The 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) will be held from October 27-30, 2008 in Manila, the Philippines.
The Civil Society Days on October 27-28 will gather a broad range of non-governmental actors to discuss the migration and development nexus, which in turn will provide input to the governmental discussions scheduled for October 29 and 30.
Please be informed that the conference language will be in English.
This application form will be available in English, Spanish and French, and should be filled out in one of these languages. We sincerely apologize that we are unable to provide the form in additional languages due to resource constraints. The French and Spanish version of this Application Form will be posted soon.
The aim of Civil Society Days is to bring interested, non-governmental parties together to exchange ideas and experiences, and to prepare a set of conclusions and recommendations for the Global Forum.
The Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI), a non-stock, non-profit organization that serves as the socio-cultural development arm of the Ayala Group of Companies, was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs to serve as the co-lead convenor of the Civil Society Days component of the GFMD. An International Advisory Committee representing various civil society sectors from all parts of the world will advise the Ayala Foundation on the format, agenda, participants, and speakers.
Time-line:
May 15, 2008: Application Form is posted on the website
July 15, 2008: Deadline for receipt of applications
August 15, 2008: Selected participants will be informed
II. AGENDA, FORMAT, THEMES
The roundtable themes discussed during the Civil Society Days will parallel those of the GFMD Philippines 2008 Government Meeting:
- Migration, Development and Human Rights
- Secure, Legal Migration Can Achieve Stronger Development Impacts
- Policy and Institutional Coherence and Partnerships
More information on these themes and on the agenda of the GFMD Civil Society Days is available in the “Public Forum” and “Conference Program” sections of the website. The final agenda will be posted in August 2008.
The Civil Society Days will be organized in a way that allows for genuine discussion among civil society actors, and for participants to work towards a concrete output at the end of the day. There will be a combination of smaller group discussions and plenary sessions. Speakers will be identified by the International Advisory Committee. A Civil Society delegation will be invited to the plenary session of the GFMD Government Meeting to present their recommendations.
III. HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Participation in the GFMD Civil Society Days: Due to space limitations, the number of participants in the GFMD Civil Society Days will be limited to 230 official delegates, and will be by invitation only. Therefore we request interested individuals to submit the enclosed application to participate in the Civil Society Days. The selection process will be conducted by the Ayala Foundation, and the final decision regarding participants will be taken together with the International Advisory Committee.
Please note that this Application Form will be used only as a basis to identify and select participants to the Civil Society Days portion of the GFMD. This form will not be used to select speakers.
Participation in the Online Forum: These online discussions will give you the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with other people in the field of migration and development, and give them a chance to know your organization. They will also serve to provide input into the agenda-setting process, and may be fed into the debates of the Civil Society Day. This will also help to generate content for the conference background writers.
You may access the online discussions at: http://www.gfmd2008.org. Click on “GFMD Philippines 2008 Civil Society Days” to register. Once you have registered, you may join the online discussions under “Public Forum”.
Selection Criteria
a. Organizations/institutions and/or individuals should be able to display a broad, substantive expertise, and/or experience in one or more of the three themes that will be discussed (see above).
b. Participating organizations/institutions should be composed of, or have direct links with migrants, and operate on the local, regional, national or international level. Ideally the organization should have a broad constituency, solid operations with good programs, several years of experience, adequate sources of funding and staffing, good working relations with other civil society actors and government and policy-making institutions.
c. The organizers will strive to achieve balanced representation from diverse sectors of civil society and all geographic regions, as well as -
d. A gender balance among participants.
Application Procedures
Persons interested in participating need to fill out this Application Form and return it by e-mail only to
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Deadline for applications is on July 15, 2008. Applicants will be advised by August 15, 2008 whether they have been selected to participate in the conference.
Participation Costs
A limited amount of funds have been set aside for participation in the GFMD Civil Society Days. This funding will be available for some participants on a per-need basis. The support will cover all or part of round-trip air travel on economy class from a participant’s base of operation to Manila, airport transfers to and from the hotel in Manila, and hotel accommodations for three nights (i.e., October 26/27/28), which includes breakfast. Dinner will be provided for all three nights, and lunch will be provided during the two days of the Civil Society Meeting. Please note that accommodations may be on a twin-share basis in some cases. We regret to inform you that funding support cannot be extended for airport transfers in your home country, airport terminal fees, or visa applications.
Entry into the Philippines
Except for stateless persons and those from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the Philippines, all visitors may enter the country without visas and may stay for 21 days provided they have tickets for onward journey. Holders of Hong Kong and Taiwan passports must have special permits. Visas and special permits may be obtained from Philippine embassies and consulates.
For more information, on visa requirements and procedures, please log on to:
http://www.dfa.gov.ph/consular/visa-01.htm
IV. APPLICATION FORM
You can download the Delegate Application Formhere.
