Approximately 300 million people worldwide are migrating to learn, work, reunite with family, or pursue other opportunities. Migrants contribute significantly to the global economy by sending $1 trillion in remittances annually, a figure surpassing official development aid and foreign direct investment.
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock highlighted these points at a meeting of Member States reviewing progress on the 2018 Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. She noted that while migration has existed for millennia, it is often discussed as a new, politicized phenomenon, focusing on irregular movements, border pressures, or overburdened social systems. “Migration is an inevitable human reality,” Baerbock stated, emphasizing that the real issue is whether migration is managed well and collectively, as every country is currently a country of origin, transit, and destination, often simultaneously.
Progress and Hurdles in the Global Migration Forum
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reported that significant progress has been made since the adoption of the Global Compact at the International Migration Review Forum, held every four years. “Member States have taken concrete steps to expand regular migration pathways, strengthen labor mobility initiatives, improve search and rescue operations, enhance data systems, and support safer returns and reintegration,” he said. However, Guterres’s latest report for the meeting revealed that over the past four years, at least 200,000 people, predominantly women and girls, have fallen victim to human trafficking. In just two years, more than 15,000 individuals have died or gone missing on migration routes. The report also indicated continued detention of families and children, and the exploitation and exclusion of countless workers from labor protections.
Demand for Simpler, More Humane Processes
Natividad Obeso, a human rights advocate for migrants and refugees in Argentina, stressed the need for simpler and more humane regularization processes. Speaking in Spanish, Obeso stated, “Migrant documentation should not be a privilege. It should be an accessible right, because without papers, there is detention, fear, and accusation.” According to the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, well-managed migration creates opportunities, fills labor shortages, responds to demographic change, supports economic growth, and fosters development through remittances and skills transfer. “But none of this happens by chance. It requires cooperation across borders, sectors, and institutions to build regular, fair, and trustworthy systems for people,” she added. The Secretary-General proposed six pathways to fulfill the commitments of the Global Compact, noting that no single country can manage migration alone.
Six Action Points and Future Steps
Guterres called for migration governance to be based on dignity, humanity, and rights, urging authorities to end discriminatory practices, ensure due process, and halt the detention of children and families. He highlighted the need to make migration safer, emphasizing stronger cooperation to assist migrants in distress and ensure safe and dignified returns. “Third, we must resolutely dismantle smugglers and traffickers,” Guterres stated, advocating for these transnational criminal networks to be combated similarly to drug traffickers. He indicated that current efforts to stop human trafficking are insufficient, and that states must work together to dismantle these criminal networks by cutting off financial flows, enhancing cross-border law enforcement cooperation, and holding perpetrators accountable at all levels. Fourth, the creation of “real and viable” regular migration pathways for students, workers, families, and those seeking safety and protection was emphasized. The international community should expand opportunities in countries of origin, particularly through increased investment in education, skills development, and decent work, especially for youth. Finally, nations should invest in better cooperation regarding refugees, particularly as “people fleeing conflict and seeking opportunity are increasingly traveling together.” The Second International Migration Review Forum, a four-day meeting focusing on the challenges in implementing the Global Compact, is set to conclude on Friday, with discussions to be integrated into international efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
