28th October 2016
By Tom Law

Communicating on Migration in Times of Xenophobia

The EJN’s Tom Law participated in the 2016 Annual International Organisation for Migration-Civil Society Organisation consultations on 4 November under the theme of Post-19 September Summit – referring the recent United Nations meeting on refugees. 

During the session on “Communicating on Migration in Times of Xenophobia,” Tom presented the findings of our Moving Stories report, guidelines for migration coverage and our work in hate speech.

This session provided an opportunity for IOM and CSOs to discuss working together on the UN ‘Together’ campaign and to share best practices and challenges on advocacy and working with the media.

The IOM, which advised the EJN on the guidelines, printed copies of the migration guidelines for every participant. You can download the guidelines by clicking on the image below.

Ethical Journalism Network - Guidelines for Migration Reporting



Full Agenda

2016 Annual IOM-CSO Consultations on Post – 19 September Summit

1 st Floor Conference Room, IOM HQ, Geneva 4 November 2016

8:30 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:15 Introductory Remarks: William Lacy Swing, Director General, IOM

9:15 – 10:15 SESSION I: Setting the Scene: Implications of IOM joining the UN

  • Interviewee: Jill Helke, Director, Department of International Cooperation and Partnerships
  • Interviewer: Michele LeVoy, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants Followed by Q&A

10:15 – 10:45 Coffee Break

10:45 –12:30 SESSION II: Plans for the Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration

The Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration will significantly shape the global debate on migration in the coming years. In this session, IOM and CSOs will discuss plans for the development of the Global Compact and share ideas of how to best work together to ensure an inclusive process.

Moderator: Nicoletta Giordano, Head of International Partnerships Division, IOM

IOM perspective: Michele Klein-Solomon, Senior Policy Adviser to the Director General, IOM

CSO perspectives:

  • William Gois, Migrant Forum in Asia (via Bluejeans)
  • Ignacio Packer, Terre des Hommes
  • Berenice Valdez Rivera, Colectivo Migraciones para las Americas
  • Zeina Mohanna, Amel Association
  • Celeste Ugochukwu, African Foundation for Migration and Development Followed by Discussion

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch (outside 1 st Floor Conference Room) 2

14:00 – 15:30 SESSION III: Communicating on Migration in a Time of Xenophobia

This session aims to provide an opportunity for IOM and CSOs to pick up where we left off last year and discuss how we work together to complement advocacy efforts by sharing best practices as well as challenges on communicating on migration. It will also consider the role of media in influencing public discourse on migration.

Moderator: Anita Bay, Save the Children International

CSO perspectives:

  • Antal Örkény, Menedék – Hungarian Association for Migrants
  • Ibrahim Vurgun Kavlak, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants, Turkey

Media perspective:

Tom Law, Ethical Journalism Network

IOM perspective:

Leonard Doyle, Head of Media and Communications Division, IOM Followed by Discussion

15:30 – 15:45 Coffee Break

15:45 – 16:45 Way Forward Rapporteur and Moderator: Colin Rajah, People’s Global Action on Migration, Development & Human Rights Open Discussion

16:45 – 17:00 Concluding Remarks: IOM