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International Migration Review Forum 2026 - Informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearing — 4 May 2026
Language: en
Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record.

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GA · PGA [0:02]:

Good morning. I call to order the informal, interactive, multi stakeholder hearing taking place prior to the International Migration Review Forum. Could you please take your seat here in the alleys that everybody can hear and listen. Also the two gentlemen there in the middle of the rows. Could you please take your seat? Thank you. I warmly welcome you all to this very important meeting today. This meeting is held in accordance with paragraph 15 of resolution 73326 of July 19, 2019. The hearing provides an opportunity for all relevant stakeholders to engage actively in the implementation, follow up and review of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Building on the regional reviews, I will now make a statement as a President of the General Assembly, Ms. Catalina de Vandas Aguirre. Dear colleagues at the United Nations Network on Migration. Dear stakeholders, present. Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin with a simple Migration is part of the human story. Long before it became the subject of policies, compacts, forums and negotiated texts, people moved all around the world. They move to survive, to find safety, to build better futures for their children. They move for work, some for love, for opportunity, for dignity and for hope, to study, to earn a living, to start a business, to reunite with family, or simply to build a better life. And that movement continues today. In 2024 alone, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social affairs recorded more than 304 million international migrants worldwide. Many of us in this room have been migrants ourselves or are part of families and communities shaped by migration. Migration governance cannot be discussed, therefore, only in technical terms. It must remain grounded in people and the experience of those working closest to the realities migrants face every day in many UN settings, but also well beyond across the world. Frontline actors, like many of you here in the room, provide protection, support search and rescue operations, deliver humanitarian assistance, collect data, assess risk and identify both what is working in practice and where serious gaps remain. As policy is only as strong as its connection to this reality, and the reality is clear. Migration touches every state, whether as a country of origin, transit destination, or increasingly, all three at once. No single state or institution can manage migration alone, because migration affects labor markets, education systems, social protection, public health, urban planning, climate resilience and development itself. It requires cooperation across borders, sectors and communities, a whole of society approach. It requires platforms like this Global Compact, which we are reviewing this week, to serve all Member states and all communities. If we treat it as a narrow issue, on the other hand, we will only produce narrow answers. And those answers will fail both people on the move and the communities that receive them. This is also why, stakeholders, you have been central from the beginning. Stakeholders like you helped shape the discussions that led to the adoption of the Global COMPTECH for Safe, Orderly and regular migration in 2018, and have supported this implementation ever since. Stakeholders like you contributed to the first International Migration review forum in 2022 by helping assess progress, identify gaps, and highlight continuing challenges. Through the regional reviews held ahead of this forum, you have built momentum, shared experience, and strengthen cooperation across regions. Yet, four years after the first review cycle, the global contact has become more difficult. Climate impacts are intensifying, humanitarian needs are growing, institutional capacity is under strain. Even as migration continues to shape economies, societies and communities in profound ways, and we must be frank, migration is becoming increasingly politicized. That makes today's discussion even more important, not only for this hearing or for this week, but for the broader effort to ensure that migration governance remains effective, human, and grounded in reality. And the reality is well governed migration can support development, help address labor shortages, strengthen communities, and create opportunities for families to invest in education, health and livelihoods. If we are joining hands, this can be a win, win, win situation. In countries with aging populations and declining birth rates, entire systems of health care, elderly care and other essential services would simply not function without migrant workers. Across many economies, migrants are central to construction, agriculture, transportation, hospitality, care, work and other service sectors. They also contribute through high skilled professions, entrepreneurship, research, technology and innovation. Yet again, these benefits cannot be taken for granted. When migration is poorly governed, then it's politicized with bad intent. People become more vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and abuse. And the reality in too many parts of the world still is that migrant workers are excluded from social protection systems and lack access to health care, legal protection and decent working conditions. In some cases, children of migrants are even still unable to attend school, deprived of stability and opportunity. This is why this work, this global compact, is so important. This is why your daily work as stakeholders is so important. And this is why also the work of the International Labor Organization and partners across the UN system is so important. Well governed migration means decent work, fair recruitment, protection from exploitation, and access to basic services. When these foundations are in place, migrants can contribute more fully to families, communities and economies. Additionally, with only four years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we cannot afford to overlook that potential, but realizing it will require more than broad commitments. It will require honest assessment, practical recommendation, and a willingness to listen carefully to migrant communities, local authorities, civil society, this bureau organization, workers, organizations, the private sector and all those experiencing can strengthen the implementation. I thank you. I thank the special envoy. I thank the migrant voice speaker. Therefore, for the opportunity today for the consultations in action, because a summary of this hearing will be presented at the opening of the plenary of the International Migration Review Forum. You are representing the lives of people on the ground, the true realities. So let our work, let your work be guided by a simple recognition. Human mobility has shaped every era of shared history and will continue to shape the future before us. And it is in our hands if this will be a win, win, win for migrants, for receiving communities and states of origin. I thank you. Thank you. I now give the floor to the special envoy of the Director General of the International Organization for Migration to the International migration review forum. Ms. Katie Catalina de Vandas Agilia.

Please, the floor is yours.


IOM · Special Envoy [9:45]:

Muchas gracias. Thank you very much. Madam President of the General Assembly, Estimada Natividad, Ouesso Excellencias Excellence, colleagues, partners and friends, a warm welcome to all of you migrant leaders, grassroots organizers, advocates, local authorities, trade unions, researchers, practitioners, all of you gathered here today. Thank you to the leadership of the President of the General assembly for convening us in this informal, multi stakeholder hearing as we come together at the start of the International Migration Review Forum. This space is essential. The GCM is built on the understanding that meaningful progress on migration governance and is not possible without a strong, sustained stakeholder engagement. From the outset, the Compact recognized that migrants and stakeholders are not only part of the implementation, they are. You are central to shaping priorities, monitoring progress and holding us collectively accountable. Today is a reflection of that commitment. Before we begin our discussions, I would like to pause to acknowledge someone whose efforts continues to guide this work, Claudia Interiano. She was a pillar of this community, a tireless human rights defender who believed deeply that policy must start with the voices of those most affected. She walked alongside migrants families with courage, persistence and compassion. And she ensured that lived experience was never treated as an afterthought in global processes. We honor her legacy by protecting space like this one and by ensuring that participation remains meaningful, principled and safe. The context in which we meet today is. Is not an easy one. Globally, migration discourse has become more polarized. Cooperation is under strain. Civic space is shrinking in many places, and many of us are working in ways that feel different from our norm. With fewer resources, higher stakes and increasing pressure on multilateral solutions. And yet, this makes your engagement here even more critical. Because despite all these challenges, stakeholders have continued to lead with creativity, with determination and with impact. Your advocacy has shaped the preparations of these IMRFs at every single stage. Through consultations, written recommendations, joint pledges regional dialogues and engagement in national review processes. In the days ahead, your work will continue to be visible through the site events, the roundtables and panels, through the partnerships forged on the margins, parallel grassroots events, and through stakeholder voices that are woven throughout the formal program at the IMRF itself. These contributions are not peripheral, they are vital. They bring legitimacy, depth and realism to the forum. Today's hearing is therefore not symbolic or not a symbolic consultation. It is an agenda setting opportunity, an agenda setting moment. I know the discussion today will touch on a number of areas that go to the heart of the Global Compact, reaffirming that the human rights of all migrants must be upheld without exception, including discussions on access to universal rights and basic services that, as mentioned by the pga, decent work, labor protections, rights based pathways and social protection are recognized by so that safe and fair migration depends on the rights at work and protections across the life cycle pathways for safe, orderly and regular migration, expanding opportunities so people are not forced into danger or exploitation and human rights are protected at borders and the drivers of migration and social inclusion, including climate, inequality, xenophobia, discrimination and exclusion. Because how societies respond matters as much as why people move. I encourage you not only to speak to challenges, but also to help and clarify solutions. What has worked, what must change and where collective action can accelerate implementation between IMRF sessions, not only during them. The outcomes of today's discussions will fit directly into the IMRF begins, into how the IMRF begins. They will help shape the tone of the forum and the path ahead for GCM implementation After the imrf. The UN Network on Migration is here to listen carefully, to carry your insights forward and to support continued engagement well beyond this week here in New York, Civil society and stakeholder will continue to help shape the next UN Network work plan reflecting the IMRF outcomes and country level GCM implementation plans. At the time when cooperation feels harder. Your presence here is a reminder that it is a state still possible, still necessary and still worth investing in. Thank you for the work that you do every day. Thank you for bringing your experience, the lived experiences by migrants, your advocacy and your ideas into this space. And thank you for helping ensure that the IMRF remains anchored in dignity, rights and inclusion. I look forward to our exchanges.


GA · PGA [16:20]:

Thank you.

I thank the Special Envoy. I now give the floor to Ms. Natividad Obeso of the Civil association for Human Rights United Women, Migrants and Refugees in Argentina.


Amumra · President · Natividad Obeso [16:40]:

Please Muy buenos dias.

