Practices by Stakeholder 1

Local level responses and coordination

Engagement and coordination with a variety of institutional and non-institutional actors is a core element of contingency planning efforts. Such actions allow stakeholders to share resources and leverage capacities. Relevant actors include:

• Consulates and other representatives of the migrants’ States of origin in the host State (e.g., labor attachés);
• Non-governmental, community, and faith-based organizations working with migrant communities;
• Leaders and representatives of migrant groups and associations;
• Employers, recruiters, placement agencies, unions, and worker associations that are particularly relevant to migrant populations;
• Tour operators, hotels, and their associations;
• Translators, interpreters, and cultural mediators.

Support for multi-stakeholder contingency planning

International organizations and civil society may be well placed to lead joint contingency planning processes. Industry or employer associations could serve the same role with employers, particularly small businesses or individual employers who have limited resources for planning. Supporting multi-stakeholder contingency planning includes:

• Establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to coordinate contingency plans;
• Leading multi-stakeholder asset mapping exercises;
• Negotiating multi-stakeholder agreements with service providers;
• Developing standard plans that individual actors can join or adopt.

Drills and tests involving migrants

Drills to test contingency plans can serve multiple purposes. Such activities help to identify obstacles and challenges to implementation in the context of crises and raise awareness of preparedness and response measures amongst relevant stakeholders. In testing plans with migrant communities, factors to consider include:

• Timing exercises to facilitate maximum engagement;
• Providing incentives for participation;
• Coordinating the organization and advertisement of contingency plan drills with institutions migrants trust;
• Repeating drills to improve the knowledge and preparedness of short-term migrants, those in transit situations, and newcomers;
• Barriers faced by migrants in an irregular situation, including in the context of clandestine employment arrangements where employers restrict the ability of migrants to participate.

Regional and cross-border contingency plans

Bilateral or multilateral contingency plans on cross-border crisis coordination can improve responses. Such plans may be particularly valuable for areas that have nomadic populations, such as pastoralists or indigenous people who regularly cross international borders as part of their traditional way of life. Engaging cross-border populations and the communities who host them improves their sense of ownership of plans and can enhance responses. Mapping existing resources and pre-establishing joint asset pools can mitigate competition for resources during crises and leverage limited resources. In developing such contingency plans, factors to consider and incorporate include:

• Geographic maps of relevant areas;
• Distribution and relevant demographic characteristics of migrants;
• Illustrations of relevant routes for evacuations.