Good morning everybody. Can we restart the session? Thank you very much It is my great pleasure to introduce today's session on the newly created UN network of migration and My honor and a real pleasure to welcome Special representative of the secretary general for international migration means Louisa war a very good friend of all of us As well as I am's independent civil society liaison calling Russia as you know the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres foreshadow in his report on of January 2018 Making migration work for all the contribution of the United Nations of the development of the global compact for safe regular and orderly migration that he would initiate Internal consultation on how best to configure the United Nations system Including I am to coordinate the actions of the UN on migration Secretary General Guterres express his commitment to ensure that the UN system is fully positioned to respond promptly and Effectively in supporting implementation of the global compact once it was adopted He indicated that he plays a premium on drawing on existing expertise Ensuring operational deliverables in response to the needs of member states and ensuring efficiency the efficiency Secretary general Guterres Indicated that the outcomes from these consultations would have to be fully consistent with his development and management reforms And be aligned with the UN's work on the sustainable development goals In line with his proposal for reform of the UN Development system. He insisted that Facilitating delivery on the ground be the litmus test of our efforts In the development context migration is already fully integrated into the sustainable development goals The secretary general Committed to explore how member states of the UN family can jointly offer Taylor assistance to members to teams at the request of member states he noted that With the 2016 agreement to bring I am into the United Nations system as a related organization Acknowledging obviously its role as the global lead agency in the field of migration There is now an opportunity to develop this relationship further and to better Integrate the competencies of IOM into the broader United Nations system So as to support the efforts of member states on migration related issues The director general myself and my colleagues at IOM are deeply honored By the secretary general's decision following the above reference Consultations to establish a new UN network of migration and to design Designate IOM as its coordinator and secretariat This is a designation Which I am takes very seriously and which I believe reflects the views you I am member states Clearly express both in bringing I am into the UN system and the broader need for greater Coherence on migration within the UN system I am is fully committed to carrying out its new responsibility in a full spirit of Collaboration with the many entities within the UN system with mandate expertise and experience to bring to the table on migration and in doing so To work in lockstep with the members of the newly formed executive committee of the network ILO the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights the office of the High Commissioner for Refugees UNDP UNICEF and the UN on drugs and crime And UNDESA plus IOM I See IOM's role as one of galvanizing the full capacities of the UN system at national regional and global level to support member states on Migration and to better protect and assist migrants throughout the world IOM has been working tirelessly with Special representative of war and her team as well as with the other members of the executive committee Since the conclusion of the global compact negotiations in July Up to through and since the UN network framing meeting in October here in Geneva To develop terms of reference and working modalities for the network Before entering into a deeper discussion on IOM's foreseeing role. It is my pleasure to welcome a special representative of war Who has been providing inspired leadership to the UN systems effort? Since appointed to this position and to invite her to share with you her reflections on the UN network now and into the future Madame arbreau you have the floor Thank you. Thank you very much Laura Distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen, I'm very happy to be here with you today on this. I understand 109th session of the IOM council and especially at a time where the UN system is embarking on a historic Course of collectively taking action on the many aspects of migration Migration as we understand it today From the outset and at the risk of stating the obvious I would like to emphasize that migration With all its complexities Presents us with well-documented opportunities as well as well documented challenges But before I go on please allow me to briefly recap a chronology of important events that have taken us to where we are today I know that you're familiar with the considerable scale and variety of occurrences in cross-border migration particularly in recent time The new cycles actually bring us seemingly endless accounts of people on the move Albeit often reporting mostly on the human tragedies that are associated with this This there has also been an increased attention within the UN Paid to migrations many dimensions, but for the most part and certainly until recently The offices making up the UN system have dealt with these issues within the ambit of their respective mandates and institutional priorities in 2006 the global migration group was established by the then secretary general Following a recommendation from the global Commission on International Migration To form a high-level inter institutional group of UN entities involved in migration related activities The global migration group had a broad mission It was to promote the wider application of all relevant international and regional Instruments and norms relating to migration and to encourage the adoption of Comprehensive and better coordinated approaches to the issue of international migration As the GMG set out to pursue these objectives It had to deal with some shortcomings for one it was not rooted in a member states mandate and Secondly by its very nature. It was a loose coordination mechanism and therefore inevitably had limited effectiveness Then came the events on Europe's borders in 2015 which eventually precipitated a more urgent call for global action on migration The stress caused by large-scale movements of people was further compounded By the fact that while many came seeking asylum as refugees Many others were simply fleeing various forms of severe hardship and seeking a better life As you know on July 16 member states of the UN through the General Assembly, sorry on July 2016 member states of the General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution making IOM a Related organization to the UN This formalized I think was clearly already a very close relationship between IOM and the United Nations The agreement though served to strengthen existing cooperation and enhance the ability of both IOM and the other relevant UN entities to fulfill their respective mandates in the best interest of migrants and of course of member states Through the agreement the UN recognizes IOM as an indispensable actor in the field of human mobility a few months later in September of 2016 the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants The New York Declaration carried with it a wide range of undertakings by member states to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect people on the move It has paved the way for the adoption of as you know the two new global compacts in 2018 a Global compact for safe orderly and regular migration, which will be formally adopted in Marrakech in December and a global compact on refugees The adoption of the New York Declaration and IOMs joining the UN system have served as impetus for the Secretary General to advance the agenda of modernizing the way in which the UN system supports member states on all aspects of international migration In his report in January of this year making migration work for all The Secretary General called for the creation of the UN Network on Migration That would effectively succeed the global migration group on the 13th of July this year Member states came to an agreement on the text of the global compact for safe orderly and regular migration It is as you know and has been often repeated a non legally binding document and Therefore no new legal obligations arise under domestic or international law for participating states The text is an agreed outcome from the very extensive intergovernmental negotiations and it's for each state to determine its next steps The aim of the global compact is neither to stop nor to encourage migration Rather, it is to facilitate safe orderly and regular mobility The global compact calls upon the UN system to support member states as they further shape their own migration policies and their own plans for implementation in Particularly the global compact welcomes the secretary general's proposal to create the network. I Will elaborate on the network in a moment, but I want to make the following point very clear Irrespective of the global compact IOMs coming into the UN system meant that it had to be expected to assume a larger Coordinating role on migration related activities the compact reaffirms this reality and Actually provides a useful blueprint for the types of coordinating activities that member states are likely to require from the UN system Many if not all of you are familiar with these developments, but I wanted to present them to provide a context Not just on what brought us here, but also on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead So now let me turn if I may to the UN network on migration and maybe give you a little bit more details about its constitution and up and proposed operations paragraph 45 of the global compact expressly welcomes the decision of the secretary general to establish this UN network on migration The network represents a clear manifestation of the collective commitment By the UN to promote