Belgium

Official Name
Kingdom of Belgium
ISO2 Code
BE
ISO3 Code
BEL
Longitude
50 50 N
Latitude
4 00 E
Geolocation
POINT (4 50.5)
Attended Meeting
Financial Contribution

The Government of Belgium which offered to organise the first ever meeting of the Forum, at the initiative of the Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr Armand De Decker, largely financed the meeting. 

RT Participation
  • Belgium hosted the First GFMD Summit Meeting 9-11 July 2007
  • Co-Chair in RT 1.3 "The role of other-than government partners in strengthening the developmental contribution of temporary labor migration" 
  • Chair in RT 2.4 "Working with the diaspora for development" 
Attended Prep Meetings
Attended Summit
Delegate
Financial Contribution

€100,000 (through IOM) for Participation BDP / Conference services 

RT Participation
  • Co-Chair in RT 1.2 "Empowering Migrants and Diaspora to Contribute to Development"
Attended Prep Meetings
Attended Summit
Delegate
Financial Contribution
  • €35,000 (through IOM) for Participation of BDPs
  • In kind contributions: International Advisor secondment 
RT Participation

No Participation

Attended Summit
Delegate
Financial Contribution
  • The Kingdom of Belgium contributed financially to the 2010 GFMD budget. 
RT Participation
  • Government Team Member in RT 1.1 "Partnerships for more regular and protected migration" 
Attended Prep Meetings
Attended Summit
Delegate
Financial Contribution

Euro 35,000 for the participation of BDCA Member States 

RT Participation
  • Government Team Member in Cluster II "Tools for Evidence-based Migration and Development Policies" 
Attended Summit
Thematic Meetings
- Co-Chair in Thematic Meeting on "Managing Migration for Development: Policy Making, Assessment and Evaluation" on 14-15 June 2011 in Marseille, France.
Delegate
Financial Contribution
  • The Kingdom of Belgium contributed financially to the GFMD 2012 Budget. 
RT Participation
  • Government Team Member in RT 1.2. "Supporting Migrants and Diaspora as Agents of Socioeconomic Change" 
  • Government Team Member in RT 3.3. "Protecting Migrant Domestic Workers - Enhancing their Development Potential" 
Attended Summit
Delegate
Financial Contribution
  • EUR 20,000 in September 2013 
  • EUR 30,000 in July 2014 
RT Participation
  • Co-Chair in RT 1.2. "Framing migration for the MDGs and the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda" 
Attended Summit
Thematic Meetings
- Attended Thematic Meeting on "Operationalizing Mainstreaming of Migration in Development Policy and Integrating Migration in the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda" on 22 May 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland
Delegate
Financial Contribution
  • EUR 50,000 in June 2015 for SU Operating costs 
RT Participation
  • Team Member in RT 1.2. "Reducing the human and financial costs of international migration, particularly labor migration: Cooperative approaches to fair recruitment practices and lower remittance fees" 
  • Team Member in RT 3.2. "Private sector-government partnerships to support migrant/diaspora entrepreneurship and job creation, with a focus on small and medium entreprises" 
Attended Summit
Thematic Meetings
- Attended Thematic Meeting on "Recognizing the contributions of women migrants to economic and social development in countries of origin and destination and addressing their specific needs, particularly concerning respect for their human rights" on 8 September 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Delegate
Financial Contribution
  • The Kingdom of Belgium contributed financially to the GFMD 2016 budget. 
RT Participation
  • Team Member in RT 3.1. "Migrants in situations of crises: conflict, climate change and natural disasters" 
  • Team Member in RT 3.2. "Principles, institutions and processes for safe, orderly and regular migration" 
Attended Prep Meetings
Attended Summit
Thematic Meetings
- Attended the GFMD Thematic Workshop on "Migration for Peace, Stability and Growth" on 19 July 2016 in New York, United States.
Delegate
Financial Contribution

The Kingdom of Belgium contributed financially to the GFMD 2017 budget with: 

  • Left Over from 2016
  • Fresh Contributions 2017
RT Participation
  • Team Member in RT 2.1. "Moving beyond emergencies - Creating development solutions to the mutual benefit of host and origin communities and displaced persons" 
  • Team Member in RT 3.1. "Raising the Global Talent Pool - Harnessing the Potential of the Private Sector for Global Skills Partnerships" 
Attended Summit
Delegate
Financial Contribution