Very good morning to you all. We are honoring our fellow defender Claudia Interior who dedicated her life to justice, truth and the SEARCH for missing migrants and I introduce myself with the strength of her legacy. I am Natividad of Beso. I am a migrant woman, a refugee. I was a domestic worker. I am a mother of four children. One of them is in heaven. And I am the president of Amumra. I came to Argentina from Peru more than 30 years ago, seeking protection to safeguard and protect my own life. Like many migrant women, my path began working in a private home in highly precarious conditions. I worked long hours for very low wages without any access to rights. In addition to this, I faced structural barriers, difficulties in regularizing my migration status. I faced structural racism, limitations in access to basic services, and many different forms of discrimination and exclusion for being a woman, a migrant and a worker. But it was also in this context where, together with other migrant women, we started to get organized. We understood that our experiences were not unique and individual. They were structural, and transformation was only possible through collective action. Since that time, we have promoted processes of struggle for access to rights, for the education of our children, for migratory regularisation and for the recognition of the work of migrant women, especially in the area of care. As part of this, we have been involved in important progress for many years. Countries such as Argentina were international benchmarks when it comes to human mobility. They had policies that promoted inclusion, migratory regularization and access to rights, as well as recognition of domestic workers. These advances were not accidental. They were the outcome of years of organized struggle and advocacy by migrants themselves, in especially by women. Today, however, we face a moment of deep concern. We are seeing setbacks that we thought were unthinkable. Today we are seeing attempts to exclude migrants in irregular situations from the protections of their rights. And we must ask what this means in real life. Well, this is what it means. It means not means living in fear, means not being able to go out on the street, being exposed to abuse, exploitation and persecution. It means having to accept indecent and undignified conditions. And this is incompatible with the principles of international human rights law and the guiding principles of the Covenant. Not having immigration documents or papers should not mean being electronic to life. It should not justify exclusion, violence, discrimination or racism. Based on our experience, we know that when rights are guaranteed, communities are strengthened, opportunities can be strengthened and social cohesion thrives. And this is why, as a migrant woman, as a rights defender and activist from Latin America, and as part of global civil society and organizational networks, we are making this call. We must stop the regression of rights. The principles are the progressiveness of rights, the dignity of people and the centrality of life. We cannot accept rollbacks in this area. We must guarantee effective access to fundamental rights such as health, education, decent work and social protections without discrimination or any associated conditions based on a person's immigration status. It is also critical that we recognize that that migrant women are the ones who are sustaining the care systems, family economies and also communities. It's absolutely essential that we ensure the effective participation of migrants in decision making spaces. My story is not a unique story. It is a collective story. It is also proof that when rights exist and when there are organization and policies for these rights, it is possible to transform realities. There is no safe migration if we are persecuted. There can be no governance if we are deported. There is no democracy if 8 out of 10 of us work without rights. Without us there, there is no country in the world that can function properly and without rights. For us, no pact is valid. Migration is a human right. I thank.


GA · PGA [21:46]:

I thank Ms. Obesa especially also for your personal yet as you said, not unique story and for sharing as indicated in the program, this interactive multi stakeholder hearing is also consisting of four thematic discussions, a group summary and a closing segment to be held in in this room. The first thematic discussion, entitled Human Rights of All Migrants, will be moderated by Dr. Leah Zamora of the Zohlberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at the New York School for Social Research and will take place immediately following this opening segment. The second thematic discussion, entitled Labor Rights and Protections, will be moderated by Ms. Paola Camilli, Global Campaigns Director at the Buildings and Woodworkers International and and will take place from 11:45am to 1:00pm the third thematic discussion, entitled Pathways for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, will be moderated by Ms. Bernice Valdez Rivera of the Latin American Block on Migration and will take place from 3 to 4:10pm the fourth thematic discussion, entitled Drivers of Migration and Social Inclusion, will be moderated by A Man as We Had Only Women so Far, also underlining how important this topic is by Dr. Mahmoud Goiter of the Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Development and Pan Africa Network in Defense of Migrant Rights and will take place from 4:10 to 5:20pm during the four thematic discussions, participants are invited to press a button on their console should they wish to take the floor. Interventions in the thematic discussions will be limited to three minutes, which will be strictly enforced, so please watch the time through an automatic microphone cutoff. A timer will be projected on the screen. The four thematic discussions will be followed by the group summary session which will be moderated by Ms. Irem Arf policy advisor at the International Trade Union Confederation and will take place from 5:20 to 5:40pm the closing segment will take place immediately thereafter. I would now like to invite the moderator and speakers of the first thematic discussion to take their seats at the podium. I warmly welcome Dr. Lea Samor of the Solberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at the New School for Social Reaches to this meeting along with the distinguished speakers. I thank again the Special Envoy to IMRF and the Migrant Voice speakers and it was a pleasure joining you this morning. I now hand over the meeting to Dr. Zamora. The opening segment is now concluded. I wish you constructive consultations. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [24:48]:

Thank you very much.


Speaker 7 [24:49]:

Thank you for a good week.

It's.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [26:52]:

All right. Good morning, Excellencies, delegates, colleagues and friends. My name is Leah Zamore and I am a Senior Fellow at the New School's Zollberg Institute for Migration and Mobility where I lead our our global policy engagement efforts. I am honored and delighted to be moderating this first thematic discussion of today's multi stakeholder hearing focused on the human rights of migrants. It is fitting that this is the first panel of the day. Human rights are not one issue among many in the Global Compact for Migration. They underpin and cut across all of its objectives and commitments. In particular, the Compact reaffirms the duty to respect, protect and and fulfill the human rights of all migrants, regardless of migration status or geographic location, and underscores that core principles of international law, among them due process, non discrimination and non retrogression, must guide all aspects of migration governance. In light of this, our task this morning is to take a clear eyed look at whether and how far GCM implementation is delivering on its human rights promise whether migration governance is becoming more humane, more accountable and more firmly grounded in the equal and inherent dignity of all persons. We do not start this conversation from scratch. The 2022 multi stakeholder hearing and the regional reviews that followed provide a substantial body of experience and reflection. They point to real progress, including growing alignment between the GCM and international human rights frameworks and the development of more concrete tools, policies and practices across regions and levels of governance aimed at advancing rights and strengthening accountability. But our predecessor processes also make clear that these advances remain uneven, incomplete and fragile across regions. Stakeholders continue to point to persistent and systemic gaps in protection. Out of these earlier discussions have emerged a clear set of priorities as well to embed human rights across migration policy to address violations directly, including through access to justice and remedies to ensure access to essential services regardless of status to move away from criminalization and penalization to end detention, most urgently of children to confront systemic discrimination while paying particular attention to those facing heightened risks of abuse and exploitation and to uphold the principle that there should be nothing about migrants without migrants. Our task today is to take this record seriously, to assess whether we have made sufficient progress across these priorities, and if not, why not? What have we learned? What have we underestimated, and what has proven more resistant to change than we anticipated? To these questions, I would just add one more how has the migration landscape changed since 2022? And what does this mean for the prospects of realizing human rights for all migrants in practice? As The Secretary General's 2026 report makes clear clear just in the last few years, new and rising geopolitical tensions, unprecedented strains on the multilateral system, rising climate pressures, rapid technological change, and growing economic uncertainty have exacerbated many of the most troubling trends identified in prior reviews. But these shifts may also have opened up a rare opportunity. We know from history that moments of rupture and rapid change are not only moments of constraint and retrogression, but also of reconfiguration and possibility. When established systems lose coherence, inherited assumptions begin to loosen, the space for political reimagination expands, and ideas long considered too ambitious or too far fetched can begin to gain traction. So, as a final thought, I invite us all to hold two perspectives in view today. First, to frankly assess what has worked, what has not, and what could yet succeed within the trajectory we have been on since 2018. And second, to think beyond that trajectory, to ask whether more transformative change is now or might soon be possible, and if so, what it would take to achieve it. And with that, it is my great pleasure to turn to our esteemed panelists for this session. But first, by way of housekeeping, just to remind everyone, each panelist will have up to five minutes for their presentation. Thereafter, the floor will be opened for comments, observations, and questions. Those wishing to intervene are invited to press the button on their console. Interventions in the thematic discussions will be limited to three minutes, which will be strictly enforced through an automatic microphone cutoff, and a timer will be projected to the screen. And with that, I turn to Our first panelist, Mr. Ian Kissel, Associate Clinical professor of Law at Cornell Law School and Co Director of the Cornell Law School Migration and Human Rights Program. Ian, my question for you is, what do you think has been the impediment to developing data that allows the kind of evaluation of implementation that we need?


Cornell Law School · Associate Clinical Professor of Law; Co-Director · Ian Kissel [32:22]:

