The first International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) of 2019 is taking place at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York on 28 February. This IDM is the first of two dialogues to be held this year focusing on engaging youth as key partners in migration governance.
Today, 1.8 billion young people in the world have a tremendous and essential role in migration policy discussions. Of the 258 million international migrants, approximately 11 percent of them were aged 15 to 24 in 2017. It is essential to include their voices and contributions in the decision-making process and to recognize their demand worldwide for better rights and opportunities for development, IOM representatives affirmed during IDM sessions held in 2018 in New York and Geneva. IOM representatives called for greater engagement with youth in migration governance efforts.
“It is vital and in the best interest of governments that we include their voices in policymaking and give them a real stake in guiding their futures. Together, we will support the United Nations Youth Strategy’s efforts to amplify youth voices and promote their involvement in global migration processes,” said the Director-General of IOM, António Vitorino.
IOM has been actively working on youth and migration issues and this IDM will provide a global, diverse and inclusive platform for discussions to engage youth with not only decisionmakers in migration but also with other key actors in migration and related-areas, at all levels.
The dialogue will promote best practices and recommendations on all areas relevant to youth and migration, including but not limited to involvement of youth in migration policy-making processes, adaptation and resilience among youth migrants, empowerment of youth as agents of integration and actors of development, exploring efforts to re-frame the current toxic narrative and hate speech against migrants, particularly migrant youth who are often targeted through social media, as well as youth migration in the era of advanced technology.
Original source: IOM
Published on 27 February 2019