overall coherence on migration activities The secretary general's vision in one is one that is shared among UN entities and an overwhelming majority of member states Just this October members of the network and Representatives from various stakeholders met here in Geneva to finalize and to adopt its terms of reference The meeting also culminated in the formal activation of the network as called for by the secretary general's decision This important step was preceded by months of intense collaboration amongst members of a Preparatory group a group that was made out of representatives from UN entities that were named in the New York Declaration This rested on and actually reinforced a genuine cooperative spirit Which I believe will serve the network very well going forward As noted by the global compact the network shall fully draw from the technical expertise and experience of relevant entities within the United Nations migration system This is in recognition of the important work done so far by these entities in The areas of migrations that fall within their respective mandates While at the same time steering away from the siloed approaches of the past The global compact is expressly anchored in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and as such will also Ground the work of the network of course in the UN Charter and in an international law The link with the SDGs is particularly important not least because some characteristics of migration are Inextricably linked with development remittances for instance is the most common issue That is referred to as as an important link between migration and development And one that of course impacts both countries of origin and destination The network will be guided by a set of principles which are also a reflection of the values and ideas expressed by member states during the various rounds of negotiations these include accountability a human rights based gender responsive child sensitive and result oriented approach And a focus on coherence a unity of purpose efficiency and inclusivity Let me now turn to the membership of the network It will consist of members of the UN system for whom migration is of relevance to their mandates And who wish to be part of it Within the network, they will be an executive committee whose initial members are UN Dessa ILO IOM OHCHR UNICEF UNDP UNHCR and UNODC This executive committee is tasked with providing overall guidance and setting strategic Priorities to support member states as the latter determine their migration priorities and Their next steps in light of the global compact In addition to the entities in it in the executive committee the network is presently comprised of a large number of other UN funds programs agencies and offices Alongside with some of the coordination mechanisms such as the IASC Secretariat the regional economic commissions and the World Bank. I could actually give you a full list of Membership, but I think it this list of acronyms would probably challenge your Will to live Has called Sculled for by the secretary general in his January report and acknowledged in the global compact IOM will serve as the coordinator and the secretariat of the network the director general of IOM Or he is or her designee will serve in that capacity as coordinator Director general Vittorino I think is fair to say has welcomed the opportunities and challenges that this task presents for IOM and has consistently Pledge support for the cohesion and inclusiveness that its members wish to see in the network Some of the most important work of the network will be done through its working groups The composition of working groups will be drawn not just from the executive committee But from all members of the network and in addition from non-governmental partners as may be relevant similarly in fact to the way IASC Operates in the humanitarian field these working groups will focus on specific issues and on Deliverables IOM of course will serve again as secretariat for these working groups The network fully aligns its work with existing coordinating mechanisms and the repositioning of The UN development system that means not engaging in work That is already done very well by others again I mentioned the humanitarian field where there is a robust Existing coordination mechanism at the country level the network will seek to support the work of UN country teams as They face a range of migration related issues Let me touch briefly on another part of the network structure The network will have a capacity building mechanism as called for in the global compact This will comprise three parts and that's spelled out in the compact itself a start-up fund a Connection hub and a knowledge platform The start-up fund is intended to help start-up or Complement pre-existing projects to support member states in in implementing the global compact The connection hub will facilitate demand-driven tailor-made and integrated solutions by identifying main Implementing partners within and outside the UN system and connecting requests to similar initiatives and solutions The global knowledge platform will serve as an online open data source for a repository of existing evidence practices and initiatives and Facilitate the accessibility to knowledge and the sharing of solutions The network will place high priority on supporting member states as they embark on Utilizing the compact in line with their national policies and priorities In its DNA the network will seek to be responsive as appropriate to calls for support whether from member states UN country teams or other partners For its next immediate steps the network through its executive committee will focus on the development of its work plan Including the preliminary formation of some working groups The network will also prioritize the further development of the capacity building mechanism and of course its eventual implementation The inter-governmental conference in Marrakesh to adopt the global compact is a mere 12 days away I hope that the conference will be an opportunity to exchange ideas for kick-starting practical efforts to implement the compact The compact includes as you know suggestions for both short and long-term actions on the 23 objectives That can be pursued in parallel Governments of course will prioritize differently But can work together to identify certain actions either at the national regional or international levels in order to capture some immediate practical benefits from the global compact Many of the objectives in the compacts required bilateral regional or other forms of multilateral cooperation Many also require the engagement of non-governmental stakeholders including migrants themselves The compact allows us to see the connection between different levels of action on migration and link global cooperation To specific policies more clearly I'm looking forward to hearing from member states and from other stakeholders about their ideas in the discussion that we will That will be held in Marrakesh I would like to assure you that members of the network are fully engaged in ensuring That it is appropriately prepared to take on its set of responsibilities Including facing challenges and pursuing opportunities as we usher in a new way of handling migration issues in a cohesive and coherent system Thank you very much Thank you very much Louise and after Colleen's presentation. We will have the opportunity to ask you will have the opportunity to ask questions to Louise our world So, let me let me move now to Our civil society legation Colleen Rajman who has guided IOM and helped To ensure that civil society Across the world and from all different sectors are aware of and contribute with their deep knowledge and expertise To the member state development of the global compact Thank you very much deputy director general and good morning to you and as far as to you miss our board special representative Excellencies and colleagues. I want to say at the outset of this What an honor it is for me to be sitting here on the panel with two incredibly powerful and very Open-minded and thought thinking leaders And two wonderful women have been had the pleasure of working with this last two years And also special thanks. I want to say at this outset also to Michelle Klein Solomon and her team the global compact team at IOM as well as the IPD team the international partnership division In IOM for the vision of including and really prioritizing civil society engagement throughout the global compact process and now Into the UN network as well So a lot of the comments that I'll make here has driven by this experience in the last two years But also looking forward beyond that as well When the UN network was first announced in negotiations There was a really high interest by civil society about what this would look like and what this would entail and Particularly where civil society engages with it And that interest has only spiked and peaked even more throughout the process and will be much more So going into Marrakesh and coming out of that On its part IOM held for open dialogues with civil society and other stakeholders Throughout the negotiation process this year in person open dialogues to engage around all things related both to IOM's work But also specifically around the global compact and then the last two really focused in on the UN network in great detail and specificity Out of the first few dialogues of these we actually received a lot of recommendations and Inputs from civil society to convene a smaller working group Looking just only at civil society and stakeholder engagement in the implementation Follow-up and review of the global compact as well as in the in the UN network and that working group convene It's first meeting in June just before the June round of negotiations As well as last month on the 10th of October the day after IDM the international dialogue on migration here in Geneva with a full-day meeting and Discussion just on the UN network in great detail We had a lot of robust discussions on that and that meeting was not only with IOM and IOM staff But also with the executive committee of the UN network