Thank you, Madam, Moderator Excellencies, Delegates the human rights of migrants is sometimes framed as exceptional or a set of policy trade offs. States point to their significant power to regulate admissions as if it settles all questions of their duties towards migrants. I want to offer a few observations to establish that the human rights of migrants is a core element of international law and multilateralism, and that there should be reason for optimism as to questions around data and migrant rights despite threats to compliance. First, for centuries before states were members of this body, they espoused claims of harm to migrants and then resolved them as interstate disputes via the procedure of diplomatic protection. This includes states which now pursue policies seeking to limit migrant rights. Consider a 1937 study prepared for the United States Department of State on Damages in International law. In it, Dr. Marjorie Whiteman chronicled thousands of cases where damages were paid to the United States for mistreatment of US Citizens abroad, just in the context of arbitrary detention. She found that this included cases totaling nearly $6 million in damages in 1937 and an average amount of $2,500 per month in cases of wrongful detention. In other words, the protection of the rights of migrants is a long standing element of the exercise of sovereignty and part of the DNA of the multilateral order. Second, recall that the Universal declaration proclaimed in 1948 the right of all people to leave any country, including their own. It's a migrant rights instrument and in parallel to subsequently drafting widely ratified human rights treaties, in 1985 the General assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Individuals who Are Not Nationals of the country in which they Live. This distilled what we might call a soft law set of principles which for all migrants and in recent years the African Commission and the Inter American Commissions on Human Rights have adopted similar, more detailed principles reaffirming this consensus position. In other words, there's been consistent action by States and human rights bodies to establish a fundamental set of human rights principles applying to all migrants in the gcm, States committed to ensure effective respect, protection and fulfillment of the rights of all migrants and in Objective 1, to the collection and use of accurate and disaggregated data. Despite this, there's been little empirical research comparing this international framework and the commitments that States have made by treaty with the laws that States have in place at the national level. So it hasn't been possible to answer the question of whether States lock in their international commitments in national law or how the GCM has impacted them. I want to report some findings from my research and the Migrant Rights Database, a tool I've developed with colleagues to Help fill this gap, we use 65 indicators that permit objective cross national accounting of the laws protecting migrants and we study 45 of the most important destination states accounting for approximately 70% of the world's migrants. What these data show is that Member states protect more than 60% of our indicators of rights protections in national law. These data also show that in parallel to implementation of the Global Compact, formal de jure protection of migrant rights have slightly increased. We directly measure national law's consistency with rights corresponding to several actions included in GCM objectives. To summarize a few key insights, again from 45 member states hosting 70% of the world's migrants, we find in relation to GCM Objective 4, which calls for the registration of all births of children of migrants, that 38 of the states that we study maintain this in national law. As to GCM Objective 6, the Protection of Labor Rights, we find that 30 of the studies countries we study protect the right to freedom of association, 31 mandate equal pay for equal work. Consider GCM Objective 13 on detention. We found 30 of the 45 countries we study permit detained migrants to appeal legality conditions and length of detention, with 34 requiring an individualized determination before detention. And as to the obligation not to return migrants to harm reflected in objective 21, we found 38 of the countries we studied prohibit a return to torture and 40 prohibit in national law a return to persecution. So overall, these data covering most significant host states show two things building on the earlier themes that I shared. First, that Member States have indeed domesticated their international duties in law and consistent with the long view of their exercise of sovereignty, we see that rights protections addressed in the GCM are a core commitment of national law. Second, we see that implementation of the GCM over time coincides with some positive trends in de jure protections. Against this background, it becomes clear that the biggest challenge facing the regime are from states who are failing to implement these widespread commitments at the international and national level. Take for example the states cooperating on migration management in way that externalize migration control. Just this past weekend I was speaking to a migrant who was sent to a third country last summer without due process from the United States as part of what the United States has labeled its mass deportation policy. The migrant has since then been detained indefinitely without access to courts, accused of no crime and hell outside of the bounds of the immigration system pursuant to a bilateral agreement. Among other things, he desires to be reunified with his family, the reassertion of the rule of law. So I do not want to understate the human costs of actions that violate rights. I was grateful that we opened this session with the remarks of Ms. Natividad Obeso, who I found very moving and reminded us of the importance of dignity of migrants. But the violation of migrant rights should be treated as exceptional. They violate the law. They should be criticized by Member States and by stakeholders. Accordingly, to conclude, there are a few actions that Member can States can take to push to reassert the baseline. First, reaffirmation of treaty standards and soft law. Protecting migrant rights is a key part of the process. For this reason, supporting a robust progress declaration remains imperative. Second, expanding research and producing comparative data is an important element of showing that there is cause for optimism and that Member States, when engaging multilateralism, can in fact enhance the protection of migrant rights. We can incentivize a race to the top, even in dark times. But the most important point with which I want to close is to recognize that acting to protect migrant rights is not exceptional, but in fact has for centuries been a core element of the exercise of sovereignty. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [39:28]:

Thank you. Thank you so much, Ian. I'm now delighted to turn to Ms. Margarita Crespo Habib, advisor to the Mayor of Macau in Colombia. Margarita, based on your experience in Macau, how do you understand the relationship between the global and the local? And more concretely, what do you see as the most urgent human rights challenges? For instance, in providing health, education and sanitation to a migrant population that is no longer trans transit but permanently settled? And how do international frameworks play into your work?


Mayor's Office of Maicao · External Advisor · Margarita Crespo Habib [40:09]:

Well, good morning to all of you. My name is Margarita Grespo Habib. I am a political scientist and external advisor to the Mayor's office in the municipality of Maikao in La Guajide in Colombia. I've worked in public management, territorial planning and institutional coordination. I'm currently completing a Master's Urban and Regional Studies. But today I'm not here to speak about my resume. I'm here to talk about a concrete history, a reality that does not fit into abstract concepts, where human rights are tested every single day. In Mai Cao, migration is not just a distant statistic. It's the neighbor who lives next door, the family on the corner. It is the everyday reality of our streets. Maikao hosts one of the largest informal migrant settlements in the Americas. La Pista, it's called. According to a study by the unhcr, the United nations refugee agency, La Pista is organized into 12 blocks, and it is the women that actually manage and organize this community of inhabitants. There are some 2059 dwellings, of which 1799 are occupied, and 260 of these dwellings are vacant. A total of 3103 families live there, and they represent an estimated 9191 people. These are not people in transit. These are people who have stayed, who have built a community, and now they are part of the territory. They are no longer a floating population. They are a permanent feature. And here lies the first challenge, the gap between the global and the local. And this is where there is a rather uncomfortable truth. The rights exist on paper, but on the ground, they're not there. When you come back to the territories after events like this one, you encounter a difficult reality. We have all of the norms, we have the international commitments, but we don't have the technical, financial capacity or the response capacity to guarantee fundamental rights, namely health, education, basic sanitation, basic sense of dignity. These are not luxuries. These are things that the state must provide. They are obligations. But in territories like ours, they become a daily struggle. And when these systems fail, they turn structural living conditions into systems that reproduce vulnerability. And this has already occurred in Maikao. Services have disappeared, but the people, they are still there. This is not just about problems and deficits. There is also hope. Mai Cow has decided not to look away. Today we are promoting the transformation of La Pista, this migrant settlement, into Colombia's first peace neighborhood, a barrio de pas. A commitment to move away from informality to dignity, from exclusion to real integration. And through our urban habitant management plan, we are rebuilding a roadmap that brings communities together with local government, national institutions. And we are building a roadmap that actually coordinates local government communities, national institutions, and international partners to guarantee access to basic rights, decent housing, social cohesion, and the right to stay with rights regardless of their migration status. If we really want to talk about the human rights of migrants, we must start with whether those rights are realized or whether they are denied. And so we could look at the case of Mai Kau, the local government, the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, the Ministry of Equality, and international partners are doing their part. But of course, we need more allies to multiply these efforts. And this is why we are here raising up our voices, because we understand that migration is not a problem. It should become an opportunity for real transformation of our country. So, thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [44:29]:

Thank you so much, Margarita, especially for this concrete example that I'm sure many in the room, including myself, are keeping keen to learn more about. Let me just remind colleagues to start pressing your buttons if you wish to intervene in the Open floor discussion, which will happen quite soon and colleagues will be walking around the room to note your seat numbers. All right. And with that, it is my pleasure to turn to Ms. Deepti Thakor, Barrister at Law of the Human Rights Commission of Mauritius. Deepti, what stands out to you as most important, urgent or potentially impactful when it comes to advancing human rights based approaches to migration, especially approaches that put human dignity at their center? And what role can do, or should national human rights institutions play in this regard?


Human Rights Commission of Mauritius · Barrister at Law · Deepti Thakor [45:25]:

Thank you.

Thank you, Leah.

Excellencies and delegates, let's start with a simple question. Who is a migrant? Is a migrant a worker who leaves home to earn a living abroad? Is a migrant a mother crossing the border with her child because violence has made home impossible? Or is a migrant a student searching for opportunity abroad? Governments, economists, lawyers will all define different types of migrants differently. Some are migrant workers, others are refugees or asylum seekers, and some are foreign students. All these definitions have their place based on context. But at the heart of all these definitions, we often forget the most obvious and most important one. Before a migrant becomes a legal category. A migrant is a human being. And that is where our conversation must start. Human dignity lies at the very core of of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The very first line of the Preamble to the UDHR speaks with striking clarity. I quote. Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and unalloyable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of of freedom, justice and peace in the world. The UDHR did not say some members, but all members of the human family. So what exactly is human dignity? Spikers defined human dignity as a state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect by virtue of being human. Human dignity is not given by a passport. It is not removed by crossing a border. It is simply inherent. The Global Compact for Safe, orderly and Regular Migration already adopts a human rights based approach. But today I will go further. Isn't it time we adopt a trauma informed approach to migration and bring the human back to the equation? Why? Because many migrants do not arrive with luggage only. They arrive with invisible wounds. Some have survived wars, some have survived human trafficking and others have seen their loved ones die before them. Trauma changes people. It changes memory, behavior. It makes people forget dates and makes them silent when pressed with questions. If our systems are not trauma informed, we risk misread, pain as dishonesty, guilt or non cooperation. And once again the victim becomes the accused party. A trauma informed approach asks different questions focused on the human questions. Do you want food? Water or a warm place to sleep. We will take care of the administration later. What have you been through? Tell us your story. Are you safe? Once trust is established, the story will unfold. And this approach does not mean abandoning border governance, but it means making migration governance more humane, more accurate and more just. It doesn't have to cost more, but it involves a fundamental shift in the way we treat the human. And this is where National Human Rights Commission can become a bridge between the government and civil society organizations by providing training and support on this approach. Examples of trauma informed approaches include training immigration officers who police officers, labor inspectors and all stakeholders into asking different questions focused on the human. It involves creating safe procedures such as private interviews and child sensitive approaches. It involves ensuring that a trafficking victim who reports exploitation is not treated as a criminal and deported. It includes migrant voices in migration policies, excellencies and delegates. The question is not how we manage migration or create better laws at doing so, but the deeper question is how we remain human while doing all of that. If we can combine human rights with a trauma informed approach, then migration will not only be safe, orderly and regular, it will be compassionate, just and worthy of our inherent dignity. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [51:27]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. Deepji. It's now my great pleasure to introduce our final speaker, Ms. Blanca Gomez, Member of the Committee of Families of Disappeared Migrants and member of the Latin American Migration Bloc. Blanca, welcome. And from your perspective, what are the most important challenges when it comes to the interplay between human rights and migration governance? And where would you recommend we go from here? Where should we aim to be in four years at the next imrf?


Cofamide · Member · Blanca Gomez [52:02]:

Bueno Dias.

