Media coverage on migration : promoting a balanced reporting

2018

Does a European Union migration and asylum policy actually exist? If so, is it in crisis following the massive arrival of migrants from 2013 onwards (the so-called "Refugee Crisis")? This chapter intends to deal with these questions through a review of the most relevant EU legal frameworks, distinguishing between legislation enacted before and since the Refugee Crisis. It will also address the pragmatic programs and solutions devised thus far by the EU in the face of this complex scenario. Finally, this chapter will outline some conclusions and lines of reflection on the present and future of the EU migration policy.

International migration and population mobility are changing the face of the world, and is one of the most discussed aspects of present-day globalization in the Global North in particular. Migration is growing in scope, complexity and impact. Traditional migration patterns are complemented by new migratory flows, fuelled by changing geographic, demographic economic, political and social conditions in countries of origin and destination. The impact of such movements makes research and evidence based policy on migration a priority for the international community in Europe in particular At the present time Europe is faced with the biggest migration crises since the WWII. Migrants and refugees streaming from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia have presented European leaders and policymakers with their greatest challenge. 2016 is already marked as a challenging and decisive year, because it is expected that more refugees will be arriving, so especially the EU member states, will have key role in managing the migration and refugee crisis.

Migration as creative practice, 2021

The world continues to observe the occurrences of armed conflicts, economic crises, and other dehumanising circumstances. And such events have forced vast numbers of innocent people to flee their homes with little hope of finding some safe place where they could collect themselves together and start a new life. In this regard, human migration is one of the most arduous challenges faced by nations. This phenomenon is depicted, in its practical conceptualisation, as the movement of people from one place to another with the aim at settling, permanently or temporarily, in a new location. Since the advent of the twenty-first century, the world has witnessed massive escalations of involuntary migrations because of transformational crises (such as the Syrian civil war 2011- ), and new research needs to understand such mass movements. To a degree, themes associated with the migration phenomenon have increasingly informed research topics with ties to other already well-established disciplines (e.g., media, politics, economics, sociology, public health) and they overlap productively. People who entirely leave their home countries to settle in new ones are referred to as migrants, immigrants or refugees based on their reasons for movement. And despite the different motivations behind people’s movement across borders, the terms, migrants, immigrants and refugees are commonly used interchangeably in media and public discourse (UNHCR, 2016). In brief, this chapter represents an attempt to produce a scholarly synthesis of current media and political discourses upon migrants.

Third World Quarterly, 2020

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) was adopted in 2018 under the auspices of the United Nations. In a context in which the global governance of international migration remains weak, and in which states regularly confront migration/refugee crises, the GCM provides an internationally agreed-upon assessment of the political issues raised by international migration and identifies non-binding policy recommendations regarding how governments should address them. This article analyses the content of the GCM in light of the migration-related discussions at the international level since the 1990s. It critically examines its core arguments and argues that, because of the diverging worldviews and interests among governments and other stakeholders, the GCM is marked by major internal contradictions. This results into a depoliticized document and in a political language that hides the dilemmas raised by migration politics. This shows that there is little consensus among states regarding the nature of migration and the political responses that should be elaborated to govern the transnational mobility of people.

Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2020

appeared as a series of open access articles in a special issue of the journal Globalizations, volume 15, issue 6 (October 2018). The authors aim to highlight the various strategies that can and have been employed by civil society organizations (CSOs) in order to create spaces for contestation and counterhegemonic movements within contemporary international migration negotiations. Specifically, the authors focus on the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (UNHLD), the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the World Social Forum on Migration (WSFM), and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Key to the examination presented are the concepts of 'invited' versus 'invented' spaces. Invited spaces 'refer to civil society groups in their position as participants within intergovernmental and international for a for deliberation on migration management' (p. 156), whereas invented spaces 'refer to independent civil society platforms for the development of strategies and action aimed at inclusive social, labour, citizenship and human rights of migrants ' (p. 156). Employing this conceptual framework to organize the strategies and options available to CSOs within different contexts is crucial to understanding their roles and actions in developing, advocating for, and reacting to changes in the structure of the international migration regime. This is particularly poignant in relation to the ongoing and increasingly contentious dialogue surrounding the governance of global migration since the adoption of the GCM as well as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). While each of the chapters in some way addresses asymmetry between the global North and South, Raúl Delgado Wise (Chapter 2) and Branka Likić-Brborić (Chapter 3), in their respective analyses, address key elements of how international migration has been embedded within broader narratives. These narratives often prioritize 'migration management' over a 'human rights comprehensive approach' (p. 17), and streamline migration governance into a form that is increasingly palatable to business and the securitized agendas of states (p. 32). CSOs have played a central role

Under the International Convention Status for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, there is a clear difference between a migrant and a refugee. A refugee is an asylum seeker whose claim has been approved under the 1951 Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees. However, the United Nations considers migrants fleeing war or persecution to be refugees even before they officially receive asylum, in essence, Syrian and Eritreans nationals can enjoy prima facie refugee status. We should note that not all migrants are refugees but all refugees are migrants. Irregular and undocumented migration has suddenly become a serious issue of concern for regional bodies, international organizations and host countries in recent times and one begins to wonder if this all started suddenly or if it has been as a result of ill implementation of policies to curb this ugly menace which has always been there but has been continually neglected and/or given less attention or if some politically motivated wars has triggered the rising inflow of migrants to Europe seeking refuge.

Comparative Migration Studies, 2020

In December 2018, the UN General Assembly formerly endorsed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Louise Arbour, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, said, "the formal endorsement of the Compact represents a resounding commitment to an international migration framework based on fact, not myth, and to an understanding that national migration policies are best implemented through cooperation not in isolation." While there are formidable challenges to the implementation of the Compact, the mandates for the role of evidence in policy and program formulation have been expressed from stakeholders, Member States, civil society organizations, and migrants, throughout the preparatory processes. This paper seeks to share those voices vis a vis the call for research concerning data, research and analysis concerning international migrants and displaced persons, and will consider the implications for scientific initiatives for migration research and analysis and for global policy and goals concerning migration and sustainable development.