Brussels - Today (30-11) IOM, the UN Migration Agency in cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, held the Brussels launch of its new guide “Migration and the 2030 Agenda: A Guide for Practitioners” on implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they relate to migration.

The guide, published on 09 October 2018, is designed to help policymakers integrate migration into local and national development planning.

At the event, IOM speakers Patrice Quesada and Cecile Riallant, together with Simone Giger from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) spoke about the guide and presented their views on topics relating to the SDGs and integrating migration into development planning.

"IOM has developed this guide to help practitioners link migration and sustainable development, and to hardwire migration into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensuring that no one is left behind," said Patrice Quesada, IOM Senior Regional Emergency and Post-Crisis Specialist in his opening remarks.

"The 2030 Agenda has been named a 'declaration of interdependence', and this is especially relevant for migration,” highlighted Cecile Riallant, IOM Senior Migration and Development Specialist. “It is possible to link all SDGs to migration.”

“Integrating migration into SDG implementation is a chance to integrate migration across development sectors over the next 15 years. This improves collaboration between across sectors and with and different countries on migration," she added.

The SDC’s Simone Giger stressed that the highest concern is for the beneficiaries. “We hope to see this guide on the desks of all national and local government policy makers,” she said.

Policymakers can use this guide to integrate migration into local or national development planning by designing and implementing interventions that relate to migration in the context of the SDGs. These interventions may take the form of legislation, policies, programmes, projects or other activities, and may relate to core migration topics or integrate migration into activities in another sector. For example, interventions can be designed to directly address human trafficking, or in the health sector to protect victims of trafficking.

For actors with experience in migration mainstreaming, this guide offers a new approach that is based on the 2030 Agenda. For those with no experience in migration mainstreaming, it offers an introduction on how migration and development are linked in the context of the SDGs, and how to take action around these connections.

The guide accompanied by two complementary tools that helps illustrate linkages between migration and the SDGs: (i) a comprehensive booklet which outlines the linkages between migration and each SDG and (ii) a poster which summarizes these linkages.

Watch the full event