and with the SRSG's office as well We also have helped to follow up conference calls since that meeting in the past few weeks and we'll convene one more Follow-up meeting in Marrakesh itself in person to again continue discussions and dialogue around the UN network There have been other dialogues of course that IOM has convened and specifically I want to mention the dialogues We've had with the regional working group civil society working group that convenes seven different focal points from around the world Working in the regional level and we've had one last meeting in July round of the negotiations Again talking about the working group talking about the UN network and how Implementation might happen at the regional level and how engagement can happen with regional civil society bodies as well The SRSG's office as well has held a series of briefings and convenings around the network with civil society and other stakeholders One of the more prominent one was in July The special representative held herself with civil society around the July negotiations and one just last week last Tuesday That was held in a webinar format as well so that civil society could engage from around the world So a number of briefings from the SRSG's office as well During the negotiations the co-facilitators also held a series of dialogues with stakeholders in during each round of negotiations In the last two or three of those Specific focus was given to the UN network and in the very last round of negotiations in the final Closing plenary of the July negotiations. We had a series of stakeholders speak specifically about both the compact as well as the UN network Other agencies especially from the core group or from the executive committee have also held a series of discussions and meetings With civil society and other stakeholders around the UN network OHCHR ILO UNICEF and others as well so this is just to give a snapshot on the breadth and the depth of Information exchanges that we've had with civil society and other stakeholders around the UN network As well as around the implementation follow-up and review of the global compact So there's been a robust amount of this and a lot of that has culminated in the framing meeting that Madam Arbor had just mentioned a moment ago on the second day of that framing meeting on the 16th of October There was a special two-hour session dedicated to stakeholders discussion around the UN network We had 11 stakeholders that participated in this One represented from the national human rights institutions one from the trade unions one from the private sector one from academia and a few from other civil society organizations as well and From this meeting I just want to refer to a series of Recommendations and inputs that we have coming out of this framing meeting and built around that as well first of all just a recommendation in terms of Principles and a lot of this is driven from paragraph 44 of the global compact itself as well as the new To hours around the UN network The principles are sort of for that I can list out here first is that this should be built on a principle of partnership and the spirit of collaboration Secondly full inclusivity at all levels in all ways Thirdly a principle of transparency that Conduct of the UN network and all of its work should be done in the most open way possible and Unfortunately a common purpose that the new UN network should be driven by a common purpose not just by members of its agencies But also with other non-UN stakeholders as well And from this we have a series of very specific Programmatic as well as pragmatic recommendations that have emerged first of all Quite happy to mention this first one it has been widely widely Recommended and very strongly recommended that within the UN network that be a dedicated function For stakeholder engagement a lot of this is actually built on the experience of my role in this last two years around the global compact But just to break out this into some core elements of what this might look like This function should be based on a partnership a visible society and other stakeholders in engagement with the UN network and not just one based on a procedural relationship The that the function should be done proactively and working directly with interlocutors Focal points and coordinators of different stakeholders and these already exist and when I mentioned early in the framing meeting we had participants from NHRIs from academia From the private sector from trade unions out of society There are already interlocutors Coordinators focal points that convene a large segments of these stakeholders So working with these people these coordinators is really essential in how we move forward in that discussion And how their engagement can be So that's the first core recommendation that has been widely and repeatedly mentioned throughout by all stakeholders secondly the director general in the framing meeting itself also Referred to the possibility of convening a consultation early next year with stakeholders to talk about the UN network in much more detail And to roll up our sleeves and get down to the nitty gritty of what the mechanism of engagement would look like This has been widely well received by all stakeholders and there's a lot of anticipation around this So we we really really look forward to that But just to break out in that as well just some core pieces of recommendations of what this could look like in general Firstly, there has been strong encouragement to try to convene this within three or four months of next year Not too early not too late. They think beyond four five six months A lot of the core elements of the network might have been formed and be too late for stakeholders to give input into that a Little bit too early and things might not be in place as well to have ability to react to so three or four months Is sort of the the timeline we're looking at that I think would make a lot of sense and that has been recommended and Again secondly also to work directly with interlocutors focal points and coordinators of different stakeholders in both not just Participating in that consultation, but actually in the planning stages leading up to that consultation In fact, there has been some proposals to form some kind of joint planning committee With the UN network into designing how that consultation and that engagement could look like so that when we get to that A lot of the work will already be in place. We can roll up our sleeves and get down to the real details of the work So that's the second big sort of recommendation that that consultation the third is actually participation a lot of focus around Participation in the UN network from stakeholders has revolved around working groups I think this is where we understand is where the rubber meets the road so to speak where business gets done So there's been a lot of focus on different series of recommendations on how stakeholders can engage in the working groups talking about participating as You know sort of advisory roles associate membership as well as co-chairing different working groups and Rotating with other stakeholders as well a lot of this can actually be built around some existing mechanisms Existing models of how this exists. I see is one of those that has been repeatedly mentioned As well as even some of the workings of the GMG in the past Fourth big recommendation that has really come out and this is something that has been really underlined are extremely important Especially for a body like IOM It's around national and regional linkages and how this feeds into the global Global workings of the UN network It has been really repeatedly mentioned that work actually happens Mostly on the ground in the field and we need to drop on that in fact most stakeholders Operate at the field level at the regional and national levels And this is where we need to draw from and not forget and not just have the same usual suspects on the international level as we Welcome, but we must compliment that with real robust engagement at the regional and national levels as well How the civil society and other stakeholders work closely with country teams regional Coordinators as well as the regional economic commissions and RCPs are all questions that needs to be addressed soon As we build up the UN network and this can be done directly With representatives from an interlocutors focal points and coordinators from those regional and national working working groups and stakeholders as well The fifth big recommendations information sharing this goes back to the principle of transparency Information sharing should be something that's underlined throughout the workings of the UN network ongoing dialogues and consultations should be put into place But also a suggestion has emerged on how we could do a newsletter so that all Civil society and stakeholders could be informed about the workings of the UN network and its progress and Then the six big recommendation that has also emerged and this is something that is Some I think we should flag Especially for member states as you implement different pieces of this civil society views our roles In a very diverse format. There's of course, you know society and other stakeholders have a broad sense of diversity And experience and work But also in how we view our role in the implementation of the global compact as well as engagement with the UN network There is a wide diversity on this and I try to categorize into two distinct groups One as co-implementers of the work the actual work being done But secondly not to forget as monitors To review and see where there are gaps and where there are needs for better work But also to see where there are good practices already in place and identify those and lift that up to be replicated in other contexts as well My recommendation is really to embrace this diversity of roles in its entirety I think we've seen throughout the negotiation process, but also going back to the consultation process and beyond That the diversity of the roles that stakeholders play can actually add to the immense richness of the work that we are about