On the eve of the sixth Global Forum on Migration and Development participants hail Civil Society co-chairs Clariste Soh Moube and George Joseph

For the first time since the founding of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the co-chairs of the Civil Society programme this year are migrants themselves, and both born in Africa, as are the greatest number of the leaders and representatives of civil society organizations worldwide gathering in Mauritius for the Civil Society Days of the Global Forum on Migration and Development on 19 and 20 November. On Wednesday 22 November, civil society leaders will meet to discuss their perspectives and recommendations directly with the representatives of some 150 governments.

Born in Cameroon, co-chair Clariste Soh Moubeis a researcher specializing on the links between development and migration, working for the non-government organization Centre AmadouHampâtéBâ (CAHBA) in Mali. CAHBA emphasizes skills building, job creation, transformation of living conditions and protection of the environment. Together with the NGO Forum for Another Mali, CAHBA established the Didieni Home of Return and Solidarity, assisting and empowering migrants who have come back to Africa. An accomplished author as well as social actor, Ms. SohMoube recently published “The Trap”, the story of her own eight year migration “odyssey in pursuit of Europe, of a failure, and its rebirth”, escaping death at Europe’s southern border and “returning to Africa, determined to be part of a new generation, ready to rebuild Africa and live differently.” Co-coordinator of the Pan African Network in Defense of Migrant Rights, and an active participant in the Global Forum on Migration and Development and the parallel People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights in recent years, Clariste represents the emergence of new continental voice and ownership in regional and global debate on migration and development, including the recent convening of the first African Forum on Migration, Development and Human Rights in Accra, Ghana in September. In a world where more than 50% of migrants are women, “if one woman gets up”,Clariste says, “thousands more will find the will to as well.”

 As he joins Ms. SohMoube as co-chair here, George Joseph is actually coming home: he was born in Mauritius. Migrating during his youth to India, the United States and ultimately Sweden, Mr. Joseph embodies much of the experience and the spirit of today’s ever-more globalized mobility. A Phd and director of the Migration Department for Caritas Sweden, George is an internationally recognized expert, and respected for his skill as a trainer, in a range of migration matters, from refugee resettlement to identification and protection of vulnerable migrants, including undocumented and exploited workers and victims of human trafficking. A longstanding Board member of multi-national networks including Caritas Europa and PICUM (the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants), George has been at the forefront of thinking, writing and advocacy on migration and development matters in Europe and beyond. Between 2009-2010, George coordinated the global civil society activities component of the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement engaging NGOs from around the world in discussion of policy and practice with the UN Refugee Agency and all governments with refugee resettlement programmes. Ina statement he presented to participants on behalf of all NGOs, he emphasized an “ongoing commitment to continue working with states,” he pushed for practical collaboration, but “not efficiency for efficiency’s sake; this is efficiency for the sake of saving lives, for the sake of restoring dignity to those who were chased from their homeland, and for the sake of bringing together families that were ripped apart.” Like Clariste, George has participated over the years in the People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights and in the Global Forum itself, in particular as a member of the International Advisory Committee that is at the center of organizing civil society activities of the GFMD.

130 delegates from around the world to tackle next steps for migrant rights and human development – join us on the Live Stream!

Responding to many requests of leaders and actors unable to participate this year during the Civil Society Days in Mauritius, the Civil Society Coordinating Office will organize live-streamingof the plenary sessions on:

Monday morning 19 November from 8:30 – 12:45hrs; and on

Tuesday afternoon 20 Novemberfrom 16:20 – 18:30hrs

 (all times given in Mauritian time: UTC/GMT+4)

The live-stream will be available in English at this link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/gfmd-civil-society-days<

Would you like to contribute to the debate? Post your questions on Facebook, or drop us a line at: livestream@gfmdcivilsociety.org<

 For more information about the Programme check out: http://www.gfmdcivilsociety.org/Pages/Program.html<