Policy and Practice Database

The Conference of the Parties (COP) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA), through decisions 2/CP.27 and 2/CMA.4, established new funding arrangements for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, in responding to loss and damage. In this context, the COP and the CMA also decided to establish a fund for responding to loss and damage whose mandate includes a focus on addressing loss and damage to assist developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in responding to economic and non-economic loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow onset events.

The COP and CMA at its twenty-eighth and fifth sessions, operationalized the Loss and Damage Fund as an as entity entrusted with the operation of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention, which would also serve the Paris Agreement. The Fund will be accountable to and function under the guidance of the COP and the CMA.

https://unfccc.int/loss-and-damage-fund-joint-interim-secretariat?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqpSwBhClARIsADlZ_TkrBFirR0RykmRtXk30z9JnuyLs64sdb-O_MYERDViYi79XBmQPtg8aAoYcEALw_wcB

14th GFMD Summit - High Level Panel on Climate Mobility

Migration is a complex and often divisive issue. Regrettably, negative attitudes towards migrants, coupled with exclusionary practices and xenophobia, have escalated in recent years. The media holds a crucial position in framing these narratives and has the potential to reshape these adverse sentiments.

Acknowledging the often-politicized coverage of migration-related matters in public debates, the project led to the establishment of the Global Migration and Media Academy (GMMA). The Academy offers tailored, free courses for media and communication students and professionals on migration-related themes. Through the creation of a worldwide network of learning hubs, the project cultivates a community of experts committed to presenting fact- based, balanced, and diverse perspectives. This fills a significant gap in comprehensive global migration-related media training.

As a dynamic hub for migration experts, academics, and media leaders, GMMA draws on the latest research, insights and data to promote accurate and balanced reporting on migration related matters.

The initiative distinguishes itself for having the potential to shape global discourses on migration, underlining the pivotal role of responsible reporting in determining informed perspectives. GMMA's innovation is embedded in its strategic architecture that integrates accessible classroom and online courses in multiple languages, ensuring extensive global accessibility. GMMA takes a stance against anti-migrant sentiments, empowering media professionals with specialized material and tools to counter misinformation and xenophobia. 

https://www.mediamigrationacademy.org/

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

The Federal Government of Nigeria has set aside July 25 of every year as national diaspora day in recognition of the contributions of Nigerians in diaspora towards national development.

https://www.nuprc.gov.ng/national-diaspora-day/

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

In 2023, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and the University of Ibadan (UI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Diaspora Studies.  The Centre is to serve as Africa Diaspora Resource Research Centre, and it will be managed by the Diaspora and Transnational Studies Unit of the Institute of African Studies.

The Centre shall serve as an interface between the academia and related national governance institutions for policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. It shall facilitate international cooperation by the Diaspora and Transnational Studies programme and NIDCOM with regional and other international institutions such as ECOWAS, AU, UN, IOM, etc.

The Centre shall organize joint research activities, lectures,  conferences, symposia, and any other activity of mutual interest.

Research funding shall be provided by TETFUND. 

https://independent.ng/nidcom-ui-sign-mou-to-establish-first-african-diaspora-resource-centre/

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

In 2019, Ghana successfully hosted The Year of Return, Ghana 2019, a year-long programme of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in the State of Virginia in the United States.

These activities included visits to heritage sites, healing ceremonies, theatre and musical performances, lectures, investment forums and relocation conferences. The aim was to promote Ghana as a tourist destination and investment opportunity as well as to encourage resettlement in the motherland for the Africans in the diaspora. 

https://www.yearofreturn.com/

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

No Nation Fashion (NNF) is a celebration of cultures and a testament to the incredible potential of migration. Born in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), NNF is a collaborative effort between migrants and local designers, powered by the support of IOM. NNF mission is to harness the richness of diversity and the potential of migration through fashion and its vision is to promote the inclusion of migrants by actively participating in the creation of more inclusive societies.