Good morning. My name is Blanca Gomez. I am from El Salvador. I'm here representing a committee of the Relatives of Disappeared Migrants of El Salvador Cofamide and I'm a member of the Latin American Migration Block. As part of our comm. I am looking for my son, Luis Roberto Melgar Gomez, who disappeared 16 years ago on the migration route. My brother also disappeared 13 years ago. Nelson Gomez, together with thousands of other migrants who disappeared and who have been killed in transit on these migration routes. Being able to migrate is a right, but we also have a right not to migrate. We're. We are all migrants. On behalf of the seekers, those seeking their family members of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Central and South America and the Caribbean. We recognize the importance of being able to bring our voice to the table after facing impunity and indifference of our states and after facing uncertainty of not knowing the fate of our loved ones. Feeling for years. This forum in 2026 represents a key opportunity to reorient migration governance towards human dignity, towards rights, a gender perspective and joint international responsibility. But there is a deep gap that persists between the commitments made in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and its real implementation. And this does have an impact on the credibility of the Compact. Today we are continuing to face grave rights violations. These include criminalization of migrants, arbitrary detentions, deportations without guarantees, collective expulsions and returns to third countries, as well as disappearances and xenophobic discourse. And therefore we urgently need to strengthen accountability and ensure compliance with international human rights standards. We absolutely must ensure that there is no retrogression with respect to the 2022 Declaration of Progress. And we must also ensure that no migrant is excluded from the 2026 Declaration of Progress because of their migration status. All migrants must have access to rights and to dignified treatment. And we should also expand regular pathways for migration and advance in the processes of regularizing migrants. All of these are concrete measures to prevent violent trafficking, deaths and and disappearances. We call for the creation of national migration networks together with the participation of migrants and their families, faith based organizations and also civil Society. Finally, the 2026 forum must address human mobility from a comprehensive and intersectional approach. Today I would like to give thanks to Claudia Interiano. She achieved great things and she will continue to guide us in our struggle as she did up until the last moments of her life. She was thinking of the Latin American bloc. She thought and understood the struggle of the families of the disappeared and the disappeared themselves. She fought for the rights of migrants and the disappeared and their rights. She was a great woman, she had great love and really admirable woman. And I'm sure, I think that many of you knew her. And so I wish to pay tribute to. To Claudia, because the fact that some of us are here is really down to Claudia. Thank you, Claudia.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [56:45]:

Blanca. Thank you. Thank you so much not only for your words, but for your. For your tribute. All right, colleagues, conscious of time, we're now going to move to the open floor session. Just a note that if we don't get to you in this session, but you have indicated a will to speak, you will be in a sense, rolled over into the next session. So we will certainly get to you. And with that, it is my great honor to invite the Commissioner of Human Rights of the Philippines to speak at seat 2722,


Human Rights Commission of the Philippines · Commissioner [57:23]:

Intervention. Drawing from the work of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines in

February 2025, a human rights advisory was issued evaluating the Philippines implementation of its human rights obligations, stressing that compliance is

essential to protect, promote and advance the

rights of all migrant workers and their families. We stressed four key points. First, strengthen the data collection to enable evidence based policies and ensure no migrant is overlooked. Second, eliminate discrimination including against those irregular situations and uphold equal protection for all. Third, protect women migrant workers through a gender responsive measures and accessible remedies. Fourth, address root causes such as poverty, inequality and lack of decent work because migration is a choice not a necessity. Thank you,


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [58:28]:

thank you. Thank you so much. I'm now pleased to invite ECB Sustainable Youth foundation to to make an intervention at seat 2550.


ECB Sustainable Youth Foundation · Sanjana Karthik [58:48]:

Thank you Chair. My name is Sanjana Karthik and I'm speaking on behalf of the ECB Sustainable Youth Foundation. There are several key reasons why many immigrant women avoid contacting the police to report experiences of domestic violence and seek support to leave abusive situations. First, experiences of racism and discrimination can significantly erode trust in institutions. Even when complaints against racism are filed, perceived gaps in accountability may discourage confidence in the system. Second, there is often a deep fear of child apprehension and deportation. For many women seeking help can feel like risking their family or immigration status. Third, mandatory charging policies may act as a deterrent. Survivors may not want their abuser, who may also be a family member or primary provider, to be arrested and this concern can prevent them from reaching out. Finally, some women, particularly those who have acted in self defense or have prior legal histories, may fear being misidentified and treated as offenders rather than survivors. Given these barriers, it is critical to strengthen alternatives that reduce harm and expense access to support Domestic violence Helplines can play a key role in advocating for non police interventions including community led crisis response programs and community based victim services that provide peer support, crisis counseling and hospital accompaniment without requiring police involvement. They can also support women in safety leaving abusive situations through shelter access and safety planning. At the same time, many immigrant women may not wish to engage law enforcement but still seek to understand their legal and medical options. In this regard, there is value in developing mechanisms that allow individuals to access information through non emergency police lines or advisory channels without being required to formally identify as victims. It is equally important to ensure that survivors can access hospitals and sexual assault centers for medical care, counseling and forensic services without being required to file a police report. From a service delivery perspective, transparency is essential. Service providers should clearly communicate system limitations such as shelter capacity, time restrictions or legal barriers so that individuals can make informed decisions on what services they want to access. Additionally, it's important to Document reoccurring systemic barriers faced by clients. Tracking these patterns can strengthen advocacy efforts. In this context, addressing these barriers aligns with Global Compact for migration, particularly Objective 7 on addressing vulnerabilities and Objective 15 on accessing access to basic services. Strengthening safe and accessible pathways to leave. Situations of violence is also critical to improving long term health protection and well being. Thank you,


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:01:46]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. Not least for such concrete and practical advice and recommendations. I now turn to the Platform for International Coordination on Undocumented migrants at seat 2581.


PICUM · Michelle Leboy [1:02:06]:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm Michelle Leboy from Pekum. I'd like to address what we see as this panel is the human rights of migrants worrying overall degradation of human rights. We've heard multiple times on the opening panel that there should be no distinction between undocumented or documented migrants, between regular or irregular. Yet we see this playing out and I wanted to mention here specifically the EU context where Pecum is based. In this context, especially due to the proliferation of policies on return of migrants, a number of EU member states have been developing their own return policies in recent years where we've seen serious restrictions on human rights. But also the 27 EU member states are currently in the last moments until next month deciding the return regulation. So this is not yet closed. A return regulation IN which nearly 20 UN Special Procedures and Special Rapporteurs have warned of that the proposal risks human rights. And how will it risk it? It will increase detention of children. We have in the Progress declaration a very welcome reference to the process by which the UN Migration Network and the UN Secretary General will monitor progress made by UN Member states to work to end the practice of child detention through case management and community based alternatives to detention that should be applauded. That is what we should be working towards. We also see that this proposal would make it possible in the EU for the first time to deport someone to a country they've never been to. Whatever human rights safeguards might exist will not prevent human rights violations. And also very worrying. This proposal will make broad detection measures possible in order to check who is undocumented. So. So these are ID checks. These are public service workers, schools, health professionals. We already see this going on. Belgium actually just passed a law allowing the police to raid individual homes. And the Belgian top court said that the lack of effective legal remedies for both foreign nationals and other residents of the home is worrying. In Italy we had examples of the police raiding a hospital for doctors who were not reporting people for immigration detention. And Sweden also has reporting obligations. So I wanted to say the way forward is through access to services. The Progress Declaration also refers to safe access to services and regularization. Which brings us to Panel three, I think today. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:04:57]:

Thank you so much. I now invite the Government of Nigeria, seated at 25:71.


Nigeria [1:05:08]:

Nigeria reaffirms strong commitment to the effective implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Migration, when properly governed, remains a powerful driver of sustainable development, innovation and cultural exchange. While progress has been made, significant gaps remain in ensuring the protection of human rights of all migrants, regardless of status. We underscored the need for strengthening international cooperation, particularly in addressing vulnerabilities faced by migrants in transit and destination countries. We emphasize the importance of expanding safe, orderly and regular migration pathways. Creating accessible legal channels reduces irregular migration and helps curb exploitation, including trafficking and smuggling for countries of origin such as ours. This must be complemented by skills development and recognition framework that enable migrants to contribute meaningfully both abroad and upon return. Addressing the drivers of migration requires a balanced and development oriented approach. Poverty, unemployment, insecurity and the impact of climate variability continue to influence migration decisions. Sustainable solutions must therefore prioritize inclusive economic growth, youth empowerment and resilience building at the national and regional levels. Nigeria remains committed to engaging with all stakeholders, including civil society, diaspora communities and the private sector in advancing practical and people centered approaches to migration governance. Thank you, Madam Chair.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:06:39]:

Thank you so much. We now turn to Women in migration network at SEID 2572.


Women in Migration Network [1:06:48]:

Thank you and good morning. I speak on behalf of the Women Immigration Network regarding the last version of the Progress Declaration. We must unequivocally regard our red lines. While the GCM recognizes the state sovereignty into migration governance, we must emphasize that administrative distinction between regular and irregular status must never serve as a justification for the derogation of fundamental rights for migrant women and gender diverse migrants. This administrative classification often translates into right free zones in these spaces. The fear of deportation, fueled by lack of firewalls between social services and enforcement, prevents access to life savings, health care, justice for gender based violence and protection from rampant labor exploitation. National implementation plans must uphold the position of non regression as guiding principle. 15c. States in the GCM sovereignty jurisdiction is legally bounded by international human rights law and peremptory norms. Furthermore, we are deeply concerned by the trend of border externalization. These policies do not stop migration. They simply shift the burden of enforcement to countries with fewer resources, heightening the risk of violence, sexual assault and arbitrary detention for women and gender diverse migrants trapped in transit. Finally, we must visibilize the dire situation of migrant women workers, particularly domestic workers currently caught in war and conflict zones. These women are often abandoned by employers and excluded from state led humanitarian aid. We call for an end to the KAFALA system and the implementation of humanitarian measures to ensure that no worker is left behind in times of crisis. And one more addition is that we want to call Member States to use the gender responsive indicators that are included in the set of indicators to monitor the progress of the gcm. And also we have worked together with the Gender plus Migration Hub and the International Detention Coalition on a guidance note on gender responsive indicators that go further and include other human rights and labor rights legal framework related indicators. Thank you very much.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:09:31]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. We now turn to the center for Migrant Advocacy at seat 2632.


