Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants

Purpose of the mandate

Migration has been part of the human experience throughout history, and the number of migrants is growing worldwide. For those migrants finding themselves in situations of vulnerability, this mandate was created to:

• Examine ways and means to overcome the obstacles existing to the full and effective protection of the human rights of all migrants at all stages of migration
• Elaborate recommendations on strengthening the promotion, protection and implementation of the human rights of all migrants

About the mandate

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants was created in 1999 by the Commission on Human Rights, pursuant to resolution 1999/44 . Since then, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur has been extended by Commission on Human Rights resolutions 2002/62 and 2005/47 , each for a period of three years.

With the reform to the UN human rights machinery in 2006, the newly established Human Rights Council was called upon to assume, review and, where necessary, improve and rationalize all mandates, mechanisms, functions and responsibilities of the former Commission on Human Rights. As a result, the Human Rights Council, through resolution 8/10 of 18 June 2008, strengthened the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and further extended it for a period of three years. This mandate was renewed by the Human Rights Council in resolution 17/12 of 10 June 2011, resolution 26/19 of 26 June 2014, resolution 34/21 of 7 April 2017, resolution 43/6 of 30 June 2020, and resolution 52/20 of 3 April 2023 .

The Special Rapporteur does not require the exhaustion of domestic remedies to act. When the facts in question come within the scope of more than one mandate established by the Council, the Special Rapporteur may decide to approach other thematic mechanisms and country Rapporteurs with a view to sending joint communications or seeking joint missions.

Learn more about the mandate

Current mandate holder

Mr. Gehad Madi was appointed by the Human Rights Council in October 2023 as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants starting on 1 November 2023.

Before his appointment as the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Mr. Madi served as a Committee Member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child from 2011 to 2023. During dialogues with State Parties, Mr. Madi provided advice and recommendations concerning the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum-seeking children and their families. Through the third Optional Protocol of the Convention on communication procedures, he participated in the investigations of over 100 complaints on human rights violations against migrants, refugees and asylum-seeking children and their families, where the Committee provided its decisions on such cases to concerned States. During his tenure, he also issued statements related to migrants, refugees and asylum seeking children and their families, as well as closely monitored the implementation efforts of State Parties to the Convention across the world.

Read Mr. Gehad Madi’ full biography