to embark on and if we can encapsulate all of that in its entirety We can really implement this in its its full richness So again, we want to emphasize that we should really try to embrace The monitoring role that civil society sees itself playing as well as co-implementation role And finally my closing remark is actually looking towards the civil society side of things And to reflect on some of the development already happening on that side as well Which sort of mirrors the development around the UN network and one in particular is around the civil society action committee Which has been in operation Since the high-level summit and throughout the global compact process and both global compact processes and this last two years The civil society action committee is undertaking a very detailed assessment and review process looking at the structure of civil society engagement around migration policy matters and very very directly focused on the UN network This will lead into a 2019 restructuring of how civil society engages at all levels the global regional national levels and around all work related to migration This is something I think we should be Looking very closely yet and supporting in every way we can because I think this development That follows the same development of the UN network is going to be so complementary That the engagement will actually be fit for purpose in the UN network more than anything else So it's something I'm very quietly confident and very very excited about as well that we should look to in the coming years But in particularly in next year I think this will be a turning point of this new era And I think we really look forward for stakeholder engagement in the UN network and all work related to migration Thank you very much Colleen and Let me just briefly underscore some few points from the IMSI And I am like majority of the UN entities is an intergovernmental organization And therefore our main task is first and foremost To service Our our member states all of you While the UN network is comprised only of UN entities the judge of its effectiveness Ultimately will be the extent to which it serves all of you in the implementation of the global compact and in your addressing your needs I Am will continue to be a very responsive Efficient and effective operational partner to governments and other stakeholders both here at headquarters and Primarily through our field offices throughout the world Working directly with you to improve the management of migration and the lives of migrants Our own will partner with other With others where it makes sense to do so and the network I think provides a very strong opportunity to deepen that cooperation across the board Our intention is to couple that operational effectiveness with an enhanced ability To leverage the pre-existing expertise and capacities of the UN systems System as well as IOM own extensive work on the ground at the local national regional and global levels To do so a small UN network migration network secretariat staff will be created here at headquarters I'm a and I'm encouraging The other members of the network executive committee and we have done so with the with the director general To consider loaning experts to that secretariat both to share the responsibility for the network But also to bring a genuine spirit of solidarity to its work The new policy have that was outlined by our director general yesterday Will also be able to inform the work of the network by drawing together Knowledge and expertise across IOM Now more than ever I think that you need an IOM that brings its full knowledge and expertise to support our collective efforts to manage migration more effectively and more humanely Now let me open the floor. I know that there have been a lot of questions about the network from our membership So you have the best Person here to respond to all those questions And I think it's an opportunity that you should not miss. So the floor is open for questions Ethiopia you have the floor Thank you all moderator. Miss Thompson. I Wish to thank first the IOM for organizing this important panel. I would show so to extend my appreciation to Madame Arbor and Mr. Colleen for their presentations which have found them to be very informal and informative with regard to the knowledge That I have about the UN migration network and the framing conference that was held here in Geneva last October As we all recall there was a Persistent call from member states and other stakeholders During the negotiations of the impact over the compact that Hall of a society and all of a government approach Should be complemented with the whole of the UN approach to avoid fragmentation and at times overlapping and competing support of the different UN agencies There was also a strong call for capacity building to Developing countries to effectively address the mirrored of migration management challenge Which ultimately reflected in the document with the establishment of the capacity building mechanism In that regard, I believe that it's encouraging to know that there is a progress in responding to these questions with establishment of UN migration network and capacity building mechanism I want to take this opportunity to Appreciate Madame Harbour's work and her office for the progress made in the preparation of the terms of reference and of initial composition of the members of a membership and leading to an early working plan for of cross cutting issues Let me Finally ask two questions The first is the UN migration network being successor of GMC in a sense that whatever the experience in the operational experience of GMC GMG have in the past to what extent this has informed the working of the functions of the the UN migration network and secondly, I Hope that miss or both said there is a linkage between this migration network as well as the Capacity building mechanism, but would be very happy to know a little bit how it's going to walk in terms of concrete Example if there is a possibility In particular, we are very much interested at the capacity building make Mechanism is to support developing countries to address various challenges of migration in particular again with Africa since we have in Africa this the free movement of protocol and also although God will go action Plan on human trafficking among others. These are I think directly related to migration issues so at what extent the network is Within the context of the capacity building mechanism would address these issues. Thank you very much Thank you master there. I give the floor now to Philippines master. You have the floor Thank you very much at the very beginning. Let me convey our profound appreciation for the continued leadership of our SRSG and to our Colleagues in the IOM for the important contributions they have been making We would like to express our appreciation for this briefing We are relieved that in its conceptualization it is entirely in line with the service to member states orientation of the IOM which we are Informed will not be affected, but will be a metric by which to judge the success of the network we are hopeful furthermore that the Network is will be a very potent mechanism for doing away with the silos that Very much has characterized some of the work of the UN in this field and other fields a way of flattening the Management and decision-making processes I am also concerned with the point that was raised by our good friend the ambassador of Ethiopia and our Chairperson about the interaction with states We are confident that this can be worked out, but it's a question of advising us How we will move forward and there is a I read somewhere also some provision or invitation for secondment By the agencies if this applies to states How how would this impact? Developing countries that do not have the funds but have perhaps the personnel to share and Finally, we are looking forward to Moving the process forward In Marrakesh Marrakesh is for this purpose is is the starting line. So We look forward to working together with all those concerned once again. Thank you very much to all those who have contributed To this panel and to the ongoing work of our nascent network. Thank you Thank you, Ambassador Romania you have the floor SRSG Luis Arbor This is deputy director general Thompson. Mr. Rajak Excellency Distinguished delegates I speak on behalf of the following group of countries Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta The Netherlands Portugal my own country Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden and the United Kingdom The global compact for safe orderly and regular migration to be adopted in a few days time in Marrakesh while acknowledging specific National approaches with respect to it can contribute to strengthening the international response to migration flows and to moving towards a more sustainable management of migration We should work together To ensure that migration is safe orderly and regular as well as human and Sustainable and in the interest of the countries of origin transit and destination We truly believe that the positive impact of migration can only be harnessed if migration is well-managed and if Irregular migration is significantly reduced In a highly in depth interdependent world migration can only be addressed through international cooperation in accordance with international law Migration is a global phenomenon that requires appropriate regional interregional and global cooperation and solutions based on the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility We welcome the decision of the secretary general to establish a new UN network on migration which we view as a sexer of global migration group and We are looking forward to its official launch in the margins of the Marrakesh intergovernmental conference We are pleased to note that IOM will serve as a coordinator and secretary of the all-constituted parts of the network Welcome as well the establishment of the executive committee of the UN migration network Supported by the clear working principle as well as time-bound and Objectives driven working groups and the capacity building