NNF was born from the belief that migration can bring new opportunities to both migrants and local communities by creating more resilient and inclusive communities and shaping global social and economic landscape. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, IOM set up small sewing corners in transit centres across Bosnia and Herzegovina to allow migrants to improve their sewing skills by mending and altering their clothes and creating reusable masks from recycled materials. The initiative raised large interest in the creative sector with a number of local designers, artists and companies contributing to the development of the new fashion brand NNF. 

IOM used the existing infrastructure in TRCs, professional equipment and materials procured using donor funding and in-kind support/donations received from the private sector to develop the first collection showcased at the Fashion Show called The Story About Us, held on 16th of December 2021 at Sarajevo City Hall to mark International Migrants' Day and the launching of NNF.

https://campaigns.iom.int/no-nation-fashion

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

In 2021 IOM Turkey launched “Baharat” – a collection of Turkish and Syrian recipes inspired by IOM Turkey’s Protection and Psychosocial Programme’s socio-cultural activities. The cookbook is available digitally and in print in three languages: English, Turkish and Arabic. It features 12 recipes that are unique to both Turkish and Syrian cuisine, along with commentaries from Syrian and Turkish participants.

IOM designed this cooking activity as a way for Turkish and Syrian women to join together in the same kitchen and share their recipes. It then became an opportunity for them to learn about each other and their cultures.

http://www.baharatcookbook.com/

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

It Takes A Community (ITAC) is an international, multi-stakeholder, social media communications campaign showcasing the positive impact that migration can have on communities, thus contributing to international efforts to promote social cohesion, combat xenophobia and discrimination of migrants, and promote managed migration. ITAC emerged from Canada’s co-leadership of the Global Forum on Migration and Development’s (GFMD) Working Group on Public Narratives on Migration, along with Ecuador and the GFMD Mayors Mechanism. ITAC was officially launched in March 2021 and is implemented by the International Organization for Migration.

The campaign collects and showcases a variety of stories of the positive impact that migrants can have on the communities they live in, showcasing local initiatives and examples of migrants and diasporas and sharing them on regional and global levels. The content of the campaign is designed to respond to the phenomena of polarization and misinformation in society and targets the so-called “moveable middle”, reaching out particularly to those who don't have fixed views on either end of the spectrum and can be moved to support positive narratives on migration. 

The initiative, which brings together governments and all GFMD stakeholders (civil society, local authorities, business representatives and youth), encourages actors involved at all levels of their communities to become involved in the campaign and share stories about the positive impact migration has had in their respective context. The design of the campaign, which is unbranded, allows it to be adapted to a variety of local and national contexts as it can be modified to tell stories and specific experiences from any community, at any level. 

https://www.ittakesacommunity.org/

14th GFMD Summit - Opening Panel on Culture and Narratives

The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is an inter-governmental organization of the countries in the African Great Lakes Region. Its establishment was based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in these countries have a considerable regional dimension and thus require a concerted effort in order to promote sustainable peace and development.

Among the main divisions we find one concerning humanitarian social and environmental issues and one related to gender, women and children. 

The first one is committed to finding lasting solutions to guarantee protection and assistance to populations affected by political conflicts in the Great Lakes Region as well as by humanitarian, social and environmental catastrophes by implementing a Programme of Action on Humanitarian, Social and Environmental Issues aimed at:

• Promoting policies aimed at disaster prevention, protection, assistance and the search for durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons as well as their environment.
• Promoting relevant policies to guarantee access to basic social services by the populations affected by conflicts and effects of natural disasters.

The second one is committed to ensure the observance of teh standards and principles of international humanitarian law particularly those related to the protection of women and children by implementing the Protocol on the Prevention and Suppression of Violence against Women and Children in order to:

• Combat Sexual violence against women and children through prevention, criminalization and punishment of acts of sexual violence in accordance with national laws and international criminal law
• Ensure the implementation of gender projects in the area of strengthening the role of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peace building as well as political processes.

https://icglr.org/

14th GFMD Summit - Platform for Partnerships: Enhancing Data Collection to Promote Safe Migration for Women