© UNESCO/Marina Faetanini
Market in India

On the occasion of International Migrants Day 2012 UNESCO and UNICEF, in collaboration with UN Women, UN-HABITAT, International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, are organizing a Media Launch on 18 December at the UN Conference Hall, New Delhi from 10.30 am–12.30 pm.

As a result of National Workshop on Internal Migration and Human Development in India (6–7 December 2011) and the Internal Migration in India Initiative (IMII), UNESCO and UNICEF will unveil their most recent publications on Internal Migration in India:

• UNESCO/UNICEF National Workshop on Internal Migration and Human Development in India, 6–7 December 2011, Workshop Compendium, Vol. 1: Workshop Report, 2012
• UNESCO/UNICEF National Workshop on Internal Migration and Human Development in India, 6–7 December 2011, Workshop Compendium, Vol. 2: Workshop Papers, 2012
• UNESCO/UNICEF Policy Briefs: For a Better Inclusion of Internal Migrants in India, 2012

The key objective of this event is to provide recommendations for a policy framework to protect and promote migrants’ rights in India; build awareness, engagement and advocacy on the importance of socially inclusive policies and creative practices; advance knowledge on neglected themes, and excluded groups in internal migration, particularly children and women.

The launch will include a panel discussion, with participation of Members of Parliament and Planning Commission, key policy makers, researchers from renowned universities and institutions and social activists on the challenges of internal migration in India, after which the floor will be open to questions by the Media.

In 2011, as a result of a two-day workshop on Internal Migration and Human Development, UNESCO and UNICEF launched the Internal Migration in India Initiative (IMII) to support the social inclusion of migrants in the economic, social, political and cultural life of the country, using a three-legged approach combining research, policy and advocacy. The IMII is now an informal network of 200 researchers, NGO’s, policy makers, intergovernmental organizations like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations agencies such as UN Women and UN-HABITAT, determined to raise the profile of internal migration in India and to propose policy changes and creative practices.