Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), one of the lead organizations working on the issues of migration and development in the Asian region, felt it necessary for the voices of migrant, trade unions and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to be heard in the process of the GFMD. MFA together with its international partner, Migrants Rights International (MRI), was actively engaged in the process of the UNHLD from actual participation in the UN process to engaging grassroots and communities of migrants on the issue. In the lead up to the GFMD, MFA together with its various partners at the international and regional levels adapted the same strategy in terms. MFA and its partners were part of the formal CSO process organized by the GFMD and hosted by the Belgian government at while MFA together with Migrants Rights International organized the Global Community Forum on Migration, Development and Human Rights (GCD-MDHR). The GCDMDHR was an independent event of CSOs parallel to the GFMD in order to reintroduce the voice and concrete contribution of the migrants, non-government organizations(NGOS) and CSOs in the global debate. Aside from organizing a parallel event, MFA also assisted in disseminating information concerning CSO participation in the formal GFMD process and encouraged its partners and members to apply as official CSO delegates to the GFMD.

This report aims to present the various initiatives and strategies of the MFA network and its partners in engaging with the GFMD process. It provides a background of the GFMD and the Day for CSOs, a report from the CSO Global Community Forum on Migration and Development, a summary of the recommendations of the GFMD and recommendations for CSO engagement with the second GFMD forthcoming in Manila, Philippines in 2008.

View the full GFMD Report: Mobilizing Migrant Community and Civil society Voices for the 1st Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) 2007