The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) in cooperation with
the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
are pleased to convene the:

Conference on Irregular Migration:
Legal and Policy Perspectives

Thursday, January 21 – Friday, January 22, 2010
Millennium UN Plaza Hotel, 2nd Floor Ballroom, New York City, NY

AGENDA

There is no shortage of attention on irregular migration: from the hundreds who die when their boats capsize in the sea as they leave their countries in hopes of better opportunities, to those whose irregular migration is eventually amnestied and they are regularized into their country of destination after several years of living in the shadows.  Irregular migration can expose migrants to exploitation and abuse which is further compounded for vulnerable groups such as women and children. 

There are many facets of irregular migration that incorporate a wide range of actors, such as governments, civil society and migrants themselves, and the topics range from legal avenues and policies of states, to the humanitarian consequences of irregular migration.  The Center for Migration Studies (CMS), in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), organized a two-day Conference on Irregular Migration.

The Conference was organized for the New York-based diplomatic community, civil society and academia to review and discuss the policies and legal aspects in addressing irregular migration. More specifically, the Conference offered an opportunity for key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including representatives of United Nations Member States, to discuss irregular migration and its multifaceted implications for countries and migrants, and how the economic crisis is further impacting irregular migration. 

Copies of statements and presentations are below:

Opening Remarks of the Director-General of IOM

Opening Remarks of the Executive Director of the Center for Migration Studies

Mrs. Neli Esipova, Regional Research Director of Former Soviet Union, Gallup Poll

Mr. Bela Hovy, Chief, Migration Section, Population Division, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Adel Abdellatif, Chief of the Regional Programme Division, Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP

Ms. Jillyanne Redpath-Cross, Senior Legal Officer, IOM

Ms. Gabriele-Goettsche-Wanli, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, UN

Mr. Peter Schatzer, Regional Representative, IOM-Rome

Rev. Florenzo Maria Rigoni, Scalabrinian Missionary, Director of the Casa del Migrante, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico

Ms. Janet Hatcher Roberts, Executive Director, Canadian Society for International Health

Ms. Alfonsina DeFelice, Regional Minister for Welfare, Immigration, Youth Policies, Equal Opportunities, Sport, Campania Regional Government

Mr. Olaf Jacob Giannoni, Director of Social Policy in Latin America, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

H.E. Mr. José Bamóquina Zau, Vice-Minister of the Interior of Angola

H.E. Mr. Francisco Carrión-Mena, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations

Mr. Antonio Golini, Professor, Demography, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Ms. Marcela Perticara, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Mr. Joseph J. Salvo, Director of the New York City Department of City Planning, Population Division

Ms. Josephine Dimilta, Pfizer

Ms. Paromita Shah, National Immigration Project, National Lawyers Guild

Background papers for each panel can be found below:

Panel I - The Scope of Irregular Migration

Panel II - Legal Aspects Pertaining to Irregular Migration

Panel III - Addressing the Human Costs of Irregular Migration

Panel IV - Effective Assistance/Protection to Irregular Migrants

Panel V - Impact of the Economic Crisis on Migration

Panel VI - The Policy Options of States on Irregular Migration

Panel VII - Partnerships at All Levels

For more information or to register, please contact either:
IOM  at amuedin@iom.int  or by phone at  (212)  681 7000 ext 212
CMS at cms@cmsny.org  or by phone at (212) 675-3993