The International Catholic Migration Commission
serves and protects uprooted people: refugees, internally
displaced persons and migrants, regardless of faith, ethnicity or nationality.
serves and protects uprooted people: refugees, internally
displaced persons and migrants, regardless of faith, ethnicity or nationality.
Policy Building & AdvocacyICMC’s policy building and advocacy activities form a central pillar of the work and service of the commission, promoting a positive approach to migration that embraces the human dignity of all migrants─regardless of his or her immigration status. With strategically located offices in Brussels (ICMC Europe), Geneva (Headquarters) and Washington DC (ICMC Inc), ICMC gives voice and representation to its Members─and the migrants they serve─in a variety of critical policy debates and decision-making processes on international and regional levels. Thanks in part to close working relationships with international institutions such as the Council of Europe, European Commission (EU), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as well as with governments, faith-based organisations and civil society more broadly, ICMC not only amplifies the voice of the Church on migration internationally, but also serves as a knowledgeable resource on current migration-related developments for its Members, staff and partners around the world. In particular, ICMC has continued to lead civil society efforts to reinforce the centrality of human dignity, rights and well-being with migration and development related processes, such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development. As a part of this work, ICMC launched MigrationAndDevelopment.net, an on-line point of reference and exchange for NGOs, faith-based and labour organisations, scholars and policy-makers working within the field of migration and development. In addition to policy and advocacy activities on international levels, ICMC also engages with local authorities, government ministries and civil society to provide training and capacity building towards the improved development and implementation of national migration-related laws, policies and standards. ICMC staff supporting our on-the-ground programmes further advocate for uprooted people on a case-by-case basis, often for survivors of human trafficking and other extremely vulnerable individuals.
   Annual UNHCR consultations with NGOs Boat people: Different people, different needs and rights to protectionGENEVA, 1 July 2010—Stressing the need for a first focus on immediate response to all individuals who have undergone dangerous border crossings, and a secondary focus on differentiation for the particular rights and responses that many are entitled to under international and regional conventions, ICMC DRIVE Referral Coordinator, Alice Bloomfield chaired a hearing on boat people among key NGO, IFRC, UNHCR and UNODC representatives. Read more< Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN A perilous realm: The stateless-migrant nexusNEW YORK, 17 December 2009—ICMC US Liaison Officer, Jane Bloom, advocates for workable protection and empowerment strategies for "under-served, often invisible, unprotected and highly vulnerable stateless people" before the UN Migration Committee, Committee on the Status of Women and the Committee on the Family.Read more< CRS Protection Consultation Challenges to finding solutions to statelessnessBALTIMORE, 24 October 2009—ICMC US Liaison Officer, Jane Bloom, addresses the challenges of closing the protection gap for individuals who are especially vulnerable because of a lack of recognised nationality. Though statelessness is a root cause of refugee and migratory movement, it is also both a cause and effect of trafficking.Read more< |
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