Mr. Guterres officially opened the meeting to review the implementation progress Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migrationapproved by governments in 2018.
The first International Migration Review Forum will also examine the interplay between migration and broader concerns, including pandemics, conflict, development finance and the climate emergency.
Lessons from the pandemic
While praising efforts to improve migrants’ lives, such as helping them integrate into host countries, Mr. Guterres noted that these measures are often the exception, not the norm.
“The COVID-19 The pandemic has painfully demonstrated how far we are from realizing a rights-based, child-sensitive and gender-responsive international migration governance for all,” grandfather speak.
Globally, there is a there are an estimated 281 million international migrants worldwidepeople who have left their home countries for travel, work or other opportunities, or because of conflict, poverty, natural disasters or other crises.
The Secretary-General said, migration is a fact of life, but too often mismanaged, uncoordinated, misunderstood and defamed.
Make it safer to move
“Today, more than 80% of the world’s migrants move between countries in a safe and orderly fashion. But unchecked migration – the cruel domain of human traffickers – continues to take a terrible toll,” Mr. Guterres said.
He emphasized the humanitarian, ethical and legal imperatives for safe and orderly migration as thousands of people still die each year in search of opportunity, greater dignity and a better way of life.
“We must do more to break the ring of smugglers and better protection for migrants in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls,” he said.
Countries must also expand and diversify what the United Nations chief calls “rights-based migration pathways” and ensure that returns and transfers are safe and fully compatible with International law.
The Global Compact demonstrates the international community’s determination to put human rights into practice to change the way we understand and manage migration, he said.
Mr Guterres said migrants are part of society and must also be part of a renewed social contract, outlined in Our Common Agenda reporting, to build trust, increase participation and strengthen social cohesion.
Support for governments
“The Global Compact speaks to the heart of the UN’s mission. It is a global response to a global phenomenon for which we need to be much better prepared.”
The Secretary-General also stressed the support for Member States through UN Migration Networkwhich has established a mechanism to contribute technical, financial and human resources to the implementation of the Treaty.
The four-day International Migration Review Forum began on Tuesday and will end on Friday. Roundtables and a policy debate were held during the first two days, of which the last two days were devoted to plenary meetings. A progress statement is set to be adopted
The Secretary-General urges all parties to secure a strong political outcome through actionable commitments and robust monitoring and tracking mechanisms.
“Let us keep the momentum going as we work together for a safer and more prosperous future for all of us, migrants included,” he said.
‘Horrible human cost’
In her remarks, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, stressed the need to act now, drawing attention to the “terrible human cost”.
He said at least 8,436 migrant deaths were recorded globally between January 1, 2019 and November 24, 2021. An additional 5,534 migrants are missing and presumed dead, adding that this reported numbers only.
“Behind every number is a family, a community, a life. They look for what we look for. They dream what we dream – Opportunity. Dignity. A better life,” speak Mr. Shahid.
“Our ability to protect and integrate migrants is not just a measure of the health of our institutions – but also the empathy we feel for our fellow human beings; our will to do what is right in our conscience; our commitment to upholding basic human rights. “
Mr. Shahid said at the conference that as countries work to recover from the pandemic and to achieve sustainable development by 2030, they will need the contributions of everyone in society, including the poor. migrate.
