International Migrants Day
– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at Commemoration of International Migrants Day
Mr. Secretary-General,
Director-General Swing,
Executive Director Lake,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am happy to join you this evening on International Migrants Day and I want to thank the IOM and UNICEF for organising today’s events.
Today we showcase how migrants enrich our cultures. We shine a spotlight on their contribution to our economies and societies. In doing so, we reaffirm that people, whether they move or not, are all part of a shared experience. Together we weave the beautiful mosaic of humanity.
The General Assembly proclaimed International Migrants Day in 2000. But today, our celebration is more relevant than ever. People are on the move like no other time before. People move to take up new opportunities and also for a better life for their families. And yet others move out of necessity. Conflict, instability, disasters and other crises push them across borders. They face uncertainty about their future – relocation, resettling, retraining and for many restarting.
Allow me to make three points as we mark today’s celebration.
The first is that, while millions of people are on the move, too many fall victim to exploitation and abuse. Half of international migrants are women, and some 31 million are children. These are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by smugglers and traffickers.
Migrants continue to face xenophobia, discrimination and racism. Only recently, we were shocked by the images of human beings being auctioned as slaves in North Africa.
Migrant women and girls are often overlooked. Women take on jobs in the informal economy. They make a valuable contribution but are under-paid, work in unsafe conditions and often have very little or no legal protections. Many are at risk of physical and sexual violence at the hands of unscrupulous recruiters and employers.
Child migrants may also fall victim to exploitation through child labour – locked away in sweatshops or put to work on distant farms.
We must not forget them. We must not turn a blind eye. Migrants’ human rights must be protected.
And this is one reason why it is critical that we fulfil our joint commitment to agree a Global Compact on Migration. And this is my second point. The Compact will be our opportunity to take joint action to address irregular migration; to bring order; and to make migration safe.
As we highlight migrants today, let us all embrace diversity and inclusion. No matter who we are, where we come from or where are going, we are indeed one humanity.
In Puerto Vallarta a few days ago, we heard the clear consensus that we must work collectively to protect the human rights of migrants. We determined to change the negative discourse about migrants and to address the root causes of forced migration. At the same time, we must work to ensure that migrants, as well as their countries of origin, transit and destination reap the positive benefits of migration.
Migrants are often dehumanised and face harmful rhetoric. The realities which we reaffirmed in Puerto Vallarta must drive us to reframe the narrative and dispel the misconceptions about migrants. Every one of them has a human face and a human story. In the negotiating phase ahead, let us keep our focus on migrants – the men, women and children, who we celebrate today.
My third point is that, migrants enrich our societies. They help advance our development. Without movement of people and exchange of ideas, our world would be less colourful.
And we also know that migrants make a significant contribution to economic activity. They contributed 9.4 per cent of global GDP and sent $575 billion in global remittances in 2016. Migrants are an asset to the world.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
As we highlight migrants today, let us all embrace diversity and inclusion. No matter who we are, where we come from or where are going, we are indeed one humanity.
I thank you.
