Coming Together or Coming Apart? A New Phase of International Cooperation on Migration
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Highlights
International migration cooperation is fragmenting, yet post-pandemic openings and regional coalitions could still revive governance if enforcement gaps are addressed.
- The 2018 Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees represented a peak of multilateral ambition, but follow-through has been uneven and political backing has faded in several key countries.
- A new phase of cooperation features regional compacts, transactional bilateral deals, and the use of development aid as leverage on migration control, often sidelining rights-based multilateral approaches.
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted mobility governance, exposed gaps in protection, and sidelined migrants in emergency responses, while also creating openings for reform through the International Organization for Migration and the UN Network on Migration.
- Sustaining momentum will require revitalizing multilateral forums, strengthening the UN Network on Migration’s coordinating role, and integrating migration governance with climate and sustainable development agendas.
The global context for international cooperation on migration has shifted in unanticipated ways since the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration was adopted in December 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, upended the migration status quo. Beginning in March 2020, countries introduced border closures or restrictions that essentially paused most forms of mobility, with significant consequences for migrants, their countries of origin, and destination countries—from stranded populations and reduced remittances, to labor shortages in key industries.
While many governments’ responses to the pandemic have been unilateral and inward-looking, these challenges have underscored the importance of pursuing greater coordination on migration and mobility at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels. Drawing on three meetings of MPI’s Transatlantic Council on Migration, this Council Statement explores the rationale for deeper cooperation on migration, the obstacles impeding it, and ways forward. It reflects on the trajectory of the Global Compact and its implementation to date, and strategies for reinvigorating international cooperation.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Incentives for International Cooperation in the Age of COVID-19
3 A Proactive Vision for Cooperation and Rebuilding Public Trust
About the Transatlantic Council on Migration
Through rigorous research, high-level convenings, and tailored policy advice, the Council provides policymakers with essential analysis and cutting-edge policy recommendations to help tackle the most vexing policy questions.
About the Global Program
The Global Program bridges policy advice, research, and candid dialogue to design effective migration policies, drawing on global evidence and anticipating the forces reshaping how people move.
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