Key Documents

MIGRATION MPTF TOR

MIGRATION MPTF FAQs

MIGRATION MPTF Memorandum of Understanding with the UN / Memorandum of Understanding with Recipient UN Organizations

Overview

There are an estimated 258 million international migrants, close to 3.4% of the world’s population. 48% of them are women. The majority of migrants move between countries in a safe, orderly and regular manner, and migration itself is overwhelmingly positive for migrants and communities of origin, transit and destination. Yet migration when unregulated presents challenges for all communities, often leaving migrants vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. All this makes migration governance one of the most urgent and profound tests of international cooperation in our time.

The Start-Up Fund for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (or Migration MPTF) was called for by the Global Compact on Migration, adopted by the General Assembly in December 2018.  It is a UN financing mechanism primarily to assist Member States in their national implementation of the Global Compact.  UN entities at the country-level will work with national partners on identifying migration needs through joint analysis and on designing joint programmes to provide a collective response to those needs.  The Migration MPTF supports the 23 objectives of the Global Compact and adheres to its 360-degree approach. The Migration MPTF will also provide funding to regional and global initiatives in support of the GCM implementation.

Strategic approach

The Migration MPTF is the only funding mechanism fully dedicated to supporting collective action on migration and ensuring that the mutual trust, determination and solidarity amongst States and with other stakeholders can be fostered to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration. Heeding the call of the Global Compact to be implemented at local, national, regional and global levels, the Migration MPTF is designed to support initiatives at all levels.

• Guiding principles. All its activities incorporate the 10 key guiding principles established by the Global Compact: (i) people-centred, (ii) international cooperation, (iii) national sovereignty, (iv) rule of law and due process, (v) sustainable development, (vi) human rights, (vii) gender-responsive, (viii) child-sensitive, (ix) whole-of-government approach, and (x) whole-of-society approach.
• Funding. Every country-specific request to the Migration MPTF is based on the relevant Member State’s needs in implementing the Global Compact, with the prerequisite of their full endorsement of the support to be provided by the United Nations system and other stakeholders, as agreed upon during the consultation and design phase. 
• Joint programming. Each request for funding requires UN joint programming calling on the capacities and expertise of at least two UN entities, as well as partnership with local authorities and other non-UN stakeholders, including migrants and migrant organizations, where appropriate, in the design and implementation of programmes/projects. 

The Migration MPTF is rooted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and builds upon its recognition that migration is a multidimensional reality of major relevance to the sustainable devel­opment of countries of origin, transit and destination. The Fund will help realize the intrinsic link between the Global Compact on Migration and the achievement of all SDGs, in particular but not exclusively with respect to target 10.7 which calls on States to “facilitate orderly, safe and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies”.

Governance

Established by the UN Network on Migration, a collaborative community of UN entities with a focus on migration, the Fund serves as an instrument for ensuring robust, coordinated, inclusive and coherent UN system-wide support to Member States. Its governance structure embodies a broader partnership and was designed to ensure inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.

• A Steering Committee governs the Fund and provides strategic guidance for achieving the Fund’s programmatic objectives. The Director General of IOM as Coordinator of the UN Network on Migration serves as its chair. It is composed of UN entities (3), donors (3), countries of origin, transit and destination (3), and other stakeholders (3);
• A Consultative Forum is to be annually convened, inviting all Member States and stakeholders, to discuss the Migration MPTF, its current operations and future direction.
• The Fund Management Unit, embedded within the Secretariat of the UN Network on Migration is responsible for the operational functioning and for providing management support to the Steering Committee. It draws upon the technical expertise and capacities of other components of the Network, as appropriate, and is housed at IOM Headquarters in Geneva.
• The Administrative Agent acts as the trustee of the Migration MPTF. This function is performed by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO). As such, the MPTFO is responsible for concluding the memorandum of understanding with Participating UN Organizations and Standard Administrative Arrangements with donors. The MPTF Office receives, administers, and manages contributions from donors, disburses funds to implementing partners, and consolidates financial reports produced by each recipient of funds.

The Migration MPTF is open to contributions from UN Member States and other stakeholders. It aims to mobilize significant funding from a wide array of contributors. The Migration MPTF has the potential to be a major contributor, both financially and in terms of working methods, in supporting international cooperation on migration as it attempts to optimize the overall benefits of migration, while addressing its risks and challenges.