07 December 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Ankara joined Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jesus Yabes, Commission on Filipinos Overseas Secretary Imelda Nicolas, Department of Labor and Employment Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad, OUMWA Executive Director Reynaldo Catapang, Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Grace Princesa, Mr. Noel Fernandez, Mr. Enrico Fos, Labor Attache Ma. Celeste Valderrama, Ms. Liberty Casco, and Ms. Velasquez from POEA, Ms. Tanya Faye Ramiro and Ms. Hazel Panong, for the 8th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit Meeting from October 14 to 16.
The Embassy’s Protocol Officers provided assistance to Undersecretary Yabes and his team during the conference and coordinated with the GFMD Secretariat on the provision of security, transportation and other services for the delegation members. Ambassador Sanchez also hosted the group for a farewell dinner in Istanbul.
The Summit Meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Istanbul Lütfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) with the theme “Strengthening Partnerships: Human Mobility for Sustainable Development.”
Undersecretary Yabes co-chaired Roundtable Session 1.1 of the Summit with El-Salvador. Roundtable 1 was given the theme “Human Mobility and the Well-Being of Migrants,” and generally explored the topic of partnerships to promote inclusion and protect the human rights of migrants to achieve the full benefits of migration.
The Welcome Address was delivered by Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu gave the keynote speech. Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru in his closing remarks emphasized that international migration is permanent, as it is a product of two powerful forces in the world – market forces and the universal human urge to have a safe and better life. He urged the international community to work together to empower migrants to use their skills and energies so as to promote the positive outcomes of international migration. END