mechanism We also welcome recent developments pertaining to the migration network and the public publication of the terms of reference and Look forward to learning more details about the network structure Secretariat and working groups in particular with regards to the networks role in relation to the capacity building mechanism The IOM remains a crucial partner and we expect even further Intensified cooperation with the UN migration network in partnerships with all the organizations Including the SRHG's office and with respect for specific mandates and roles We expect the network to enable us to have a more 360-degree view on migration and solidly engage with all relevant stakeholders and we look forward to hearing more about the means by which Member states will be able to inform and influence the work of the UN migration network So far the IOM has delivered solid work in supporting the GSM Process we are looking forward to learn more about the outcome of this collective effort. Thank you very much Thank you, Romania Morocco you have the floor Merci beaucoup madame la directrice générale adjointe. Je vous Je m'excuse je voudrais remercier nos deux panellistes pour leurs Interventions très instructive très détaillé et qui nous donne un aperçu important sur le travail qui nous attend Dans notre interaction avec le réseau sur la migration Mais je voudrais me limiter vous avez dit madame la directrice générale adjointe que effectivement nous avons beaucoup de questions Je voudrais me limiter à un seul aspect abordé d'ailleurs par madame harbour dans son intervention qui qui lit la question de la migration en développement Comment le sait aujourd'hui les transferts des migrants du point de vue de leur volume financier dépasse et j'allais dire de loin l'aide octroyer au titre de la coopération pour le développe il s'agit donc d'un levier très important qui peut aider les états qui le souhaitent dans leur coopération pour la gestion des phénomènes migratoires qui peut aider ces états à Se consacrer aux causes réels qui pousse un certain nombre de populations vers la migration et en particulier les populations qui se trouve dans une situation de migration forcé je veux dire par là qu'une bonne gestion des transferts occasionnés par les migrants vers leur pays d'origine peuvent être utilisés exploiter pour le développement de régions dont on est dans son issue les migrants dit illégaux le constat qui a été établi jusqu'au jour d'aujourd'hui ce que ces transferts sont essentiellement consacré vers des dépenses sociales dans les pays d'origine qui sont naturellement très nécessaires mais il s'agit aujourd'hui de réfléchir et de planifier pour que ces transferts soient également traduits vers des investissements productifs qui pourraient jouer un rôle important dans l'assayement des zones de immigration clandestine et aussi pour la coopération entre les pays d'origine et de destination il en va de même pour ce qui concerne naturellement l'exploitation des hautes compétences de migrants dans les pays de destination qui pourrait jouer un rôle très important dans la planification et la réalisation de ces investissements productifs c'est pour ça que nos estimants sont vouloir entrer de les détails des appraisants que le réseau qui est mis en place grâce à sa constitution de compétences variées et diverses des différents agences des nations unies pour réjouer un rôle très important dans cette politique dans ces gestions réussies de l'immigration liées au développement et en particulier en association au travail du réseau les secteurs le secteur privé dans les différents pays concernés c'est en particulier les pays d'origine et aussi de destination et je pense ici en particulier au secteur bancaire qui peut jouer un rôle très important nous savons aussi aujourd'hui qu'il y a des prélèvements significatifs sur ces transferts d'immigrants vers leur pays d'origine c'est à dire que le système bancaire agit dans ces opérations et nous souhaitant qu'il puisse aussi agir dans la formation de compétences et la et surtout l'élaboration et le soutien au projet d'investissement productif des migrants voilà donc ce que j'avais à dire madame la directrice générale adjointe et surtout en conclusion j'aimerais poser une petite question à madame arbour est ce qu'elle considère que le réseau a pour tâche également de définir une stratégie allons dans ce sens allons dans le sens de l'exploitation d'une meilleure exploitation des transferts d'immigrants du point de vue économique vers leur pays d'origine et je vous remercie Je vous remercie monsieur l'ambassadeur and now I give the floor to Canada Thank you madam chair Want to thank the panelists for their helpful interventions. I wanted to ask a question to the IOM Generally about costs costs of implementation Before I do that, I just wanted to say that a special representative Arbour's tracing of the Evolution of where we are Of how we got to where we are in terms of the international migration debate Is is very instructive and when you think about that trajectory that we've been on It's very clear that the fact that that we now have the IOM in a place where it's become a related agency that it's being Identified as the coordinator of the network It's almost clear that even without the global compacts we were on the trajectory for this to happen for the IOM in any event Which is which is good news? And which is appropriate because we do need that kind of function to be played within the UN system and and Even if it hadn't been for the global compacts we would be here, but we do have the global compact So even more that that role is even even more important and when we think about things like the establishment of the Policy hub that the deputy director general mentioned when we think about the establishment of the network These are very very important functions in order to support all of us in terms of our own Management of migration So the questions that we have and we don't necessarily need answers today But we would like the IOM to reflect on this and to get back to us with some answers is What exactly will be the costs to the IOM of putting these functions in place? What is the most effective way of funding these functions and how will we measure the success of what we've put in place? Once these functions are in place and up and running We hope Canada hopes that countries will use the global compact on migration as leverage. They will leverage what's in there to make Changes to their own systems. Obviously. It's entirely the decision of individual countries But we know for example in Canada that by having pathways for permanent residents in our country We've we've been able to contribute to our own tax base contribute to our own wealth as a country We know that pathways for temporary residents have helped fill labor market shortages that we have in various sectors Across our country and that has been helpful as well We invest about one billion dollars a year in settlement and integration services We don't do this purely out of altruism or purely to help people who need this help We do it because it's an investment With more effective integration Newcomers to Canada are able to integrate more effectively into our economy and again create income for themselves and for our country So we're hoping that other countries that don't necessarily have these services or these functions in place might want to consider Taking these on putting these Services in place again, they'll they'll benefit migrants to your countries, but they'll benefit your countries too So hopefully with that impetus there'll be some interest in countries in making these investments themselves Getting the expertise from the IOM to put these systems in place But there will nonetheless be costs for the IOM and so that's where I come back to that original question in terms of What are the costs? What is the best way to fund those things and how will we measure the outcomes? Thank you? Thank you very much, Canada Gracias, señora presidenta Queremos agradecer a los panelista a los panelista por la Exposición muy clara que se ha realizado Previamente y por la actualización sobre la red sobre migración de las naciones unidas Ahora que nos aproximamos a la adopción del pacto mundial para una migración segura ordenada y regular Hablar de su implementación es crucial para llevar a la práctica sus Objetivos en beneficio de los migrantes y de los países de origen tránsito y destino El ecuadora coge con satisfacción el nuevo rol de la OIM como secretaría y coordinadora de la de esta red La experiencia en el terreno de la OIM y su liderazgo en el ámbito de la migración Será de gran aporte y ayuda para seguir mejorando la coordinación en temas de migración Dentro del sistema de las naciones unidas y ofrecer un apoyo efectivo y coherente A todo el sistema en la implementación y revisión del pacto En este sentido creemos que la OIM se encuentra en una posición de liderazgo única para ofrecer un enfoque Multisectorial tan necesario para la discusión de políticas la asociación la colaboración el intercambio de Experiencias y la movilización de recursos para facilitar la gobernanza de la migración a nivel global regional y nacional O sea internamente en los estados Consigramos que el grupo de trabajo relativo a las relaciones entre la OIM Y naciones unidas y las cuestiones con exas Podría ser el espacio para informar a los estados de manera regular y continua la labor de la OIM dentro de la red señora presidenta La red deberá contribuir al logro de los objetivos de desarrollo Sostenible en este sentido Quiero resaltar el trabajo que ha venido realizando el foro global de migración y desarrollo Particularmente su contribución a logro de los oes específicos y relacionados con la migración El ecuador al asumir la presidencia del foro Año venidero en el 2019 Impulsará las herramientas Existentes como la plataforma para alianzas que contiene más de mil prácticas en materia de migración y desarrollo Y fortalecerá el potencial de esta herramienta Como un mecanismo que permita interacciones presenciales Enfocadas en compartir experiencias entre estados y socios clave Esto