Secretary-General's remarks at the International Migration Review Forum
Statements | António Guterres, Secretary-General
Migration is an integral part of the human story – an activity as old as humanity itself.
It has helped build societies, grow economies and spur innovation across the world.
Yet today, migration is being distorted by fear and misinformation.
Migrants are scapegoated for political gain.
Dehumanized in public discourse.
And denied their rights and dignity.
Let us be clear.
Migration is not the crisis.
The crisis is the world’s collective failure to manage it together.
That is why we are here – to listen, to learn, and to strengthen cooperation.
I am pleased to join the President of the General Assembly for this vital Forum.
And I am grateful to IOM Director General Amy Pope for coordinating the important preparatory work by the UN Network on Migration.
I also warmly welcome leaders of migrant communities. Your voices and experiences are indispensable.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration represents a milestone in multilateral cooperation.
Since its adoption, Member States have taken concrete steps to expand regular pathways, strengthen labour mobility initiatives, improve search‑and‑rescue, enhance data systems, and support safer return and reintegration.
Every four years, this Forum provides an opportunity to measure progress, confront challenges honestly, and sharpen priorities for the road ahead.
My recent report, prepared for this purpose, delivers a stark message:
Over four years, at least 200,000 victims were trafficked – most of them women and girls.
In just two years, more than 15,000 people died or disappeared along migration routes.
Families and children continue to be detained.
And countless workers remain exploited and excluded from labour protections.
The conclusion confirms an enduring truth, and the fundamental reason why we have the Global Compact:
No country can manage migration alone.
We need cooperation – across borders, across government, across society.
We must do better – together – and the Compact shows us how.
Let me highlight six ways to act with resolve and deliver on its commitments:
First, human rights must be front and centre.
Every person on the move has rights – regardless of status.
That means governments must step up effort to end discriminatory practices.
Ensure due process.
Prioritize alternatives to detention.
And end migration detention of children and families.
It also means real access to education, housing, health care and social protection – and stronger action to protect women and girls from trafficking and gender-based violence.
Migration governance must be anchored in dignity, humanity and rights.
Second, migration must be made safer.
That requires early-warning systems, better data, and stronger cooperation to identify and assist migrants in distress.
It requires search‑and‑rescue and disembarkation in line with international law.
And it requires that returns – when they occur – are safe and dignified.
No refoulement. No disappearances. No torture.
Third, we must decisively crack down on smugglers and traffickers.
They exploit desperation. Monetize suffering. And profit from death.
These are transnational criminal networks – and need to be dealt with accordingly.
With the same mechanisms for international cooperation, the same financial regulatory tools, and the same level of resources that we see in global efforts to stop the trafficking of drugs.
It is not acceptable that we do so little, by comparison, to stop the smuggling and trafficking of human beings.
States must work together to dismantle these criminal networks – by cutting off their financial flows, strengthening cross-border law enforcement cooperation, and holding perpetrators to account at every level.
Ending trafficking and smuggling is not only a security imperative – it is a moral one.
Fourth, we must make regular pathways real and workable – for students, workers at every skill level, families, and those seeking safety and protection.
Regular pathways reduce irregular movements, curb exploitation, meet labour market needs, and keep families together.
To make them work, we must accelerate fair and ethical recruitment, abolish recruitment fees paid by workers, recognize qualifications, and reduce remittance costs
And we must ensure legal identity for all – and portability of social security benefits.
When pathways are predictable, fair, and accessible, everyone benefits.
So let us act to expand them, recognizing the tremendous contributions migrants make in countries of origin, transit and destination.
Fifth, we must expand opportunities in countries of origin.
Investing at scale in education, skills acquisition, and decent work – especially for young people – can jumpstart careers and reduce the pressure to embark on perilous journeys.
That means delivering on the Sevilla Commitment – by leveraging development assistance, multilateral development banks, debts swaps, and other financial instruments more effectively so countries of origin can expand opportunity at home.
And by strengthening domestic resource mobilization and aligning national budgets with these critical needs.
Migration should be a genuine choice.
And sixth, we must invest in cooperation.
Better data, aligned with the 2030 Agenda – and efficiencies outlined in the UN80 Initiative – are essential for smarter, more humane policymaking.
We must also strengthen synergies with the Global Compact on Refugees, as people fleeing conflict and people seeking opportunity increasingly travel together.
The UN Network on Migration and the Migration Multi‑Partner Trust Fund are important tools for all of these efforts.
Since 2019 the Trust Fund has mobilized $68 million to protect rights, strengthen accountability, and connect stakeholders across regions.
I urge more partners to join this effort.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Pact for the Future recognizes safe, orderly and regular migration as a critical priority – and reaffirms the Global Compact as the way forward.
This Forum is our moment to accelerate – with concrete pledges, peer learning, and measurable targets.
Let us show how multilateral cooperation delivers.
At borders and in communities.
In schools and labour markets.
In consulates and courtrooms.
And above all, in the lives of migrants and the societies they strengthen.
Thank you.