Glossary

The distinguishing feature of IRFs is that these types of inter-State dialogues connect two or more regions. Like RCPs, IRFs share information and experiences and seek to find common solutions in the areas of migration governance and management. However, unlike RCPs:

IRFs can be designed to bring together States along a “migration corridor”, such as the 5 + 5 Dialogue on Migration in the Western Mediterranean which comprises ten countries, five on each side of the Mediterranean. Alternatively, they may bring together groups of countries. The Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC), for example, is comprised of the “traditional destination” countries.

IRFs addressing a concrete area of migration management include the Bali Process (with 45 Member States from Europe, Asia, Americas and the Middle East), dedicated to countering migrant smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crime, and the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, focused on addressing labour mobility in 18 countries across Asia and the Middle East.

Other IRFs – like the Budapest Process (bridging Europe and Asia), the Rabat Process (Europe and Africa) or the Pan-African Forum on Migration – have a quite wide thematic focus.

While it may be difficult to directly link IRFs to formal agreements at either regional or global levels, IRFs play a significant role in enhancing policy coherence between participating States. They also improve policy coherence at a broader global level, which often paves the way for subsequent formal agreements.

Example
Guidance produced by interregional forums on migration in support of member States

Bali Process

Resources include:

The Bali Process was also part of expert group meetings to develop the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Model Law Against the Smuggling of Migrants (2010), which has been adopted by 18 Member States.

Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)

Discussions have contributed to the development of solutions in response to the regional crisis in Kosovo (Walls, 2018).

European Union–Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative (Khartoum Process)

A stocktaking assessment on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants in Khartoum Process countries in Africa was initiated in early 2018. This exercise aims to provide an overview of trends in the patterns of trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, of the relevant legal, policy and institutional frameworks, and of responses to the trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants. It led to a set of concluding observations and recommendations which assist Khartoum Process Member States in enhancing their engagement in migration governance, individually and as a group (IOM, 2019a).

Along with the Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development (“Rabat Process”), the Khartoum Process is monitoring the implementation of the Joint Valetta Action Plan (JVAP), which covers various areas of migration governance. Yearly thematic meetings have resulted in recommendations on the Process’ main area of focus (tackling trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants) as well as on further related thematic areas, as suggested in the first JVAP Senior Officials Meeting. Such areas include: development benefits of migration and of addressing the root causes of irregular migration and displacement; legal migration and mobility; protection and asylum; return, readmission and reintegration (Karthoum Process, 2018).

Example
Project initiatives by interregional forums on migration

Ministerial Consultation on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin and Destination in Asia (Abu Dhabi Dialogue)

In addition to providing a forum for dialogue, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue undertakes practical and innovative pilot projects designed to improve the governance of labour migration. These focus on issues such as ethical recruitment, skills certification, information and orientation programming and the role of technology. For example, the pilot project An Alternative Model of Labour Recruitment is being developed between the governments of the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines to promote fair and ethical recruitment among the Abu Dhabi Dialogue countries. It addresses a study that revealed discrepancies between the job offers reported by migrant workers and the employment contracts. It created procedures for recruitment that entail analysis of individual recruitment requests by both country of origin and destination. The goal is to avoid trends like “brain drain” and to ensure that the requirements from both countries are available to and understood by migrant workers.

Budapest Process

The Budapest Process has in many ways contributed to regional policy development in the Silk Routes region and to finding regional responses and ways forward through exchanging information and aligning approaches. Its Regional Law Enforcement Cooperation on irregular migration, migrant smuggling and human trafficking (RELEC) project has, since 2015, improved regional cooperation on preventing irregular migration, migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The participating countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey), were developing a cooperative structure in 2019 that involves establishing: national contact points (NCPs), exchange of relevant data, an early warning information system and annual analysis of statistical/information reports.

Key messages
  • Interregional consultative forums (IRFs) operate very similarly to regional consultative processes (RCPs) while bridging different regions. Through IRFs, States can refine their understanding of different migration issues, benefit from capacity-building opportunities, contribute to shaping the cooperation on topics of interest, and enhance their own migration policies and legislation.