representa una oportunidad sin precedentes para fomentar las capacidades de los estados Lo que permitirá que basen sus acciones en información técnica debidamente Procesada y no en persecciones políticas De esta manera Podremos delinear políticas a mediano y largo plazo que permitan aprovechar Los beneficios de la migración en el desarrollo de todos los estados de origen de tránsito y de destino Adicionalmente el foro ha venido trabajando a través de asociaciones Estratégicas regionales y globales las cuales están claramente Identificadas en el pacto En este sentido el foro prevé un espacio amplio informal inflexible para el establecimiento de asociaciones estratégicas La construcción de consensos y la creación de sinergias Por lo tanto el ecuador considera que el foro puede aportar de manera sustantiva al trabajo de la red Confiamos en un futuro más ambicioso y sólido de la gobernanza Internacional de las migraciones que repercuta en favor de la defensa de los derechos de todos los migrantes mediante entre otras la construcción de una narrativa más positiva de la migración quisiera expresar una pregunta para la señora harbor cómo se conformaría el grupo de trabajo y de qué manera Identificará las prioridades este grupo con los integrantes y representantes de los países miembros Muchas gracias La France France Party Okay Then not having any other request for the floors for the floor. I will start giving the the floor to miss our word to respond to The majority of the questions that were for you Thank you Thank you very much Many questions dealt with the functioning of the network So I'm gonna try to address them sort of in a comprehensive fashion Right at the outset the first question that was put to me in that regard was in a sense what is the difference between this new network and The global migration group which some of you may recall was called at the outset the Geneva Migration group it started with the Geneva based agencies and then expanded there are many many ways In which it is meant to be different structurally And I really hope that in fact the deliverables will make it clear that it's a very different way of doing business I think for the UN They the global migration group as of now was comprised of 22 Agencies so it had reached a critical mass that made it I think very difficult to operate For instance without a smaller executive committee The network I think will have an even larger Membership but with a very very dedicated executive capacity comprised as Presently Constituted of eight members the ones that have the most direct day-to-day Set of activities related to migration, but it will draw on a much larger Constituency and of course will reach out to other stakeholders through the formation of the working groups So structurally I think it's going to be very different It's going to be a larger network, but with a core Functioning executive committee that will make it I hope much more agile The second characteristic is that it now is not only a sort of internal Administrative mechanism of the UN it is infused with mandates from member states through the global compact and in fact it is In its structure it will be able to house essentially the capacity building mechanism That the global compact calls for this is the capacity building mechanism, which I've described you remember It's there in the compact There's a knowledge platform a connection hub and very importantly a startup fund all this will be in a sense administered by the network Let me say a few things about the startup fund because as is often the case the the funding is a pretty critical aspect of The work that the operations of the network the startup fund Contemplates obviously Contributions To a fund that will require as all the trust funds in the United Nations a governance structure That governance structure will be composed again as is the case in all these trust funds of UN member states and stakeholders Forming the oversight of the of the fund and will be administered by The MPTF office the multi-partner trust funds office in the in the UN Which has I think a very transparent and well-known method of Operating these funds This will be supported by the network Secretariat so that that the trust fund is a separate entity But it will be housed with the capacity building in the capacity building mechanism that the network I think will be operating I Think this will give coordination Much much more meaning than the global migration group ever had this will really be the network will be the front door The one thing I want to stress at the outset though is that I think in creating the network We were all very conscious of ensuring that there's no suggestion of the network overtaking any of the mandates of its Contributing members There's no suggestion that all of a sudden this network should overtake the specific Mandate activities tasks that are currently performed very well by Independent agencies what I think it will aim to do is reduce the Considerable duplication of activities when coordination is not as intense as I hope it will be in the network There are lots of initiatives that are were member states or UN country teams for instance knock on different doors and After the fact we realize that there are all kinds of projects that are very similar to each other quite duplicative The network should be able to really resolve that and therefore produce considerable Efficiencies in the system and it should also strive to identify the few areas where collective action Is vastly preferable and will have more impact than anything within the single mandate of One of the participating entities this will be work in progress But I think with with us a real secretariat housed in IOM This will become This will become a reality the working groups will be key, but certainly speaking for myself, and I hope that this idea will Generate some traction in the in the secretariat and in and in the executive committee of the network Certainly at the outset. I think they should be Few rather than too many working groups They should not be duplicative of the existing silos that we're trying to dismantle We should not in my view have working groups that will just invite the reconstitution of silos, so they should be Practical time limited focused on results closely closely monitored and if they're not Delivering they should be set aside in favor of other initiatives So I think this will be a way of measuring the added value of Operating through working groups the worst scenario to me would be these kind of permanent standing working groups that will have No particular Timelines for producing anything and will tend to have to be thematic on a very large basis The working groups actually and I'll come to the question of remittances that was used This is an example. It's an issue that comes Often I think it's been extensively studied particularly the question of the cost of transfer of remittances The World Bank has done a lot of work on that. There are other aspects of remittances That that are problematic for instance the Importance and therefore to some extent the dependence of some countries of origin on the scale of remittances that in some cases add up to 20 25 percent of GDP May create a lot of fragility if if there's no as they never is the Accurate projections of the likelihood of that stream of income coming in Being likely to be in place in the future. There are lots of aspects also regarding how better use could be made of money that that Constitutes so much of income in some countries and yet is channeled it seems for the most part for Individual use in families for education for housing for health care and whether they are ways of Harvesting larger benefits for development lots of these issues I think honestly there's not a single UN agency today That has the capacity to look at all of these issues the World Bank may have Specific expertise on the question of reducing the cost of transfers, but others UNDP for instance might come in with a lot more capacity to Think of initiatives that will increase the development potential of of this this stream of income in Developing countries so these are examples I think of how working groups should be formed the trust fund of course will be available to support the capacity building mechanism which to which Multiplicity of partners can make calls so member states country teams will present presumably projects to to be supported by this trust fund as part of the capacity building mechanism that the global compact contemplates So The design of the fund I think will be clearly to prioritize Responsiveness to the needs at country and regional level. I don't think it's contemplated that should be again a source of income for thematic think-tanks through the working groups it's meant to be designed as genuine capacity building at national Regional sub-regional levels it will presumably Prioritize also initiatives that are based on partnerships to maximize its effectiveness And will be available I think for any initiatives that are anchored in the global compact which frankly represents just about any Possible initiative linked to international migration The the composition of the secretariat I think It's going to be very much for IOM in the network to look at what are what will be the needs they may It may be difficult to anticipate right at the outset what kind of staffing will be required I think there's Laura mentioned a call on the UN partners to contribute through Secondment of personnel and in some other ways again to try to Help bring this Working method together and minimize the cost of staffing the secretariat I think this will be within the at the beginning of next year I think we'll have a pretty clear sense of of how this will be Stashed and supported So I've spoken about remittances this was one specific Issue that has been I think very present throughout the consultations and Negotiations of the global compact and certainly one where I would hope the network will be able to produce deliverables Yeah, so I think I've touched on the composition and priorities of the working group I think is going to be probably the