Sr.
Maureen Catabian RGS, of the Women, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
(WJPIC) of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippine Province is
participating in the International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees (IAMR) being held
November 6-12 in Mexico.
Sr. Maureen also
participates in the meeting on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Justice and Peace
Network.
This is
the third IAMR being organized. The first was held in the Philippines in 2008
and the second in Greece in 2009.
Prior
to the IAMR, Sr. Maureen joined
some 60 people in the church sponsored conference, "Church
Witnessing with Migrants" held on November 5. Other Good Shepherd Sisters
who participated in the gathering are Srs. Adriana Perez, Juana Urbina Guerrero
of Mexico and Yolanda Sanchez of Colombia who is the communications coordinator
of the Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace Office in New York.
The
group also traveled to Puerto Vallarta to join the People's Caravan against
Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).
More Info on IAMR and GFMD
The
GFMD defines itself as an “informal multilateral and state-led
multi-stakeholder process” that is meant to identify “practical and feasible
ways to strengthen the multi-beneficial relationship between migration and
development”.
IAMR1
(Philippines 2008) and IAMR2 (Greece 2009) dealt several counter punches to
GFMD. First IAMR lead the opening salvo, demanding that the migrants must have
a voice representing the autonomous voice of migrants and refugees – “They are
talking about migration and development, without the migrants! They have always
spoken for us, now we will speak for ourselves!”
The
IAMR1 exposed the neo-liberal paradigm of development that has not only failed
to deliver on its promise of development but actually ruined many of the
underdeveloped economies.
In
Athens, IAMR2 criticized the European Union (EU) Return Directive, a new policy
which will drive an estimated 12 million undocumented migrants to face the
prospect of arrest, detention and deportation. IAMR2 viewed it as a policy
measure towards building what it calls “Fortress Europe”.
THE
GFMD IN MEXICO AND IAMR3
The
central theme of the 4th GFMD is “Partnerships for Migration and Development:
Shared Prosperity – Shared Responsibility”. GFMD believes that such partnership
– among governments, with civil society organizations, public and private
sectors, and migrants – is a key tool for managing migration and still pursue
its so-called “development” and “reduction of poverty and inequality” goals by
2015.
Regardless
of whatever partnerships are built, these policies will not solve the realities
of the current global economic and financial crisis and will remain as
challenges for these engineers of neo-liberal globalization.