Migration Network Briefing

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

27 February 2019

Good afternoon,

Let me first acknowledge the co-chairs of the Friends of Migration Group:

Excellency, Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh,

Excellency, Jean-Claude Félix do Rego, Permanent Representative of Benin,

Excellency, Geraldine Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of Ireland,

Excellency, Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, Permanent Representative of Mexico,

Director-General of International Organization for Migration, Mr. Antonio Vitorino,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to open the first briefing on the UN Migration Network to Member States here in New York.

As already mentioned by the Ambassador of Mexico, the Network has a crucial role to play in supporting states in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. I am grateful to the Co-Chairs of the Friends of Migration for arranging this meeting. I would also like to thank António Vitorino, the IOM Director General, for his leadership and for the work he already initiated. I wish him every success as he takes on this new endeavour.

Dear friends,

Nearly three months have passed since Member States adopted the ground-breaking Global Compact. As representatives of our countries, and as representatives of the UN system, we are accountable to the people we serve. And the people are watching. They are waiting for action.

Not only the world’s 258 million international migrants, but the communities they leave behind and the communities that receive them. Not only the families of 60 thousand migrants who have died since 2000, but all those at risk of death for want of better migration policies. And we are here for that.

Migration, as I mentioned this morning, is an issue that affects us all, and where the need for international cooperation and multilateral action is both clear and urgent. That is why the Global Compact is so important.

Implementing it will make a profound difference. For migrants, it could be the difference between life and death. For countries of origin, transit and destination, it means greater security and prosperity. For the international community, it means making good on our commitment to “leave no one behind” and our ambition to build a safer, fairer and more prosperous world.

Excellencies and friends,

The Global Compact was a breakthrough achievement. But without action, it risks remaining just another piece of paper. Its success depends on implementation.

The Compact is very clear about who is in the driving seat: Member States. The seat is indeed for Member States and they cooperate with civil society and all stakeholders. It reaffirms the sovereignty of states and need for leadership by governments, guided by their priorities.

But in adopting the Compact, states also recognised the need for a “whole-of-society” approach. This is where the Migration Network comes in.

Just as migration cannot be managed by one state alone, it requires a systemwide effort by the United Nations. The Network exists to ensure timely, effective and coordinated support from the UN to Member States to help them implement the Global Compact.

This includes acting as a source of ideas, working with external partners, and administering the Compact’s capacity-building mechanism, including the new start-up fund, connection hub and global knowledge platform.

Dear friends,

There are many parts of the UN system that work on migration issues. Some might say: “too many”. But the challenges of migration are complex. To address them, Member States need to draw on the distinct expertise of the different members of the Migration Network.

The Global Compact is grounded in Agenda 2030 and human rights. So, states should receive support from UNDP and from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Compact promotes gender- and child-sensitive approaches. So, states should receive assistance from UN Women and UNICEF.

And while each agency maintains its own mandate, the Network’s goal is to be more than the sum of its parts. Through its streamlined and – above all – transparent structure, it will make it easier for states to access the support it can provide.

I encourage all Member States to take advantage of this support – from the field-focused expertise of Network members to their work in New York. Since the adoption of the 2016 Declaration, New York has remained an important hub for migration issues and it will continue to be a driver of activity as we move forward. This is vital if we are to build on the hard-won gains we have made so far.

Excellencies,

As we discuss migration this week, we must remember the human faces behind the word. I think of Maria-Luisa who I met in Canada. She overcame domestic abuse to become an active member of her new community. I think of Diana, who was trafficked from Nigeria to Libya aged 19 and forced into prostitution.

Migration should be a choice.  People like Maria-Luisa and Diana should have every opportunity to make the best possible new start in life. We all need to work together to put people at the centre of action on migration. I look forward to hearing about the Network and how it will help us do precisely that.

Thank you.