A major global summit on migration will be coming to Dubai in January 2021, after the UAE formally took over the Presidency of the Global Forum on Migration and Development from Ecuador on Thursday.
The hand-over, which took place during a formal ceremony in Quito, marked the start of an ambitious yearlong programme of events around the world, which will focus on improving how governments respond to international migration.
Addressing the Quito summit, Nasser bin Thani Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, thanked assembled delegates for their confidence in the UAE to deliver a forward-looking agenda over the course of 2020.
The minster of UAE stated “UAE determine to successes, moreover we are a tolerant, open nation, and we are proud of our role providing opportunities to millions of people from around the world.
We are promising you for our agenda as Chair will feature topics that are new to the GFMD, including the impact of the future of work on migration, and the programme will include six regional events over the course of this year. Happily, the timing of the Dubai Summit will coincide with Expo 2020, one of the key themes of which is mobility, so there will be significant cross-over between these two major international events.”
Hosting the GFMD in Dubai cements the UAE’s reputation as a global leader in promoting sound migration governance. Over 8 million foreign-born residents currently live in the UAE, sending home $20 billion annually in remittances, a significant contributor to global development.
