حلقة النقاش الرفيعة المستوى بشأن تعميم منظور حقوق الإنسان

4 March 2014, 9:00 – 12:00
Room XX, Palais des Nations

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to welcome you today to this important panel discussion on mainstreaming the human rights of migrants within the work of the UN System. I am particularly pleased to welcome our partners from the Global Migration Group.

We could not be having this discussion at a more opportune moment. News of the abuse of migrants reaches us every day and from every region of the world; at borders, in places of detention, in the work place, in private homes, and in public spaces where xenophobia and discrimination are rife. We could not have a stronger call to action. And I am convinced that, slowly but surely, we are rising to the challenge.

Last October, at the High-level Dialogue we crafted a road map for the effective promotion and protection of the human rights of all migrants, regardless of their status.

My Office has a long standing commitment to this issue and in recent years has significantly stepped up a programme of work on migration and human rights. I have ensured that migration is a continuing priority for OHCHR.

For example, we are currently finalising a set of Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders. In light of the serious human rights challenges we are witnessing at borders, these Principles and Guidelines are offered as a concrete tool to assist Member States to put in place rights-based border management measures.

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am encouraged that you will discuss today the place of migrants within the post-2015 development agenda.

It is now widely understood that migrants, like all other social groups, are both contributors to and the subjects of development. We must, therefore, craft an agenda that is responsive to the rights of migrants, and not just to the economics of migration.

Firstly, the post-2015 agenda could incorporate equality as a stand-alone goal. This would help to measure and progressively eliminate disparities in relation to the most marginalized groups, such as migrants at risk of discrimination and exclusion.

Secondly, the post-2015 agenda could develop specific migrant-sensitive targets under relevant goals.

And finally, the post-2015 agenda could ensure systematic disaggregation of indicators by migrant status under relevant goals and targets in order to monitor the progress of disadvantaged migrant groups.

The post-2015 agenda is an opportunity to enhance the knowledge base on the human rights dimensions of migration. Where a group of people is socially undervalued, discriminated against and politically excluded, the relevant data will not be systematically collected. The post-2015 agenda gives us an important opportunity to seek out innovative ways of measuring and monitoring the situation of migrants. In this context, and in collaboration with other Global Migration Group agencies and civil society, my Office has launched an initiative to develop indicators on the human rights situation of migrants.

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations has an obligation under its Charter to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction. Migrants are no exception.

The Declaration of the High-level Dialogue committed us to work towards an effective and inclusive agenda on migration. I believe that the UN can and must play a critical part in this endeavour. Discussion and cooperation on migration should take place more regularly under the auspices of the UN, which provides a common and norm-based platform for all stakeholders on migration; Member States as well as the UN System, civil society and migrants themselves.

Last year, in a report tasked to my Office by the Secretary General, OHCHR identified the need for more space within the UN for cooperation and dialogue on the many facets of migration. I urge the Council to ensure concrete follow-up to today’s deliberations, and consider ways on how this could most effectively be done.

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

The Global Migration Group is the lead mechanism for collaboration on migration within the UN System. As a founding member of the Global Migration Group, OHCHR believes that its strength lies in its collective and normative character. As Co-Chair of the GMG Working Group on Human Rights and Gender, we are engaging closely with our partner agencies to take forward the outcomes of the High-level Dialogue.

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

At the High-level Dialogue last October I called for a paradigm shift on migration. The Declaration unanimously adopted by all Member States is the first step on this path. It can and must be translated into tangible measures. Thus, let all States refrain from the collective expulsion and arbitrary detention of migrants, punish those who exploit and abuse migrants, and involve migrants in decision-making that concerns them. It is time now for us to get to work, and to make the promise of this Declaration a reality in the lives of the 232 million migrants and their families.

My Office stands ready to assist in this important endeavour. Thank you for your attention, and I wish you a rich and fruitful discussion.