The member states of the United Nations have been in ongoing conversation and negotiations recently concerning the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which will be adopted in September 2018. This agreement is an attempt to have a common set of principles and approaches in regard to supporting refugees and migrants. While the UN member states are engaged in multi-stakeholder negotiations to refine the compact, other groups are entering into dialogue around partnerships that would be helpful in achieving the goals of the global compact.

On March 26 I attended an International Dialogue which focused on such partnerships, looking at the experience of different countries and organizations. Several of the participants stressed the fact that migration has a positive impact on the receiving country, offering opportunities to the country as well as to the migrants. Migrants bring new ideas and skills that can be used by local businesses. According to a speaker who represented a network of employer organizations and companies worldwide, it is important to change the conversation one of fear of migrants to appreciation for what they bring to their host country.

Barbara Bozak, csj