Center for Migrant Advocacy · Executive Director · Helen Sana [1:09:45]:

Hello. Okay. Greetings. I'm Helen Sana, Executive Director of the center for Migrant Advocacy, Philippines, a member of Migrant Women Forum and the gfmg. The Asia Pacific is the leading region for migrant workers, almost half of whom are women and girls. We urge Member States to address the problem of wage theft as a systemic, widespread and significant labor rights violation and essential access to justice concerned. Today, millions of migrant workers continue to work with reduced or unpaid wages. We call on Member States to commit to to establish robust monitoring, prevention and remediation mechanisms to address wage theft, forced labor and other forms of exploitation and ensure that access to justice mechanisms are expedited, accessible and efficient for migrants. Many migrant workers, particularly women migrants in low wage jobs, lack access to social protection and limited portability of benefits. We also call on Member States to guarantee sustainable, decent and portable social protection for migrants across all sectors and migration status aligned with international labor standards. Many workers migrate out of necessity because of the lack of distant job opportunities in the countries. They receive extremely low wages and few, if at all so social benefits and experience abuse in their workplaces. To address the adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to leave their countries of origin, we call on Member States to adopt inclusive economic policies that reduce inequality, empower women and create these work opportunities. Some key priorities would include gender responsive economic planning, policies that reduce unpaid care burdens on women, investment in digital literacy and transition programs and skills training that expands women's access to non traditional sectors, including digital technology and managerial and leadership management position. Migrant workers contribute immensely to the development of countries of destination. Yet many destination countries refuse this dependence on migrant labor and worse, they continue to deny them the same rights as any other workers. In a world that is experiencing inequality, wars and Conflicts, climate induced displacements and an aging population mobility across borders. Across borders can be a phenomenon of hope. We must seize the opportunities presented by the gcm. We call on member states to resist the toxic discourse on migration, to reclaim progression.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:12:55]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. It's now my pleasure to invite the government of Guatemala at seat 2577.


Guatemala [1:13:08]:

Distinguished co facilitators, as the representative of Guatemala in this panel. You have addressed a number of different topics surrounding the rights of all migrant persons. And we thank you all for these interventions on the panel. Our country has made a great deal of progress in recognizing migrants as rights holders. We have promoted the Migration Code. This is the outcome of a cross social and cross governmental approach where civil society, the private sector and faith based organizations have worked cross cuttingly to put the human person at the center as a right holder since 2024. Through the leadership of our National Migration Authority as a collegiate body, they formulated and supervised the creation of this Migration Code. And in this context that we wish to share the following remarks. The National Migration Authority in our country plays a crucial role in implementing our migration and humanitarian agenda comprehensively and we have a responsibility to work for the good of migrants, whatever their standards, status or background. The policy is aimed at guaranteeing a human rights approach for the migrant population. We have strategies for its implementation in the short, medium and long term in accordance with priorities and resources available. We have made progress together with civil society and having heard Ms. Blanca's intervention from the Latin American block, we also recognize the work of Claudia Interriano. She also supported our work and she strengthened what is today the mechanism for searching for and seeking out disappeared and missing people in Guatemala. And we'd also like to pay tribute to her and the coordination from this cross government an intersectional approach. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:15:19]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. We now turn to Insan lalek at seat 2555.


Rahat Sanbek [1:15:30]:

Thank you. Dear Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. My name is Rahat Sanbek and I represent civil society of the Kyrgyz Republic. Today we would like you to draw your attention to growing systemic challenges faced by migrants from Central Asia, particularly in major destination country in Eurasia. In the context of global compact for safe and orderly and regular migration. In 2025, a register of controlled persons was introduced in one of the main destination country for migrant workers in the region. This register already includes more than 850,000 migrants. Inclusion leads to severe restrictions on access to banking services, employment and freedom of movement. In parallel, a mandatory mobile application AMINA was introduced in a number of regions, enabling digital monitoring of migrants location. In practice, technical errors and data gaps have led to wrongful inclusion in the Register and even deportation of legally residing migrants. These developments raise serious concerns regarding human rights, data protection and non discrimination. Equally concerning is the situation of migrant children. In 2025, mandatory language testing has effectively excluded thousands of children from education. Approximately 87% of migrant children were unable to access or pass these tests and were not enrolled in schools, contradicting obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Child Children and the IMRF Declaration. We are also witnessing increased pressure on migrants from Kyrgyzstan, including reports of arbitrary detention and ethnic profiling in this country. Of particular concern is the vulnerability of Kyrgyz migrants to recruiting into the war in Ukraine, including reports of coercion, misleading information and pressure to link to migration status, risk of deportation or promises of legal status or incentives. This raises serious concerns regarding exploitation and protection in situations of armed conflict. At the same time, the Kyrgyz Republic joined the Global Compact for migration in 2024 and has taken important steps steps towards its implementation, including efforts to strengthen protection of citizens abroad and promote safer migration governance. In this context, we call all the Member States to stand on equal footing in ensuring the successful implementation of the gcm, particularly countries of destination which bear a special responsibility in protecting the rights and dignity of migrants. We also call for the strensys international cooperation to create safe and alternative.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:18:39]:

Thank you, thank you Sincerely, United Methodist Church at seat 2698.


UMCOR · Director of Global Migration · Jack Amick [1:18:55]:

Good morning. I'm Reverend Jack Amick and I'm the Director of Global Migration for umcor, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. It's part of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, essentially the humanitarian arm of the United Methodist Church. Since 1940, UMCOR has been engaging in seeking to alleviate suffering of all those who suffer without regard of race or creed, as the founding language of our organization says. In fact, although UMCOR is perhaps best known for disaster response in the US and around the world, it has a history of working with those who are displaced and migrants and refugees and other displaced persons. In the lead up to World War II, Umcor began its work by assisting people who were seeking safety and seeking food and shelter. To this day, UMCOR tries our best to assist migrants of all types in many situations around the world with a wide range of services. We do this with by partnering with church and other organizations. We feel that these tangible ministries are ways for people to understand that they are loved even in very difficult situations, and part of that love should extend to them. Understanding that they have rights as well as the rest of us. Because migrants suffer before they go and after they go and when they arrive in a new place place we reach out to them, not just us, but many organizations to alleviate suffering, to help people, to walk with them and to listen to them. Lately we have been focusing on dignity, protection and voice of migrants as a way to follow the biblical imperative welcoming the stranger. It's through these acts that we believe we are practicing our faith. One of those focal points is voice, which is why we are very pleased to have been partnering for over the last four years with the UN Network on Migration through the Migration Multi Partner Trust Fund. We provided funds that have allowed participation by migrants and migrant led groups in this event, but also in the events that lead up to the imrf. We believe that the voice of migrants is important not just in these forums, but in the whole process and in the relationships that get.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:22:03]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. And I've just been advised to ask all speakers to speak slowly for our interpreters. And I'm going. I include myself very much in this. We would like to call next red Justicia Movimientos para Mergantes at SIET 2643.


Red Justicia y Movimientos para Migrantes · Lawyer · Dora [1:22:32]:

Good morning. My name is Dora. I am a lawyer from Honduras. I am part of the Network for Justice and Movement for Migrants. We have an organization is present in Mexico, the United States and in the Americas. And we fight for border justice. As an NGO that is committed to defending human rights, we recommend that states join and add to this compact in order to support families in the context of international migration. We believe that it's fundamental the respect of the family unit and the abiding interest of the child and adolescent is respected to avoid actions that can damage the well being of children and adolescents. And so we urge alternatives to migratory defense and they should use systems that allow families to remain together. This is why we support the creation

of

agile family reunification mechanisms in cases where families are separated. This should be temporary justified and human dignity should be fully respected. I thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:23:57]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. All right. It is our pleasure to turn now to Masqueta at seat 2549. It is very possible I have mispronounced. It may be Mosca still at seat 2549.


Socio Cultural Movement [1:24:35]:

I'm part of the Socio Cultural Movement, a Dominican coalition for racial justice and others. All of these organizations are today concerned about how migrants are being treated globally. We have the lack of clear mechanisms to regularize and normalize migration status and other situations have led to people Being in a situation of irregularity, the social support systems have been weakened. People who are migrants have been dehumanized. And this has increasingly affected women and children, persons with disabilities and those of African descent. Unaccompanied minors in many countries lack access to basic services such as healthcare and education. One example of this is the case of the Dominican Republic. Afro descendant communities that have a history of forced migration are also extreme excluded. They suffer discrimination because of their racial history. This gravely dehumanizes individuals. It makes their history and their contribution invisible. Whereas they have often fought for their countries. This is a clear example of migrants in Haitian, for instance, this that exclusion is also the case in a Dominican Republic. And so we would call for a strengthening of the human rights analysis of persons in mobility with an intersectional approach with shared responsibility across states. We must also eliminate statelessness. We should promote health care and mental health and social protection services without restriction. We should have an intersectal migration table involving lots of different agencies. And this should be coherent with the policies of the nation as well as those of sending countries and receiving countries. And we must close the gap between reality and what is aspirational. Thank you,


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:27:10]:

Thank you. Thank you so much for that intervention. We now turn to United Voices for Global impact at seat 2554.


