Mr. Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
I am honored to host the briefing of the Secretary-General’s Report on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. This report is key to deliberations at the International Migration Review Forum that will be held from 17 to 20 May, which will be preceded by a multistakeholder hearing on 16 May.
Excellencies,
Today, we will hear from the Secretary-General about his report, which outlines concrete progress, practices, and challenges noted by governments and stakeholders in implementing the Compact.
The report illustrates how the Compact’s vision, principles, and objectives form a robust framework that can unlock the benefits of migration, while upholding the rights and dignity of all migrants.
Since the adoption of the Compact three years ago, the world has been changed by a pandemic that has profoundly affected the socio-economic fabric of all countries. Migrants were among those most impacted, whether through increased risk of COVID-19 infection; limited access to health services; discrimination in employment; or xenophobia.
Yet they were also front-line service providers, providing crucial support to our societies. They were in our homes, our offices, our hospitals, and our communities. Our efforts to build back better, together, should acknowledge this reality, strengthen protection of migrants, and ensure that they are included in our recovery efforts.
As we anticipate the first review of the Global Compact, we must aspire to far reaching and ambitious outcomes. The First International Migration Review Forum will be an inclusive event for all Member States, stakeholders, and the UN system to discuss progress on implementing the Global Compact and, more broadly, on migration. The Forum must be a space to discuss common challenges, rectify failures, and explore avenues to strengthen partnerships between states and stakeholders.
We must consider the Report’s recommendations to strengthen our actions as we look beyond the Forum. We will do this by relying on international cooperation and shaping migration policies that are human rights-based, gender-responsive, child-sensitive, and that prioritize the dignity of all people.
Excellencies,
As we look ahead to our meeting in May, I am pleased to have appointed H.E. Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, and H.E. Olivier Maes, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, as co-facilitators of the Progress Declaration. I am confident that they will be bridge-builders and lead an open, transparent, and inclusive process.
Through the Progress Declaration, we must aim to clearly assess our achievements in implementing the Compact, and facilitate better collaboration, especially pertinent to pressing areas and objectives.
The Progress Declaration will also be an important opportunity to share a forward-looking vision, embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international frameworks, that helps us continuously improve the rights and well-being of migrants and host-communities alike.
Excellencies, the success of the Forum relies on our collective preparation, our ambition, and our solidarity and cooperation.
I urge you to reflect on two additional aspects:
- Firstly, I call on Member States to consider making pledges for concrete actions that foster bilateral and regional cooperation, prior to the Forum. Pledge to accelerate the implementation of the selected programs in the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund and contribute to the dedicated funding window to facilitate participation of developing and least developed countries, as well as stakeholders, in the first International Migration Review Forum.
- Secondly, the voice of all stakeholders in our deliberations will be critical. A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is vital for the structure of the IMRF. I encourage each of you here today to consult with your national counterparts as you prepare national strategies towards the IMRF, to invite local stakeholders to join your delegation to the IMRF.
Additionally, in view of all the progress we have made, I call on member states to maintain our strong momentum going forward. By harnessing the power of multilateralism, we can achieve the goals outlined in the Global Compact, and we can address the needs of all migrants and host-communities alike.
Thank you.
