“When an alien lives with you in your land you shall not ill-treat him. The alien living with you must be treated as a native-born. Love him as yourself for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” Leviticus 19, 33-34"

Our organisations represent churches from Africa, Europe and the Middle East and globally - Anglican, Independent, Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic - as well as church related organisations. Being part of the global fellowship of churches, we are particularly well acquainted with the links between development and migration. Based on the narrative of the Bible - a narrative of migration - we are deeply committed to human dignity, global solidarity and the promotion of a society welcoming strangers and respecting their rights.
Christian organisations have contributed to and participated in the past two Global Fora on Migration and Development and are looking forward to the upcoming Global Forum in Athens. The Global Forum initiative is a unique opportunity to bring together a wide range of relevant actors in the field of migration and development. At the eve of this Global Forum we acknowledge that progress has been made concerning the diversity of participants and the improved interface sessions between governmental representatives and civil society representatives. However there is still room for further development.