United Voices for Global Impact · Hala Gosin [1:27:20]:

Thank you, Excellencies and distinguished delegates. My name is Hala Gosin. I am speaking on behalf of United Voices for Global Impact. Migration remains one of the defining realities of our time, deeply linked to development, human rights and global equity. Yet for millions, it continues to be marked by vulnerability, exclusion and persistent gaps in protection. At United Voices for Global Impact, work in diverse contexts, including community based initiatives, underscores the importance of advancing a rights based, people centered and a whole for society approach on the human rights of all migrants. We reaffirm that universality must remain non negotiable, including for those displaced by conflict. In crisis, affected and underserved settings. Access to education, health care and basic services is often the first line of protection and dignity for displaced families. Ensuring equitable access is not only a moral imperative, but but a shared global responsibility. In this context, we must draw urgent attention to the situation in Lebanon. Escalating violence has resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians and widespread destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure. This escalation is not only forcing families from their homes, it is increasingly preventing their safe and dignified return. Civilians are being cut off from their land, homes, livelihoods and communities. Even in the context of a cessation of hostilities, deepening instability and loss. Prolonged displacement without voluntary and dignified return risk, entrenching a long term humanitarian and protection crisis and constitutes serious concerns under international human rights and humanitarian law, including the rights to freedom of movement, advocate housing and the right to return. This must not become the new normal. It is critical for the international community to act with urgency to uphold these obligations, protect civilians and prevent forced displacement from becoming a driver of wider regional and global instability. Excellencies, Our collective progress depends on strengthened partnership. Civil society, local actors and migrant communities must be recognized as essential stakeholders in both policy design and implementation. As we advance the objective of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, we call for expanded access to essential services for migrants and displacement place population, stronger protection against trafficking.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:30:31]:

Thank you. Thank you. We now turn to Youth Publications and Socioeconomic Forum at seat 2559.


Youth Publications and Socioeconomic Forum · Alejandro Lawson [1:30:43]:

Distinguished delegates, fellow migration advocates. My name is Alejandro Lawson and I am a high school student speaking on behalf of the Youth Publications and Socioeconomic Forum. First, I'd like to share the story of Marcos Cooks, a 14 year old boy who immigrated from Guatemala to my home state of Virginia in 2023. He was working the night shift at a slaughterhouse when his arm was crushed by a machine that he was cleaning in my own hometown. Other migrant children have been traumatized by seeing their family members detained by immigration agents. Stories like these are not unique. Around the world, the rights and safety of migrant children and their families are constantly at risk. While natural disasters, armed conflicts and genocides have caused record levels of migration. Nativism and the policies that it inspires are on the rise. Exploitation, arbitrary detention and family separation are experiences that no child should be subjected to. Yet they are all too common in today's world. As of 2024, nearly 50 million children have been forcibly displaced and over 300,000 children are deprived of their freedom because of their immigration status. Despite the urgency of these issues, youth continue to face significant barriers to meaningful participation in multilateral processes like the imrf. Many migrant youth are unable to attend international forums held in the Global north due to economic barriers and visa restrictions. In light of these challenges, we call for concrete action to be taken by all relevant stakeholders. First, we urge the IOM and other international bodies to do more to facilitate the meaningful engagement of youth in discussions about migration so that those directly impacted by the issue have a role in shaping policy. This can be achieved by reducing barriers for youth seeking to participate in multilateral institutions. Second, we urge Member States to adopt a rights based approach to migration policy, ensuring that children and their families are protected. Governments must treat Migrants with dignity, regardless of their status and commitments, must turn into concrete policies. Lastly, we call on both member states and international organizations to bolster support for grassroots initiatives promoting the rights and well beings of migrant families. Such grassroots efforts are crucial in providing community based support that aligns with the needs of those who are most vulnerable. Migrant youth are not just impacted by these policies. They are shaping the world despite them. Our responsibility is not just to listen, but to act so that nobody is deprived of their rights or dignity for seeking a better life. The time for commitments has passed and the time for action for Marcos and children like him around the world is now. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:33:32]:

Thank you. Thank you. All right. We now turn to the Ethiopian Diaspora Women association with the delegation of Germany at seat 2547.


Ethiopian Diaspora Women Association · Chairwoman · Rania Kinfa [1:33:45]:

Okay.

Oh God.

Sorry.

Excellent wished colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Rania Kinfa, Chairwoman of the Ethiopian Diaspora Women Association Edwa. I am honored to be part of the German government delegation representing diaspora civil society. I would like to acknowledge this as an important step in recognizing diaspora voices within national delegations. It would be valuable to see this approach further expanded across countries. EDWA was established in 2024 by Ethiopian diaspora women in Germany with the support from GIZ and the Ethiopian Embassy and has since been recognized by both governments as a key diaspora network to today. It connects diaspora women with policy processes and development priorities within Afro diasporic communities in Germany. We are strengthening collaboration and striving toward more meaningful participation in shaping solutions both in Germany and in countries of origin. Our work focuses on empowering women with intersectional migration experiences to navigate integration and become active contributors to society. We also see the second generation as key for long term social cohesion. Over the past years, our work has shifted significantly. We are increasingly confronted with situation where individuals included, those supported into education, employment and participation are being returned. This raises a critical question. How do we sustain trust in integration and if stability is no longer guaranteed? At the same time, young people who are born and raised abroad, sometimes with little connection to their country of origin, were also affected. This creates growing uncertainty across diaspora communities and impacts long term integration through collaboration with diaspora networks across African communities to observe patterns that raise serious concerns. Individuals are often returned without preparation, without belongings and without sufficient support. Many face psychological challenges while reintegration system are not equipped to respond particularly to returnees from Western countries. From a human rights perspective, this raises important questions regarding dignity, preparedness and sustainability. The issue is not a lack of engagement by diaspora actors, but the upset of structured mechanism to include them. Meaningfully strengthening migration governance require investing in sustainable reintegration, including dignified return, addressing lived realities and building long term trust to reduce re migration. This also means recognizing diaspora actors, especially women, as equal partners in co creating solutions and shaping policy. If we are to deliver on the Global Compact for Migration, we must move from engaging diaspora.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:37:10]:

Thank you. Thank you. I don't know where the time has gone, but our final speaker for this panel will be center for Migration and Gender, center for Migration, Gender and justice this at seat 2635.


Center for Migration, Gender and Justice [1:37:27]:

Thank you. Dear colleagues, today we affirm a principle that should require no justification. Migrant rights are human rights. Yet in practice these rights still too often are conditional and inconsistently implemented, particularly when seen through a gender lens. At the multi stakeholder hearing of the first first International Migration Review Forum, we the center for Migration, Gender and Justice officially launched the Gender Migration Index, a participatory policy guidance tool for gender responsiveness and migrant inclusion. Today, at the very same event, four years later, I share findings from our analyses using the Index on the Compact's implementation in over 70 UN member states. What we see is the uneven implementation of the gender responsiveness principle. What is even more concerning is that this unevenness has not narrowed, it has deepened across countries. Progress is not linear. Some states have advanced measurable improvements in gender responsive migration governance. However, others have regressed or stalled implementation altogether. In several cases, protections have been diluted and gender references removed from migration policies. The result is a fragmented global landscape where rights depend too often on geography and, even more troubling, on political leadership at a given moment in time. This variability reveals a structural issue. Implementation of the Compact remains highly sensitive to shifts in political will rather than anchored in durable institutional commitments. A gender responsive approach is not optional it is essential to the credibility and effectiveness of migration governance. We therefore call on Member states to safeguard the gains already made, resist politicization of fundamental rights, and ensure that gender responsive migration governance becomes the norm, not the exception. And this is where mechanisms matter. National implementation plans offer a critical entry point to translate global commitments into sustained domestic action, particularly when they include clear gender responsive targets and when they can survive changing leadership. Similarly, the limited set of indicators provides a shared basis for tracking progress because they require consistent application and disaggregation to capture gendered realities. In this context, complementary policy guidance tools such as our Gender Migration Index can help illuminate what aggregate report often misses where progress is real, where it is stagnating, and where it is reversing. Because in the end, the credibility of our commitments will be measured not by what we say, but what my migrants experience. Thank you.


Zolberg Institute · Moderator · Leah Zamore [1:40:23]:

Thank you. Thank you so much. So we are at time. So firstly, I would to like love to thank our esteemed and distinguished panelists for their remarks today. Also everyone who has intervened and to say to those who have put their hands up, so to say, you will be top of the list in the next panel. I think you will need to repress your button in the next panel, but that will then put you back at the top of the list. So I'm sorry that we couldn't get to you. I won't try to do justice to this conversation, especially because we have a moment at the end of the day to sort of summarize. But my heartfelt thank you to all of you, to our panelists, to everyone who has spoken today, everybody who intends to speak today, and everybody that is here today on what is a very, very important discussion in a momentous moment in global history. So thank

you.

Ah, and I call up our next panel and our moderator, Paola Kamini. It's.


Speaker 47 [1:44:23]:

Okay.

Stakeholder colleagues, please take your seat. We are going to start the next thematic discussion shortly.

What's the.

What's the magic formula? What's the magic formula of the room to order? Yes. The next thematic discussion is about to start. I invite everybody to take back your seat. Thank you.

Y

participants, can we please have everybody seated? We need to start the next thematic discussion.

Colleagues, can we please be seated so

we can start the next thematic discussion?

We would like to stay on time.

Can you hear me?

Colleagues, please be seated so we can

start the next session. We would like to give everyone the opportunity to speak.

