups and to empower women and girls.

This session is organized by IOM in partnership with LUMOS.

Moderator:

Lori Mann, ACP-EU Migration Action expert in trafficking in human beings

Speakers:

• Lori Mann, ACP-EU Migration Action THB expert
• Chrissey Mueller, Migrant Assistance Specialist, IOM
• Irina Papancheva, EU Advocacy Manager, LUMOS

>> More info and Updates at this LINK

Migration and displacement can be extremely disruptive events in a person’s life. Displaced and migrant girls are often affected disproportionately, with risks affecting their physical and mental health, welfare and opportunity to successfully transition to adulthood. Abuse and violence are recognised and expected, yet calculated risks are still taken to improve chances of survival from conflict, grinding poverty or gender based inequity.

In this brainstorming lab, we will bring together civil society, international organisations, migration experts and former migrant girls to discuss how we can better address the needs of girls on the move. We will also look into the root causes of girls’ irregular migration and how to address them in key origin regions.

This session is organised by Save the Children in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council and IOM.

Moderators

• Steve Morgan, Director of the Migration and Displacement Initiative, Save the Children
• Stefano Signore, Head of Unit for Migration and Employment, DG DEVCO
• Irina Todorova, Senior Regional Migrants Assistance Specialist, IOM

>> More info and Updates at this LINK

Make sure to visit us!

IOM will also be present at the United Nations’ SDG Action Hub