Zahra Babar Moderates Forced Migration Session at the Fifth Global RCP Meeting Hosted by IOM and the League of Arab States

Zahra Babar, Associate Director of Research at CIRS, moderated a session at the “Fifth Global Meeting of Chairs and Secretariats of Regional Consultative Processes (RCPs) on Migration” hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the League of Arab States on October 21 and 22 in Cairo, Egypt.

“While the RCPs serve as a state-driven platform for cooperation on migration between different countries, there is an interest in engaging with scholars and practitioners and involving them in the discussions,” said Babar, who served as the moderator for Session 6 titled ‘Forced Migration – Changing Trends, New Responses.’

She was invited by the IOM to participate in the RCP meeting, based on her ongoing scholarship on Gulf migration, as well as her previous experience of working with the United Nations. “For my own research interests in migration, participating in the event also provided a great learning opportunity in terms of understanding how different regions around the world are addressing transnational issues of migration.”

The meeting brought together 70 participants representing the 18 RCPs, as well as representatives from a variety of UN agencies, to collectively review key developments on the global migration landscape and to reflect on their role in addressing contemporary migration challenges.

Additionally, this meeting served as platform to launch the newest RCP, the “Arab Regional Consultative Process on Migration”. The ARCP brings together all 22 Arab States and aims to enhance cooperation between states on migration issues in the Arab world.

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.