Immigrants contribute to society, even in their countries of origin, where They send a staggering $1 trillion in remittances each year. – eclipsing Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) combined.
‘An inevitable human reality’
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock shared this information and more as Member States met on Thursday to review progress towards implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, a 2018 international agreement that is voluntary and non-binding.
Ms. Baerbock noted that “migration is often treated as a new, heavily politicized phenomenon, focused on irregular movements, pressure at borders or overburdened social welfare systems,” even though it has existed for thousands of years.
“Migration is an inevitable human reality“, said.
“The question is not whether migration is good or bad. The question is if we manage it well and if we manage it togethersince today each country is a country of origin, transit or destination, and most of the time even all three at the same time.”
Progress and setbacks
The International Migration Review Forum is held every four years and significant progress has been made since the Global Compact was adopted, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“Member States have taken concrete steps to expand regular pathways, strengthen labor mobility initiatives, improve search and rescue, improve data systems and support safer return and reintegration,” he said.
However, his recent report, prepared for the meeting, reveals that “In four years, at least 200,000 victims were trafficked, most of them women and girls.while “in just two years, more than 15,000 people died or disappeared along the migratory routes.”
Furthermore, “families and children continue to be detained, and countless workers continue to be exploited and excluded from labor protection.”
Natividad Obeso, Civil Association for Human Rights, United Women, Migrants and Refugees in Argentina, intervenes in the International Migration Review Forum.
Simplify regularization
Natividad Obeso, a Peruvian woman who advocates for migrants and refugees in Argentina, highlighted the need to guarantee simpler and more humane regularization processes.
“Immigration documentation should not be a privilege,” he said, speaking in Spanish. “It must be an accessible right, because when there are no papers there is detention, fear and criminalization..”
The benefits of migration are broad, according to Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Coordinator of the United Nations Network on the subject.
When managed well, it creates opportunities, fills labor shortages, responds to demographic change, drives economic growth and strengthens development through remittances and skills transfers.
“But none of that, none of that, happens by accident,” he insisted. “Cooperation is needed (across borders, between sectors, between institutions) to build systems that are orderly, fair and that people can trust..”
As no country can manage migration alone, the international community “must do better together,” the Secretary-General said, highlighting six ways to meet Global Compact commitments.
Six action points
First, “migration governance must be based on dignity, humanity and rights,” he said, urging authorities to take steps such as ending discriminatory practices, ensuring due process and stopping the detention of children and families.
Migration must also be made safer, including greater cooperation to help migrants in danger and ensure that any return is safe and dignified, emphasizing “no return, no disappearances, no torture.”
“Third, we must crack down on smugglers and traffickers,” he continued, recommending that these transnational criminal networks be treated the same as drug traffickers.
“It is not acceptable that, by comparison, we do so little to stop human smuggling and trafficking,” he said.
“States must work together to dismantle these criminal networks, cutting off their financial flows, strengthening cross-border police cooperation and holding perpetrators to account at all levels.”
His fourth point emphasized the need to create “real and viable” regular migration routes for students, workers, families and people seeking safety and protection.
Expand opportunity
The international community must also expand opportunities in countries of origin through greater investment in education, skills acquisition and decent work, particularly for young people.
Finally, nations must invest in better cooperation, including on the refugee issue “as people fleeing conflict and those seeking opportunity increasingly travel together.”
The second International Migration Review Forum will conclude on Friday, after four days of meetings, roundtables and a political debate focused on the challenges in implementing the Global Compact alongside international efforts to achieve sustainable development.