14 February, 2021

WARBE Development Foundation organized “TU-CSO Platform on Migration Preparatory Meeting with parliamentarians Caucus” on 8th February 2021, which was attended by the Honourable Chairperson and Secretary-General of the Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development as Guest of Honour(s), several Trade Union (TU) and CSO members. The Guest of Honour(s) listened to the demands of different Trade Union and CSO representatives in the interactive sessions; and expressed their commitment to collectively move forward towards effective implementation of Global Compact for Safe, Orderly & Regular Migration (GCM) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

31 January, 2021

The Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development & WARBE Development Foundation organized with the support of PROKAS, British Council the consultative meeting prior to the 13th GFMD Summit. “The Future of Human Mobility: Innovative Partnerships for Sustainable Development” Them of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) 2020 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 18-24 January 2021. The Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development jointly with WARBE Development Foundation, supported by PROKAS, British Council organized a pre-GFMD National Consultation virtually on 5th January 2021. H.E. Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, MP, Honorable Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs was present in the consultation as Chief Guest. Mr. Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Benjir Ahmed, MP, President, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) was present as Special Guests. The virtual consultation was Moderated and Chaired by Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary, MP, Chairperson, the Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development. Ms. Mahjabeen Khaled, Secretary-General of the Caucus provided the welcome statement and introduced the engagement of the Caucus at the National and International levels. Closing Remarks delivered by the Co-chairperson of the Caucus Advocate Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia. The voice of the Civil Society was represented by Dr. CR Abrar, Chair Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants (BCSM) and Executive Director, RMMRU, Mr. Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, General Secretary, BAIRA Represented Private Sector. Mr. Gerry Fox, Team Leader, PROKAS, British Council and Ms. Nazia Haider, Programme Manager-Safer Migration, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Bangladesh were speaking as Guest of Honor. The tone of the consultation was set by Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque, Former Foreign Secretary, Advisor IOM-Bangladesh and Honorary Fellow of the North-South University as a Guest of Honor. Mr. Nazrul Islam, DG (MEA), MoFA provided an overview of GFMD, and the discussion on thematic areas of GFMD 2020 was moderated by Syed Saiful Haque, Chairman, WARBE Development Foundation. The Consultation Participated by the Representatives from the Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development, relevant Ministries, Government Officials along with the Representatives from NGOs, CSOs, Academics, Researchers, UN Agencies, Development Partners, Networks, Trade Unions, Migrants, Media, and Private Sector. Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque, Former Foreign Secretary, Government of Bangladesh, Advisor IOM-Bangladesh and Honorary Fellow of theNorth South University, Setting the Tone of the Consultation with a Vivid Presentation touched all the Responses and Actions of Migration through Covid-19 Pandemic and Future Discussions of UAE GFMD 2020 “The Future of Human Mobility: Innovative Partnerships for Sustainable Development”. The Panel Discussant on Thematic Areas: i. The Governance of Labor Migration in the Context of Changing Employment Landscapes were discussed in terms of the future work potential were addressed by Ms. Shahreen Munir, Head – Migration Governance Unit, IOM and Head – Secretariat, Bangladesh UN Network on Migration (BDUNNM) & Ms. Shirin Lira, Sr. IBP Manager and Gender & Social Inclusion Adviser, PROKAS, British Council. ii. Skilling Migrants for Employment were covered by Mr. Shakirul Islam, Chairman, Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP). iii. Leveraging New Technologies to Empower Migrants were focused by Mr. Syeed Ahamed, CEO, Institute of Informatics and Development (IID) iv. Addressing Gaps in Migrant Protection were discussed by Ms. Farida Yeasmin, Director, Bangladesh Ovibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA), and Ms. Sumaiya Islam, Executive Director, Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra (BNSK). v. Discussing Approaches to Address Irregular Migration were focused by Ms. Marina Sultana, Director Program, Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) and Ms. Jasiya Khatoon, Director, WARBE Development Foundation; the speakers discussed which approaches has the potential to work and what can be done in the future. vi. Fostering Partnerships to Realise Migration-Related Goals in the Sustainable Development Agenda and Managing the Future of Human Mobility were addressed by Mr. Shariful Islam Hasan, Programme Head, BRAC Migration Programme. Mr. Syed Saiful Haque, Chairman, WARBE Development Foundation Moderated the Discussion.

26 January, 2021

WARBE Development Foundation along with Bangladesh Ovibashi Adhikar Forum (BOAF) a Migrants Rights Network in Bangladesh observed the International Migrants Day (IMD) on 18th December 2020 with a “Rally and Human Chain” in front of Bangladesh National Press Club, Dhaka. The Rally and Human Chain were formed by representatives from CSOs, Trade Unions, Migrants Returnees, and Migrants Family Members. Leaders from BOMSA, BOAF, and WARBE Spoke in the Program. On this occasion of International Migration Day (IMD), CSOs, NGOs, TUs, and other Organizations issued a joint statement.