Álvaro Colom Caballeros told delegates at the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate that their countries should be able to show the “same drive and devotion” to devising “an international structure that guarantees the fundamental rights of migrants” as they do already towards the cause of free trade.

“If we globalize what’s material, I am convinced we are morally compelled to globalize what’s human to pave the road to hope for millions of migrants in the world,” he said.

“With this idea in mind, I allow myself to suggest to the Secretary-General that the creation of a panel comprised of former presidents from origin and recipient migrant countries to examine the nature, scope and consequences of the migratory phenomenon, and to disseminate its findings during the next substantive session of the General Assembly.”

The President said the free flow of labour migrants should take place as part of “a human movement to eliminate the suffering of millions of human beings that simply seek opportunities of work and welfare.”

In his address, he also warned that social inequality, hunger and global warming pose just as big a threat to security as more traditional causes, such as terrorism and organized crime, including illegal drug trafficking.

He urged renewed international commitment towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of eight anti-poverty targets that world leaders pledged at a UN summit in 2000 to try to reach by 2015.

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UN-backed meeting examines impact of soaring migration on Asia-Pacific