WASHINGTON (May 20, 2011) – The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) announces that 14 new fellows have been selected for the Transatlantic Forum on Migration and Integration (TFMI), to be held in Trivandrum, India, from October 17 – 22, 2011. TFMI is a leading platform for convening future decision-makers for exchange on crucial immigration and integration issues.

Established in 2008 together with the Robert Bosch Foundation, TFMI brings together young leaders from business, government, media, academia, and the nonprofit sector on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as fellows from both sending and receiving countries, to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by ongoing migration flows. By exploring multiple perspectives on these issues, fellows share ideas for best practices and form lasting and sustainable professional relationships across political and national boundaries.

The following people have been chosen to participate in the forum:

• Oumhani Alaoui, Research Director, OCP Group S.A. (Morocco)
• Korvi Rakshand Dhrubo, Chairperson, JAAGO Foundation (Bangladesh)
• Lin Gu, Freelance journalist (China)
• Debora Guidetti, Program Manager, European Program for Integration and Migration, Network of European Foundations (Italy/Belgium)
• Paweł Kaczmarczyk, Assistant Professor, University of Warsaw and member of the Board of Strategic Advisers to the Prime Minister of  Poland (Poland)
• Anna Ludwinek, Research Officer, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Poland/Ireland)
• Wolfgang Maschek, Senior Counsel and Vice-President International Regulatory Affairs, Western Union (Austria)
• Nicolás Marugán, Director, Spanish Monitoring Center for Racism and Xenophobia (Spain)
• Ian McGrath, Senior Policy Advisor, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (Canada)
• Esther Wangui Koi Muchira-Tirima, Associate Professor and Founding Director, Institute for Research, Development and Policy, Africa Nazarene University (Kenya)
• Shiv Ratan, Director Financial Services and Budget, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (India)
• Ayesha Saran, Program Manager Migration and Europe, Barrow Cadbury Trust (UK)
• Agata Sobiech, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Home Affairs, European Commission (Poland/Belgium)
• Micah Bump, DHS Office of General Counsel (United States)

The 14 new fellows join an alumni base of 100 other professionals working in the migration field. Past TFMI conferences have been held in Nuremberg, Germany; Austin, Texas; and Izmir, Turkey. Apart from the annual conference, TFMI has developed into a sustainable network that supports multiple networking activities and formats throughout the year. TFMI Fellows organize TFMI spin-off projects in all parts of the world, including: study tours, regional meetings, academic exchanges, and professional exchanges.

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting better understanding and cooperation between North America and Europe on transatlantic and global issues.

GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic sphere, by convening leaders and members of the policy and business communities, by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic topics, and by providing exchange opportunities to foster renewed commitment to the transatlantic relationship. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.

Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has six offices in Europe: Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest. GMF also has smaller representations in Bratislava, Turin, and Stockholm.