In 2007, GFMD examined the impact of migration on social and economic development, in terms of human capital development and labour mobility on the one hand and the contribution of migrant resources (financial as well as skills) on the other hand. Policy coherence between migration and development policies and related tools to factor migration into development planning were other key issues addressed, together with institutional coherence and a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to better harness the migration and development nexus. Cross-cutting topics, such as human rights, gender and root causes of migration, were also discussed.
GFMD 2008 emphasized the human face of migration and the protection of migrants' rights and sought to examine the impact of such protection in reinforcing development. It also introduced for the first time the concept of "shared responsibility" of governments and other concerned actors in protecting and empowering migrants and their families.
GFMD 2009 discussions focused on mainstreaming migration in development planning and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the impact of the economic crisis for the migration and development nexus, as well as policy coherence and the relationship between migrant integration, reintegration and development.
GFMD 2010 focused on the concept of partnerships, introduced the new Common Space format of debates in plenary between governments and civil society, and brought a new or renewed focus of the Roundtables on irregular migration, family, gender and climate change. It also included a working session on the Platform for Partnerships (PfP), a support mechanism to facilitate partnerships on current and past GFMD outcomes and follow-up activities, and a Future of the Forum session focused on the GFMD assessment exercise to be undertaken in 2011-2013.
GFMD 2011 introduced a new format of engagement by moving to the field, to the regions and countries where governments and other partners seek to make policies and programs work “on the ground”. A series of 14 small, focused and action-oriented meetings under three thematic clusters – labour mobility and development (cluster I), addressing irregular migration through coherent migration and development strategies (cluster II) and tools for evidence-based migration and development policies (cluster III) were organized by the Swiss GFMD Taskforce in partnership with other governments, the Global Migration Group and other international organizations, as well as civil society and the private sector. The results of these thematic meetings were pulled together at the final meeting – the GFMD 2011 Concluding Debate held in Geneva on 1-2 December 2011. In addition, GFMD 2011 completed the first phase of the GFMD assessment exercise, which showed general satisfaction of UN Member States about the GFMD process.
Development was a central focus for GFMD 2012, as demonstrated by the fact that the Forum was chaired for the first time by a national development agency (Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Mauritius). In recognition of the linkage between human development and migrant rights, the protection of migrants featured directly in two Roundtables, in regard to mixed flows and persons in distress, and to international domestic workers. Several thematic and preparatory meetings were held in Mauritius throughout the year. The overall work agenda of GFMD 2012 also included the organization of a series of brainstorming debates and workshops on key migration and development themes.Mauritius also engaged with civil society from the earliest stages. The GFMD 2012 Common Space introduced a different and more interactive format, with more break-out sessions and the use of social media via Twitter in one of the Common Space panels.