You can help us by taking your seats and starting the next session.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [1:47:07]:

Distinguished delegates in the room. Is it okay? Excellencies and stakeholder colleagues, we shall now continue with the informal interactive multi stakeholder hearing taking place prior to International Migration Review Forum. The matic discussion too is entitled Labor Rights and Protection. My name is Paola Camille. I'm Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director at the Building and Woodworkers International Global Union, representing here the collective voice of global unions across sectors committed to just and humane migration policies rooted in decent work. Before turning into the discussion, I'd like to thank the UN Migration Network Secretariat for their work in organizing this hearing and all the consultations leading up to the International Review Forum. Their commitment to a rights based approach to migration in line with UN and ILO standards provide an essential foundation for this discussion and for our exchanges. This session goes at the heart of the Global Compact for Migration. It brings governments, employers, workers, organizations and civil society stakeholders together around a shared set of commitments. This includes rights based, regular pathways, fair recruitment, decent work, freedom of associations, skills, recognition, access to justice and protection from exploitation, and crucially, how this being implemented in practice in line with existing obligations and commitments. Yes, we heard before in previous sections that obligations are very clear, exist and are very clear. Fundamental human and labor rights apply to all workers regardless of their migration status. Their effective realization depends on how systems are designed, enforced and accessed in practice. Across regions we've seen both progress and persistent challenges. Migrant workers continue to sustain economies across all industries, yet many remain excluded from protection and remedies in practice. Addressing these gaps requires engagement from all actors present in this room. And it is in that spirit that I hope this discussion could be an opportunity to reflect on progress made on the remaining gap and on the remaining gaps and challenges, on the implementation of the global Compact, on the concrete actions and commitments needed going forward, and on practical experience, experiences that can inform more effective protection systems, including where there may be areas for convergence towards shared approaches that can feed into the outcomes and the discussions in this forum. We are incredibly privileged to hear today From His Excellency Mr. Hans Leo J. Kakdak, Secretary of Department of Migrant Workers of the Republic of The Philippines, from Ms. Pinar Oskhan from the Textile Trade Union of Turkey, member of the International Trade Union Confederation's women's committee, from Mr. Thomas Jaramillo Torres from the International Organization, from employers from Colombia, and finally from Ms. Baria from the International Domestic Workers Federation from the Asian Region. We will now, as it happened in the previous panel, hear presentations by our panelists and thereafter the floor will be open for comments, observations and questions. Those wishing to intervene are invited to press the button on their console. I already see many green lights in front of many of you. So you've learned how it works and how the next session will work. The UN Network Migration Network Secretariat, present here on the podium and in the room, will graciously assist with managing requests. The list of speakers. The request to speak interventions as before, will be limited to three minutes, which will be strictly enforced through an osomatic Microsoft microphone cut off. And now we'll start now our discussion and I'm pleased to give the floor To His Excellency, Mr. Hans Leo J K Floor is yours. Yes.


Philippines · Secretary · Hans Leo J. Kakdak [1:51:52]:

Okay. Thank you so much, Madam Moderator, and greetings to all. Of course, when we speak of labor rights and protection, we should be clear that we are talking about human rights as well as employment rights. When we say employment rights. We know for sure that these employment rights are embedded in national laws as well as contracts and collective bargaining agreements. And there is a question there that is posed by way of what happens when there is a crisis or a global emergency and the need for flexibility and such other forms of economic adjustment are brought to the fore. Well, our response there as a nation is when there is a crisis or global emergency, all the more should there be heightened respect, recognition, implementation and realization of labor rights and therefore greater protection of such labor rights. In the Philippines we have a ministry that is devoted to protection of the rights of migrant workers. We call them Overseas Filipino workers or OFWs. And that precisely is our Department of Migrant Workers. And the policy and legal framework of the Philippines clearly reflects the GCM commitments and all the consolidated services and strengthened governance. Migration governance systems, 50 years old by the way, as of 2024, includes the entire migration cycle from pre departure to reintegration and fair ethical, safe recruitment and full cycle reintegration. In the Philippines. Our plans for protection of migrant workers are embedded in our Philippine Development Plan, in our Philippine Human Rights Plan and in our National Action Plan on fair and ethical recruitment and gender responsive return and reintegration. And so that we are clear, we fully stand for gender sensitivity as well as gender responsiveness. We also have very firm priorities in terms of protection against illegal recruitment and human trafficking. By way of example, for the last two years we have shut down at least 50 establishments that are involved in some shape or form in illegal recruitment. We have secured various convictions that have given our system and our government, our systems and processes, our laws, global acclaim in terms of enforcing our laws against human trafficking. We also have a clear, clear policy and path toward bilateralism, regionalism and multilateralism. In this day and age, we cannot, can never achieve full recognition, implementation and realization of human rights and employment rights unless there is cooperation at the bilateral level, multilateral and regional levels. So in the Philippines we have our regional aggro patient which is called the ASEAN association of Southeast Asian nations. And we have 60 plus bilateral labor arrangements all over the world, including countries where there we have the most number of OFWs and that which means basically the Middle east and Asia. We, we also of course actively participate in multilateral platforms such as here as well as the halls of the ILO and the IOM in the United Nations. We are mindful of the international labor standard setting mechanisms that should always be brought to the fore in terms of enforcing the rights, especially those in the vulnerable skill sets, more particularly domestic workers and we do have our fair share of domestic workers all over the world. Our main approach, of course, is a rights based approach with respect to our domestic workers. The standards of protection should be clear. Minimum standards of wages, benefits and working conditions, their proper documentation so that everyone possesses contracts and work visas that had been as much as possible, bilaterally agreed and verified by our migrant workers offices, Philippine embassies and those who represent our government functionaries. These contracts include mandatory clauses such as job details, basic monthly salary, regular working hours and vacation sick leave. And protection measures are also in store. In terms of our access to justice mechanisms, we have lawyers all over the world. In fact, we convened all our lawyers all over the world just last December in Manila and we clearly have our plans of action with regard to assistance to prosecutorial authorities in host countries, filing of cases for and on behalf of our migrant workers, and being in firm legal defenses for our migrant workers. In fact, I was just in a host country country hosting OFWs the other month and there I met 12 of our OFWs who had been criminally prosecuted and had been successfully defended by our legal retainers there in that particular host country. And now they have been absolved of the criminal charges against them. Having said this, we know for sure that we are faced with various challenges when it comes to access to justice. But rest assured, we will have our lawyers, our paralegals, our migrant workers, office personnel on the ground day in and day out. 24 to protect our workers in the field of social protection in the Philippines, we have what we would call a four quadrant approach, a quadrant approach which essentially covers first and foremost welfare funding and protection. So we have a special welfare fund back home, we have a health insurance fund for migrant workers, we have a housing fund as a third quadrant for migrant workers. And finally, we have Social Security protection which includes retirement and pension systems for our migrant workers. We will continue to intensify enforcement of our laws against illegal recruitment and trafficking in the face of digital systems. And challenges, let's face it, there are a lot of challenges out there with respect to illegal on online recruitment, we will continue to address matters on lowered recruitment costs and remittance fees as World bank studies show that we are among the lowest we possess or we have among the lowest corridors, I mean lowest remittance fees and recruitment costs in selected migrant labor corridors that had been identified in studies. We will continue to strengthen international cooperation on fair and ethical recruitment, universal recognition and protection of fundamental labor rights, including where such rights on wages and benefits are violated. We will stand firm alongside our OFWs in that regard, and with regard to access to justice and grievance mechanisms, we will be there as well in the host countries, standing side by side, our workers, with, as I mentioned, our legal and paralegal retainers. Lastly, reintegration. The current global emergency we are faced has brought to the fore our reintegration mechanisms. And rest assured, under the leadership of our president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. All the protective mechanisms that I had mentioned, including reintegration mechanisms, have once again been activated. We have proper job matching services. We have employment, livelihood as well as upskilling services. And I will end on that note. When we speak of labor protection and labor rights, we will always uphold skills as the highest form of protection. And so we are very mindful of upskilling, upgrading, reviewing the current skill skills that are possessed especially by those in the vulnerable sectors, and do all that we can to upgrade them. We have had good practices. In my last trip, we met domestic workers. I met domestic workers, for instance, who had upgraded their skills to be caregivers, baristas, nurse assistants, and even those working in educational institutions. I'll end there. I know my time is limited. We could talk all day. But rest assured, the Philippines stand firm behind you and with you in the bright fight for protecting migrant workers rights. Thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:01:32]:

Thank you, your Excellency. I now give the floor to Ms. Pina Othchan. You have five minutes. The floor is yours.


ITUC · Pina Othchan [2:01:40]:

Thank you.

Chair.

Distinguished panelists, Dear colleagues, I'm really honored to speak today as a representative of trade union movement and based on our priorities for the IMRF from the International Trade Union Confederation. For trade unions, the starting point is clear. Migration governance must begin with the dignity and right of workers. Migrant workers are not temporary. They are not disposable. They are not invisible. They are workers. They are right holders. They are part of our societies. Regardless of migration status, a worker is a worker. Many migrants migrate just to survive. Many earn low wages and lack basic safety nets. And many face hunger, debt and exploitation. When migrant workers rights are denied, we don't only fail them, we weaken labor standards for everyone. We are not lacking commitments and we cannot allow any regression on them. Instead, we need implementation, accountability and political courage. So the real question is not only how to manage migration, but whether we are ready to put rights before convenience and people before profits. From trade union perspective, there are five urgent priorities that I would like to share. First, we must place labor rights at the center of migration governance. Freedom of association, collective bargaining, equal treatment, safe workplaces, living wages. These are rights and they must apply to all Workers. If workers fear detention or deportation for speaking up, then we don't have protection. We have silence enforced by fear. We see this clearly in Turkey and in many countries. Millions of migrants and refugee workers are active in sectors like textile, agriculture, construction, care and services where there is no union representation. Migrant workers are more exposed to informality, wage theft, unsafe working conditions and long hours and limited social protection. But when workers are organized, when they have collective voice, conditions improve and dignity becomes possible. Colleagues freedom of association is not only a right, it is a solution. Second priority, we must end recruitment system that exploit workers. No workers should pay for a job, yet many migrant workers are trapped in debt before they even begin the work. We need zero recruitment fees, strict regulation and shared accountability. Third priority, Migration systems must not trap workers in dependency. Employer tied systems prevent workers from leaving abuse. Workers must have the right to change employer and access regularization and pathways to stability because dignity requires freedom. Fourth priority, every worker must have access to social protection and justice. Without health care, Social Security and legal access, workers are exposed to exploitation. A worker without protection cannot refuse abuse. A worker without justice cannot defend their rights. Fifth priority, workers voices must be included in migration governance. There is no effective policy without social dialogue. Trade unions must be at the table because policies designed without workers fail. As shown in the recent ITC report published for the imrf. Trade unions are not only identifying problems. We are closing these gaps in concrete ways. We are closing the representation gap by organizing migrant workers. We are closing the information gap through outreach, resource centers and direct support. We are closing the justice gap by helping workers claim their rights and and access remedies. We are closing the cross border gap through international cooperation. And we are advancing rights based governance through policy, advocacy and social dialogue. This forum is very critical moment. So we have the frameworks, we have the commitments. We cannot backtrack on them. And what we now need is the implementation that reaches the workplace. So let me conclude with this. If migration governance doesn't protect workers rights, it will continue to produce exploitation if we center rights, dignity and distant work. But if we center rights, dignity and distant work, migration can become a force of justice and inclusion. Because in the end, this is not only about migration. It is about whether we build a system that protects people or one that we profit from their vulnerability. Thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:07:20]:

I thank Ms. Pineros Chan. And I now give the floor to Mr. Thomas Jaramillo Torres from the International Organization of Employers. Over to you.