USD 57,870 ear-marked for GFMD Support Unit

RT Participation

Government Team Member in RT 1.1 "Harnessing the capital of migrants to realise their potential"

Government Team Member in RT 3.1 "Aligning governance with contemporary drivers of migration"

Government Team Member in RT 3.2 "Beyond Remittances: leveraging the development impact and promoting the transnational engagement of diaspora and migrants"

Attended Summit
Thematic Meetings
Participated in the Thematic Workshops on "Migration for Development: a roadmap to achieving the SDGs" and "Children and Youth on the Move: Implementing Sustainable Solutions"

EMLINK

Submitted by Marie Parma on

Strengthening the Partnership between Belgium and Georgia through Temporary Mobility of Entrepreneurs"" (EMLINK) is a project aimed at strenghtening bilateral cooperation by designing a pilot temporary mobility scheme for outstanding entrepreneurs. Implemented by ICMPD on behalf of Belgium, this project aims to strengthen Georgian start-ups’ potential to develop and assist skill and talent retention and will produce a course curriculum based on the results of a mapping and sectoral analysis report.

Migration of African Talents through Capacity building and Hiring (MATCH)

Submitted by Mr. Camille Saadé on

Migration of African Talents through Capacity building and Hiring (MATCH) is a 39‑month initiative funded by the European Union (EU) aimed at providing skilled talents to European private sector companies whose needs for qualified staff could not be satisfied by the offer available on the EU labour market. 

By joining MATCH, companies from Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands and Luxembourg were supported with the sourcing and pre-selection of African talents from Senegal and Nigeria, two countries offering a surplus of qualified professionals.

Paving the Way for Future Labour Migration: a Belgian-Tunisian Skills Mobility Partnership

Submitted by Mr. Camille Saadé on

Belgium and Tunisia have implemented a skills mobility partnership: Paving the way for future labour migration. This initiative is a multidimensional cooperation framework between different stakeholders from both countries (e.g., immigration office, public employment services, employers’ associations) aimed at assessing labour market needs, streamlining procedures, selecting candidates.

Belgian Resettlement Programme

Submitted by Costanza Bindi on

In 2013, Belgium launched a structural resettlement programme. Since then, the country has committed to annually receiving vulnerable refugees. 

The Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) manages, in cooperation with national and international partners, the preparation, the journey and the reception of the refugees selected for resettlement in Belgium. The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) is responsible for the selection abroad.

Project for Entrepreneurial Mobility between Ivory Coast and Belgium (PEM N'Zassa)

Submitted by Costanza Bindi on

The project PEM N'Zassa, which is deeply rooted in the two countries in which it is being implemented, Côte d'Ivoire and Belgium, aims to support the entrepreneurial ecosystems in each country. The project proposes a circular mobility model for 120 Ivorian entrepreneurs and SME employees who have developed an innovative entrepreneurial project, and for whom mobility to Belgium represents an opportunity to create value.

Pilot project for business mobility between Belgium and Senegal (PEM-WECCO)

Submitted by Costanza Bindi on

This circular mobility scheme makes knowledge and practical exchange possible between Belgian and Senegalese companies. With a view to building the capacities of Senegalese entrepreneurs and connecting them to their Belgian peers, the project aims to offer short-term migration opportunities for business purposes while contributing to the construction of a sustainable economic partnership between the two countries.

Legal empowerment of migrants / Empowerment juridique des personnes migrantes

Submitted by Mr. Camille Saadé on

The “Legal Empowerment of Migrants” project funded by the European Union and implemented by Enabel in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry delegated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing there foreigner, responsible for Moroccans living abroad (MCMRE) whose prerogatives were transferred in 2021 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC)/department of migration affairs began at the end of 2018 and will be implemented until October 2022. 

Migrants CSC

Submitted by Costanza Bindi on

The group "Migrants CSC" informs and raises awareness among migrant workers (documented or undocumented) about their rights, the labour legislation in force in Belgium and the fight against all forms of exploitation and discrimination.

The service also responds to individual requests on issues such as work permits, extending residence permits, diploma equivalence, and validation of skills. 

In a nutshell:

O-Remit

Submitted by Costanza Bindi on

The O-REMIT project by the International Organization for Migration uses data from various sources to analyze transaction costs and aim for a threshold below 3%. This provides insights on cost-efficient remittance options and help the diaspora in Belgium make meaningful investments in their home country.

Three streams will be implemented:

Stream 1: Understand the remittance flows and behaviour of diaspora in Belgium.

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