first order of business of the network and as I said In the conversations and the leading to the adoption of the terms of reference all agencies coming together I think there is a common sense that Nobody wants a very heavy structure and with very sort of abstract Mandates we're going to look at the outset. I think of trying to Be able to measure the effectiveness of this new way of cooperating consolidating and coordinating UN activities Thank you, Luis a couple of things that were directly asked to to IOM first of all I think we but we are clear is that the objective that we have with the network is to leverage in the Capacities of the UN system and as a result of that what we have felt in IOM is that as part of the secretariat We will need obviously Staff from IOM but also staff from other agencies and that's the call for secondment that we that we have made Secondment from UN agencies so that we have the expertise of a variety of entities in Within the secretariat, and I think that's going to be extremely important We have had that discussion with other agencies and and we are hopeful and I would say Optimistic that they will respond positively to that request and I think Well as a with regard to the costs the The director general was very clear when he made his statement that that this is a transitional budget for him And I think there are going to be costs Related to to this and we have obviously identified the coordination function that that will have to Happen not only here at headquarters level, but also at the ground in the field and because of the projectiles nature of IOM That will certainly be an issue to be addressed in the future and how to have that coordination role incorporated into the terms of reference and responsibilities of our chief of missions at the at the country level the secretariat also will be It will be an additional cost we The DG said very clearly that he's starting with a very small logic and the hope is that we put some staff members from IOM As Luis said something small that is not we are not Intending to create a huge structure Behind the network, but it's a very small thing and hopefully as I said before with the secondment of several Other agencies start from other agencies the policy have you cannot Connect totally the policy hub with the network because and certainly with the G With the global compact Because this is a need that is independent I would say Of the network, but it's certainly going to be informing the work of the network and I think it will be also an eventual Cost for the future again. I don't equate that to the network But but is an important element to add And certainly there will be other things like the knowledge Platform the connection hub that will require some technical expertise. We will see Again, it's something that I think we are at the very earlier stage at this point as Louis said we we have not established working groups We we we have to really look at what what is coming how the organizations are going to be working together What are going to be the requirements? For IOM specifically as a secretariat and the coordinator and once we have a clear idea on that We will come back to you on costs and we are hoping that There will be I Think we receive very positive messages already of several countries encouraging us to bring the Potential cost to them and discuss how to cover those costs in the future. And I think that there is a good A good a positive Look at those things for the future With regard to The other question was about And the discussion about how to keep informed member states. I think Well, there is first of all Report that the network is going to be doing correct me. Luis if I'm wrong to The secretary general if in order for him to report to the general assembly About the work of the network so so that is I think one first element Certainly at as IOM we will keep all of you informed through either the working group with IOM you and relations or other Venues that we have like the council and the SCPF certainly is going to be one of the things that we will keep member states in Fall and I know that there is La France de retour so I will give you the floor Bonjour et merci beaucoup je dois d'avoir représenté vraiment toutes mes excuses d'avoir soulevé ma pancarte Et d'avoir quitté la salle mais comme on dit il y avait une urgence Donc encore une fois toutes mes excuses en tout cas je me joint aux autres délégations qui sont exprimées pour remercier et l'OM et la représentante spéciale pour le travail qui a été accompli Depuis 2016 et notamment la constitution de ce réseau là ma délégation ne répétera pas ce qu'elle a déjà dit lors du discours général hier sur la légitimité et l'attente que nous avons lorsqu'il s'agit de l'organisation international d'immigration pour l'immigration pour être le coordinateur pertinent et légitime et le secretariat de ce réseau je vais joindre mon questionnement à celle qui Tout de moi aux questions qui ont déjà été posées par d'autres délégations notamment par le Canada sur les coups donc je ne vais pas me répéter sur cela je vais également féliciter la Roumanie qui a fait une déclaration dans laquelle mon pays se reconnaît entièrement et totalement j'espère que le fait d'avoir quitté la salle ne m'obligera pas à répondre ou à répéter des questions qui ont été posées mais j'aimerais avoir une précision sur l'articulation l'articulation excusez-moi qu'il y aura de fait entre le réseau tel que nous l'attendons et le réseau humanitaire puisque j'ai cru comprendre de l'envoyé spécial qu'il y aura une distinction qu'il faudra faire et ma question concerne notamment les initiatives qui seront prises pour éviter les doublons et les duplications pour parler à mauvais français en outre une autre question que j'aimerais poser concerne le comité exécutif bien sûr il n'appartient pas aux états peut-être de rentrer dans ce détail là vous me direz je n'en sais pas je ne sais pas vraiment mais j'ai remarqué qu'il y avait des organisations qui pourraient avoir une pertinence et qui n'y figure pas par exemple et pour suivre le programme de du conseil demain et cet après-midi je ne vois pas la présence d'une organisation comme l'ems qui pourrait avoir une pertinence et j'aimerais savoir si c'est un choix lié au mandat de l'ems ou si c'est parce qu'il a été considéré que sa présence n'était pas nécessaire ou pertinente au sein du du comité exécutif merci à vous je vous remercie oui alors merci beaucoup on a déjà eu beaucoup de discussion avec les autres réseaux existant au nations-unis entre autres dans le secteur humanitaire mais également dans le secteur du développement pour s'assurer précisément que le réseau en matière de migration ne va pas usurper des fonctions qui sont maintenant bien installées dans ces deux secteurs dans le secteur du développement et en particulier dans le dans le domaine humanitaire alors je pense qu'il va y avoir une très très bonne coordination entre le réseau sur la migration qui a quand même une vocation en matière de migration ou le secteur humanitaire est un aspect mais pas le seul et d'ailleurs probablement pas l'aspect le plus dominant parce qu'il y a des questions de développement question économique il y a beaucoup d'autres aspects alors on est très conscient de l'existence d'un réseau qui fonctionne très bien en matière d'activité humanitaire et l'agilité avec laquelle les acteurs du secteur humanitaire peuvent ouvrir à travers ce réseau va être entièrement respecté on va être en très bon contact avec eux d'ailleurs a et si et membre est un membre du réseau sur la migration on va être en très bon contact avec eux et comme je vous dis la même chose en matière de développement il faut pas non plus avoir des doublements d'activité des acteurs en matière de développement qui ont leur propre réseau et des acteurs en matière de migration la question du de la composition du comité exécutif du réseau a été une question très difficile on a commencé avec un comité préparatoire en fait on avait choisi à ce moment là pour ne porter aucun jugement de valeur sur l'éventuelle composition d'un comité exécutif on avait choisi les organismes qui étaient mentionnés dans la déclaration de new york et ça ça comprenait de toute évidence les acteurs les plus impliqués en matière en matière de migration ces mêmes acteurs se retrouvent dans le comité exécutif les seuls qui y ont été ajoutés dans une certaine mesure c'est l'unicef il y a eu des intérêts exprimés par d'autres la préoccupation bien sûr c'était de ne pas sombrer dans ce qui a été finalement une des lourdes du global migration group c'était d'avoir un groupe trop élargi et donc pas très agile plus difficile à manoeuvrer déjà 8 entités comme membre d'un comité exécutif c'était plus peut-être qu'on aurait voulu le faire au début un un dessa représente en fait le secrétariat les autres sont les acteurs qui étaient nommés dans la déclaration de new york qui sont moi je pense les les acteurs les plus impliqués en matière de migration et c'est sûr qu'il y en a d'autres mais leurs participations ils auront par exemple opportunité soit de présider un des groupes de travail ça ça va être une des façons dont leur expertise pourra être mise à disposition et on a bien mentionné que la formation du comité exécutif est la formation initiale alors je pense que ce sera loisible au réseau de revoir à terme l'efficacité de son comité exécutif et d'en changer la composition s'il y a lieu en peut-être que certains membres voudront qu'ils seront moins actifs voudront s'en dégager et d'autres pourront s'y joindre alors c'est ça reflète en fait je pense les les implications des entités les plus concernées thank you louise well taking into account the time that bring us to the to the end so i would like to thank very much with our board first of all for two years of intense work and it has been a pleasure working with you and personally and professionally and we look forward to seeing you in marrakesh and calling that has been also a very active partner and that has helped us to to bring civil society into all these discussions thanks to all of you for for having joined us we have before this closing this panel i would like to invite all of you to the side event that is happening in this very room at 13 30 in half an hour on advancing the migration health research agenda for evidence informed policy and practice i hope that you can join us on the discussion and have a nice lunch for those that are not going to join us and we will get together again back at three o'clock here with a panel on health thank you very much and this session is adjourned


