List of Civil Society Speakers for the Summit Announced
The Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA) has released the list of speakers who will represent migrants and refugees and/or civil society in the Opening Plenary and Roundtables of the 19 September Summit. UN-NGLS facilitated a Civil Society Steering Committee to review more than 400 applications for the speaking roles for the 19 September Summit to create regionally and gender balanced short-lists of candidates for the President of the UN General Assembly to consider. The OPGA has selected the following nine speakers for the 19 September Summit through this process:
Opening Session
Ms. Nadia Taha
Yazda
Germany / Iraq
Ms. Eni Lestari Andayani Adi
International Migrants Alliance (IMA)
China / Indonesia
Mr. Mohammed Badran
Syrian Volunteers in the Netherlands (SYVNL)
Netherlands / Syrian Arab Republic
Roundtable Dialogues
1) Addressing the root causes of refugee movement
Ms. Joyce Foni
Women’s Refugee Commission
Kenya / Sudan
2) Addressing drivers of migration, particularly large movements, and highlighting the positive contributions of migrants
Ms. Jille Belisario
Commission for Filipino Migrant Workers (CFMW)
Philippines
3) International action and cooperation on refugees and migrants, and issues related to displacement; the way ahead
Mr. Gibril Faal
African Foundation for Development (AFFORD)
UK / Gambia
4) Global compact for responsibility sharing for refugees and respect for international law
Ms. Elba Yanett Coria Marquez
SOS Children Villages
Mexico
5) Global compact for safe, regular and orderly migration; Towards realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the full respect for the human rights of migrants
Mr. Tefere Gebre
AFL-CIO
US / Ethiopia
6) Addressing the vulnerabilities of refugees and migrants on their journeys from their countries of origins to their countries of arrival
Ms. Eleanor Acer
Human Rights First
USA