MIGRANT NEWS, Issue 84, 28 October 2004

MIGRANT.NEWS

Issue 98, 18 December 2006

SUCCESSFUL IMD 2006

This year, we were informed of at least 40 activities that took place in 28 countries. For a specific description of the events have a look at our IMD Calendar pages in: English, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.

For the first time ever, we organised the Radio1812 marathon, with participation from at least 50 radio stations and coverage in 21 countries. The programmes can still be listened to at: www.radio1812.net

The site includes interviews with Louise Arbour and Mary Robinson.

There are also special written contributions from Mariette Grange (HRW Geneva), Patrick Taran (ILO Geneva), Miguel Pickard (CIEPAC, Chiapas) and indepent US-based journalist David Bacon.

Message by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour on the occasion of International Migrants Day, 18 December 2006:

High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for increased protection for migrants and urges greater ratification of Treaty on Migrant Workers’ Rights

Today I pay tribute to the millions of women and men who demonstrate courage and determination as they move beyond their borders in search of a better life for their families and themselves.

On International Migrants Day we remember the contribution migrants make to the advancement of societies around the world. Migrants form an essential part of the labor force of the countries that receive them, doing work others often disdain and demonstrating great initiative and spurring growth. They also enrich their host societies culturally, opening a window onto otherwise distant worlds and serving as bridges between peoples in an increasingly globalized world.

But this is only part of the picture. The reality for many migrants is one of exploitation, exclusion, discrimination, abuse and violence amounting to widespread human rights violations. They frequently find themselves accepting dangerous or unhealthy employment with few avenues to seek redress when abuses occur.

Organized crime and smuggling networks target irregular migrants and lead them into such high-risk situations as perilous border crossings and trafficking. The news media is full of stories of migrants perishing at sea, suffocating in cargo holds or being subjected to rape and abuse while in transit.

This must change. We must spare no effort to eradicate human trafficking, protect those who may fall prey to smugglers and hold those profiting from human misery accountable for their crimes. We have to ensure that migrants enjoy the rights they are entitled to, regardless of their regular or irregular status. Migrants have the right not only to protection, but also to equal treatment and non-discrimination; to access to proper information so that migration will be the result of an informed choice; and to be integrated in receiving countries as opposed to excluded.

These objectives represent a challenge for many societies, but much of our future in this increasingly interconnected planet depends on achieving them. And it is more than a matter of choice. We have built the international legal framework to protect the human rights of migrants as a matter of duty, of justice and of dignity. The latest block in that edifice – and the most comprehensive set of protections -- is the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. We must strongly promote the ratification of this treaty, which so far has been accepted by only 34 countries. And beyond greater ratification of the Convention, I hope we can all join our efforts to ensure that its provisions are implemented, so that each future commemoration of international migrants day will be an occasion to measure accelerating progress.

Text of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message on International Migrants’ Day, to be observed on 18 December

SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN MESSAGE TO MARK MIGRANTS’ DAY, STRESSES ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN ENDING ABUSES

Migration is a strong expression of an individual’s will to overcome adversity and live a better life. Over the past decade, improved travel and communication facilities have increased the number of people with the desire and capacity to move to other places.

This new era of mobility has created opportunities for societies throughout the world, as well as new challenges. It has also drawn attention to the strong link between international migration and development.

Evidence of migration’s potential benefits is mounting. The estimated $167 billion migrants from the developing world sent back to their families last year easily exceeded the total of international aid. Migrants also use their skills and know-how to transfer technology, capital and institutional knowledge. They form a dynamic human link between cultures, economies and societies.

Unfortunately, the experience of migrants has evolved in less positive ways as well. Rising numbers of migrants are being exploited and abused by smugglers and traffickers. Others suffer discrimination, xenophobia or racism. In some instances migrants are demonized as a burden on their host societies, even when objective assessments suggest otherwise.

International cooperation can play a crucial role in ending such abuse. Last September’s High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development at the UN General Assembly highlighted a core set of priorities shared by UN Member States. These range from ensuring the human rights of migrants and preventing exploitation and people-smuggling to increasing the development gains from international migration and ensuing harmonious relations between communities of diverse origin living side by side within the same society or State.

Many important safeguards are also contained in the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. Yet, most States have yet to adhere to this Treaty. On this International Migrants Day, I urge all Member States who have not done so to sign and ratify the Convention, and, in any event, to provide all migrants with the rights and protection they need and deserve.

Today, more people are affected by international migration than at any other time in history. Let us work together to ensure that this global trend benefits all concerned –- countries of origin and of destination, and the migrants themselves.

Other Statements

Migration experts call for greater support for migrant workers’ treaty

Statement by the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the Human Rights of Migrants, Jorge Bustamante, and the Chairperson of the Committee on Migrant Workers, Prasad Kariyawasam

Statement by the ILO

Message by Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office

Migrants Too Often Overlooked During Crises

Statement by the IOM

Statement by the UNFPA

Message of Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA

Trade unions endorse action plan to defend migrant rights

Statement by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

International Migrants’ Day is an opportunity for leadership in the protection of third country nationals

Statement by the European Network against Racism (ENAR)

Time to make migrant women visible in Europe

Statement by the European Women's Lobby (EWL)