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After a bit of a false start, the Switch Pro was announced last week, and to everyone's surprise, it was made by Valve. The Steam Deck is a powerful handheld PC designed specifically for gaming, which takes more than a little inspiration from Nintendo's hybrid console. When we asked for your questions about the Steam Deck in a community post, the response from a couple of you was… why? Just why? Why is Valve of all companies making a Switch competitor? Indeed, it's likely that plenty of people at Valve have been asking the same question. The base model of this decently powerful handheld is barely more expensive than the upcoming Switch OLED model. According to Valve CEO and magnificent beard owner Gabe Newell, we've had to be very aggressive in terms of pricing on the deck. Price point was painful, but that was pretty clearly a critical aspect to it. The Steam Deck then is not priced at a point that will make Valve a lot of money per unit sold, if any money at all. It seems though Valve is not necessarily in this to make a short-term profit. As the owners of the phenomenally popular Steam storefront, Valve gets a cut from the vast majority of all PC game sales around the world. And that means that the company's best strategy for long-term growth is to expand the number of people who are playing games on PC. Said Newell, these are long-term decisions that we're making about how we can contribute to the health and vitality of this ecosystem. We're always going to be successful as long as that's continuing to happen. Valve is often accused of abandoning the game's development sphere the moment that Steam proves successful, but that's not strictly true. Instead, with a guaranteed revenue service, Valve has been using this freedom to undertake weird, risky research projects that won't necessarily turn an immediate profit. For example, the company has invested heavily in virtual reality in recent years, developing Half-Life Alyx to try and coax more of their dedicated fans into giving the hour a try. This though is small potatoes compared to the impact that Nintendo is currently having on the gaming sphere. The convenience and portability of the Switch, coupled with a quality games library, has helped it to reach many customers who might not have otherwise given gaming a try. Speaking from experience, there are three main challenges to convincing console gamers to embrace the PC. Price, comfort, and compatibility. Unlike a Nintendo Switch, it's difficult to play a PC game while sat on the loo. Hardware and software developers have been trying to solve this problem for several years, with mixed results. Traditionally, it's also not always easy to get a specific game to run on any given hardware. The complexity involved with PCs makes them feel impenetrable to many console gamers. Valve's solution has been to develop SteamOS, an operating system that's specifically streamlined for ease of use, mimicking the console dashboard experience. Valve's hope is that this operating system won't just be used for the Steam Deck. The goal isn't to dominate the portable PC hardware market, but rather lay the foundations for other manufacturers to create their own products that will further increase the appeal for non-PC gamers. Said Newell, Our view is, if we're doing this right, then we're going to be selling millions of units, and it's clearly going to be establishing a product category that ourselves and other PC manufacturers are going to be able to participate in. And that's going to have long-term benefits for us. The logic is that a rising tide raises all ships. Once the Steam Deck has proven both the player base for this kind of device, and overcome many of the obstacles to making these devices work well, then plenty of manufacturers can produce their own portable PCs. Many new gamers will start buying these devices, spend more money in the Steam Store, and increase profits for Valve. Everybody wins. This is only even feasible because of Steam's current PC market share. Valve doesn't need to worry about short-term wins, or even set specific targets for success. Said Newell, We don't have some time ratio. We don't say, We have to sell eight games incrementally for each one of these, otherwise it doesn't make sense. Our calculus is more, is this the right product? Is it a great way to test out the assumption that there's a huge amount of value to game players and game developers to extending the PC ecosystem in this direction? This is certainly a nice attitude to hear from a massive gaming company. Especially considering that one of the other questions that proved popular this week was, Why is Nintendo seen as so greedy? We're going to leave that particular question to one side. But the fact remains, Valve is not working from the typical tech company playbook here. The goal isn't to be competitive, but to reap the benefits from creating greater opportunities for the industry as a whole. The moral of this story, life isn't a competition. Or rather, life doesn't have to be a competition. If we all work to create, in Gabe Newell's words, a better ecosystem, we can all enjoy nice things together.


Floyd ain't never did what Devon and did at 25 tank ain't did it. Nobody else ain't did it. It's all right Yeah, we represent the world. Yeah, we didn't done stuff that that Floyd hasn't done I want to ask you about After that fight, I remember the reason why you was like that Mayweather period is over It was like that's done said and done. It's time for Devon Haney. What did you just say calm like that? It's over. It's the Devon Haney era. That's what it is. It was then and now it's now. Wow. I'm just as excited Yeah, that's being you to say that though like I know it's real But a lot of time people a lot of stuff be real bill But people don't have the goal to go out and just say it like that the Mayweather era That's over with man.  It's all right.  You know what I mean? But heavy as the head the way to crown in order to stop it. You got to stick around. Yeah, you got to hang around that block to make sure it's yours Before you turf hop


Another concept has to do with the constant changes in the brain.  At a molecular level it is literally changing every single day. What's really important for us to understand, however, is that sometimes these changes in the brain are complex, they're dynamic, it's an integrated system and it's constantly changed by the individual's learning experiences. These changes at the molecular level can happen simultaneously in parallel or even before you can see the behavior. So for example, if I'm teaching a young kid to read, I can spend, you know, days, weeks, months, you know, fingering the letters, going over and over and over again, and the kid doesn't seem to read. But then one day he reads. Now it's not that in that second, in that moment he just learned to read, it's because all of those other pieces were finally coming into play. There was all of these very complex networks that have to be linked before he can have that ability to show us this behavior I can read, right? So one of the things that we have to remember as teachers is that the changes are occurring, but they're at a level that's invisible to the naked eye, it's invisible to behavioral observations. So sometimes with teachers, you know, we can be a little frustrated, you know, that we've tried so many things and the kid's just not getting it. It may be that he is getting it, but he's getting it slowly but surely at a level that we just can't visualize. So what does this mean about our teaching? This has a really big impact on what we would consider a natural learning cycle, right? So we connect the learning to prior knowledge. We have them see that concept in a larger concept. You know, you can describe what happens. You have input or you do activities with this kid. You can see that they can demonstrate that they can actually do that math problem or read that book or whatever it is. Then you review it and you have to have constant repetition for that to really solidify and become a habituated type of behavior. But do we as teachers, you know, permit these natural learning cycles to run their course or do we expect too many things too fast? Are we up against too many deadlines that we don't allow for this natural process? Are we allowing that slowly but surely those connections to form at that molecular level and then have that display of behavior that shows us that that kid learns? Or are we now rushing off to the next topic before he's actually solidified his understanding or has had enough repetition that that action can now become more automated? So have we built in the time necessary into these learning moments to really consolidate understanding and new learning? This is why some of the most successful education systems in the world, for example, Japanese Germans who always tend to score quite high ends, it's kind of impressive to see that once something is learned, it's really learned. But why is it learned? It's because there's constant regression to prior knowledge to re-strengthen those connections. So for example, a teacher in a Japanese classroom might walk in and say, okay, guys, get into groups of four, here's a problem. Is anything that we've talked about in the past three weeks, or the past month or the past year or whatever to resolve this problem? So basically it's saying, go back and retrieve it, go back and reinforce it, make sure that we've solidified those connections. There's enough rehearsal that that kind of knowledge can be retrieved easily in the future. So do we allow enough time for that learning cycle to occur?