Monday, 03 September 2018
On the occasion of the seventh GFMD 2017-2018 Preparatory Meetings, the Government of Ecuador assumed the GFMD Chairmanship for 2019, following the endorsement of the GFMD Steering Group. Ambassador Luis Gallegos and Ambassador Arturo Cabrera, Permanent Representative and Deputy Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the UNOG, highlighted to the Steering Group and the Friends of the Forum, respectively, Ecuador’s long-standing engagement in and for the GFMD, as well as in relation to the GCM-process.
In their separate statements, both Ambassadors highlighted the fact that Ecuador is one of the main receiving countries of migrants on the American continent, and stressed the importance of the GCM as a starting point for strengthened international cooperation. In this regard, the GFMD would continue to serve as a critical dialogue mechanism for seeking solutions by virtue of multi-stakeholder partnership.
Ecuador has been actively involved in several strategic and policy-related functions of the GFMD, from serving as a member of the Steering Group and the Ad hoc Working Group on GCM and 2030 Agenda to co-chairing several GFMD Summit Roundtable Sessions. Moreover, Ambassador Cabrera has actively participated in the Migration Laboratory and is a member of the GFMD Expert Review Team.
Ecuadorian legislations and policies on migration have been well recognized by a wide range of stakeholders around the world. As a leading voice on migration in the Latin American region, Ecuador has participated and contributed in the Global Compact for Migration process. Thus, Ecuador is well-equipped to help ensure the continuity of the Forum and its role in the implementation of the Global Compact.
Ecuador’s bid for the GFMD 2019 Chairmanship was expressively welcomed by the incumbent GFMD Co-Chairs Morocco and Germany, as well as by a number of participating Member States. Mr. El Habib Nadir, Moroccan GFMD Co-Chair, pointed out that it was high time to bring the Co-Chairmanship back to Latin America after Mexico’s Chairmanship in 2010. German GFMD Co-Chair, Ambassador Götz Schmidt-Bremme, invited Member States to support Ecuador in its chairmanship, especially given that 2019 will be a critical year in marking the first year of GCM implementation, follow-up and review, following its formal adoption in December this year.