The Civil Society Action Committee (AC) is co-convened by the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), the NGO Committee on Migration, and the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC). The ICMC also houses the AC’s Secretariat, as well as serves as the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Civil Society Coordinating Office.
History of the AC
The AC was created in 2016 steered by long-time civil society leader John K. Bingham as a self-organised, joint civil society advocacy mechanism on migration policy and governance. The AC was established with the aim to drive collective civil society information, strategy, organising, advocacy, as well as the overall engagement and action of civil society towards the UN High-Level Summit to Address Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants (HLS), that adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants on 19 September 2016.
Between 2017 and 2018, the AC continued playing this role during the consultation, stock-taking and negotiations phases of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), as well as bridging that to advocacy to the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR).
The mandate of the Action Committee was renewed in 2019, following a consultation process that looked into strategic civil society organising. To learn more about it, read the key conclusions of the Civil Society Models of Engagement in a New Era of Migration Governance report (see summary in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic or the full report in English).
The AC today and going forward
Since the adoption of the GCM on 10 December 2018, the Civil Society Action Committee has consolidated itself as a membership-based global platform for collective civil society coordination and engagement for global policy and migration governance, including advocacy and engagement with UN member states, UN agencies (through the UN Network on Migration – UNNM), the private sector, local authorities, and other stakeholders and partners at the global level.
As a global civil society platform, AC members and partners work towards three primary objectives:
- Timely and strategic information-sharing on global migration policy and governance;
- Collective and coherent civil society strategising and action; and
- Increasing and democratising access for civil society engagement at all levels of global migration policy-making and governance.
In Memoriam – John K. Bingham
John K. Bingham, long-time civil society leader and founder of the Civil Society Action Committee and of the GFMD Civil Society Coordinating Office, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, 26 July 2022, at his home in Bercenay-en-Othe, France.
For more than four decades John was at the forefront of advocating for the rights of migrants and refugees.
“John left a personal touch on everyone he met and worked with. His genuine care and generosity for all, especially for the most humble and vulnerable, radiated around him. All major advances in our movement over the past decade and more had John’s fingerprints on them, and most were primarily driven by him.”
– Remembers the Former Action Committee Coordinator, Colin Rajah, in his tribute to John.
A memorial page, in honour of our friend, brother, mentor, counsellor, and supporter, was created for those who want to share reflections, stories, messages, prayers, photos etc. We also encourage everyone to take the time to look through these posts and dedicate a moment of silence for John.
We hope this page becomes a space to collectively remember the impact that John has left on his family, friends, and loved ones and on the advocacy he fought tirelessly for.
To be able to leave a post, kindly create an account to sign in. You may leave a tribute in the About tab, a photo with him in the Gallery tab, and memory or story of him in the Stories tab.
Contribution to the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)
John K. Bingham, was also a key figure in the GFMD, contributing through diverse roles in various ways for almost 15 years. John was a bridge-builder, a driving force in the GFMD family. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the rights of migrants, the 14th GFMD community presents a commemoration to his family to appreciate and celebrate John’s life and dedication to the GFMD.