Regional Consultative Processes on Migration (RCPs) are important mechanisms that foster inter-State cooperation and partnership on migration issues by bringing States together for informal, non-binding dialogue at the regional level. RCPs carry out a number of functions, including information exchange and sharing of good practices by participating governments and other stakeholders on effective migration management. In line with the growing interest in promoting cooperation across regions and in the cross-fertilization of ideas and practices among RCPs, the Government of the Republic of Botswana and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) hosted the Third Global Meeting of Chairs and Secretariats of RCPs under the broad theme of “Enhancing Cooperation on Migration through Dialogue and Capacity-building” in Gaborone, Botswana on 25–26 October 2011. 

The present report of the meeting summarizes the discussions and key outcomes of the Third Global RCP Meeting, which provided participants with a platform to identify common challenges and opportunities that RCPs face and  to suggest concrete tools for capacity enhancement. The interaction of RCPs with complementary mechanisms for international cooperation on migration was also considered, as was the potential relationship between RCPs, the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (HLD). Other specific themes that the Gaborone meeting delved into in some detail were the potential of RCPS to contribute to evidence-based policymaking on contemporary migration challenges, including responses to migration crises in humanitarian situations; the migration, climate change and environment nexus; and the integration of migration and development into policy.