IOE · Thomas Jaramillo Torres [2:07:30]:

Thank you, honorable moderator, distinguished panelists, Excellencies, colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to intervene on behalf of the Private sector In the discussion on labor rights and protections, I would like to begin with a key point. Strengthening labor rights cannot be addressed without going hand in hand with migration pathways that are safe, regular and responsive to labor market realities. From the perspective of employers, labor migration is not only about mobility. When migration systems are well designed, they help match talent with opportunity, reduce vulnerability, support business continuity and expand the contribution of migrants to our societies when they are not. The result is often delayed, irregularity, underemployment and greater vulnerability for workers and employers alike. The Global Compact for Migration rightly reminds us that migration should be safe, orderly and regular and that this requires a whole of society approach. The private sector is a key part of this equation. By supporting fair recruitment, skills recognition, job creation, workplace integration, the private sector can help turn the characteristics of decent work into practice. But to do that, we need migration systems that are fit for purpose. First, labor migration pathways must reflect the realities of today's world of work. Existing systems were often designed for a more rigid model of employment tied to one employer, one contract, one location and one status. That model no longer fits the modern economy. The world of work now includes project based work, digital work, temporary assignments, remote collaboration, self employment, entrepreneurship and evolving skills needed across sectors. If migration systems do not adapt, they push both workers and employers into informality, uncertainty and lack of protection. Second, ethical and responsible recruitment must remain at the center of the protection of labor rights. The global business community has taken a clear position against the charging of recruitment fees to job seekers and workers. No worker should pay a recruitment fee that places them in debt before they even begin to work. Employers support recruitment processes based on clear rules, transparent contracts and enforceable standards that protect workers and and businesses from abusive practices. Third, skills recognition and skills matching are essential. Too often migrants are underemployed not because they lack ability, but because their qualifications, experience or competencies are not recognized quickly or consistently enough. This is a loss for everyone. Workers lose opportunities, employers lose talent, and economies lose productivity. We need more agile systems to improve the assessment, recognition and transferability of formal and non formal skills, better skills anticipation tools and closer cooperation between governments, employers, educational institutions and training providers. Fourth, policy coherence matters. Labor migration cannot be managed effectively. Migration policy, labor policy, education policy and social protection policy operate alone. Employers often find themselves navigating fragmented systems that do not speak to each other. That creates delays, compliance burdens and unnecessary barriers to formal employment. A hall of government approach is necessary, but it must also be accompanied by institutionalized dialogue with the private sector. Employers know where the labor shortages are what skills are needed and where the bottlenecks lie. In this sense, the private sector is ready to contribute in a variety of practical and complementary ways. We can help identify labor market needs more accurately. We can support train to hire models, apprenticeships and skills partnerships. We can work with governments and trusted employer schemes that reward compliance and integrity. We can support digital solutions that make processes faster, more transparent and more predictable. We can promote fair recruitment standards across supply chains. We can invest in workplace inclusion. And we can help promote a more balanced public narrative, one that recognizes migrants as workers, taxpayers, consumers, entrepreneurs and contributors to growth and social cohesion. So from the private sector the message is straightforward. The proper protection of migrants, workers, labor rights requires legal and predictable pathways, fair recruitment, skills, recognition and policy coherence. These are not separate goals. They are mutually reinforcing parts of the same agenda. These are practical steps and they require us to work together, governments, civil society, workers and employers. The private sector stands ready to play its part in that effort. Thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:12:51]:

I thank the distinguished representative of the International Organization for Employers and I now give the floor to Barilla from the International Domestic Workers Federation.


IDWF · Baria [2:13:04]:

Thank you, friends, dear delegates, comrades, and for sure my fellow migrant workers who coming across the world and for those who are unable to present here today because of the visa and the lack of support. Speaking both from my personal experience as migrant workers and on behalf of the International Domestic Worker federation, representing over 700,000 domestic and migrant domestic workers around the world, I bring a clear message for this migration review. Migration without right is exploitation. Globally, migrant domestic workers remain undervalued and systematically excluded from the essential labor protection within the migration system. The majority experience long working hours without rest, denial of the weekly day of violence and harassment, witch theft and debt bondage, especially in Asia and Middle East. Employer tight visa regimes, including Kafala system, place women migrant domestic workers under the near total control of the employers, exposing workers to exploitation and abuse. As global care needs grow, countries increasingly rely on migrant domestic workers to fill critical gaps. Yet they fail to protect their rights, safety and well being. This is not due to lack of commitment. The Global Compact already recognized the need to protect migrant workers rights, ensure decent work and and reduce vulnerability. What we are facing is a failure of the implementation. We migrant workers should not have to beat the cost of the system that deny us protection while depending on our labor, we have not remained silent. Migrant domestic workers have organized form their union and association, build community support, claim space for social dialogue and influence the policy. This effort has significantly contributed to the advancing of the objectives of the global compact including fair recruitment, reducing vulnerability and the expanding access to social protection. We have achieved concrete victories on the ratification of the ILO Convention 189 on the decent work and 190 extension of social protection and strong transnational solidarity in the Middle east during crisis and conflict. Domestic workers has been on the front lines providing humanitarian and psychosocial support to other fellow domestic workers, demonstrating that our union and solidarity far beyond is recognized in the policy framework. Yet this is not enough. The government of the origin and destination country must act first, recognize domestic workers as work and guarantee right in law and protection Defy and implement the ILAW Convention on C189 on Decent Work and the ILOC on Violence and Harassment in the Work of Work. Second, guarantee freedom of association and collective bargaining. They ratify the convention 87 and 998 remove legal barriers to organizing and protect workers from retaliation and deportation. Ensure meaningful participation in social dialogue. Third, end discrimination faced by migrant workers. Especially, we must ensure the equal access to basic services and access to justice regardless of their genders, race, nationalities and their migration status.

4.

Guarantee inclusive and portable social protection and ensure that they are rated and live in a decent way 5. Replace temporary and employer type visa system with the right based migration pathway and 6 align national care system in the ILO Convention 189 and ensure migrant domestic workers are fully included and protected. 7. End exploitation in recruitment process and 8 protect workers in crisis and conflict. The government must establish evacuation mechanism, humanitarian protection and access to shelter, service and reintegration Support with non discrimination. 9. We must involve a trade union, migrant workers organization migrant workers community in the development and the implementation of the bilateral agreement. The bilateral agreement should not be closed and behind the door. Last but not least, in time of the crisis and conflict, we must recognize millions of migrant workers contribution who provide mutual help and immediate support for fellow migrant domestic workers. Once again, migration without right is exploitation. If this forum really is to be meaningful, it must ensure that migration system deliver dignity, protection and justice for all the workers. Thank you so much.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:19:08]:

I thank the distinguished representative from the International Domestic Workers Federation and and with this we've heard the last speaker of thematic discussion too. Please join me in a round of applause to all our panelists who also helped to keep the time concise and to open the discussion now from participants from the room. But before we open the discussion, I would like to remind all the stakeholders in the room that our dialogue will proceed according to to a list of speakers formulated based on the expression of interest received since the session started. It is in our shared interest to allow for the broadest possible participation and to ensure fruitful exchanges of perspective. So I really ask should request that you all who will be taking the floor, kindly adhere to the time limits of three minutes for your interventions. But without further ado, I'll now proceed to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Talent Beyond Boundaries seated at the seat number 2684.


Talent Beyond Boundaries · Corporate Outreach Advisor · Gary Slayman [2:20:30]:

Can you hear me okay? Hi, I'm. Good day. I'm Gary Slayman and I rise to note an important and innovative partnership grounded in Objective 5 of the Global Compact on Migration and the commitment to decent work. I serve on the Executive Committee of the Business Advisory Group on Migration but also hold the title as Corporate Corporate Outreach Advisor to Talent Beyond Boundaries. Talent Beyond Boundaries has built a talent catalog of over 150,000 skilled people among the displaced populations worldwide. We partner with businesses to fill critical skills gaps and rely on regular pathways provided by government to connect the displaced and their families with these decent work opportunities. The IOM and the UN Network are also important partners as we seek to identify skilled workers among the displaced and move them to economic development benefits which help fulfill the SDGs. The private sector who we've heard from just moments ago is an essential partner since without work and the investment in the workforce the there cannot be decent work and without governments embracing enhanced and flexible regular pathways pursuant to Objective 5, there can be no mobility solution. I have reported on this partnership in this building during the GCM negotiations in 2018, again at the first IMRF in 2022 and as we sit here in the second IMRF. I want to say that TBB has grown globally to include many more source countries, including countries from the Middle East, Asia, East Africa and Latin America and many more destination countries including Canada, Australia, the uk, Italy and other EU countries so I can report significant progress. We have moved many many of the displaced and we have evolved to now implementing train to hire programs and are working on scaling up the solution and to adapting it to the just transition as well. So I am happy to report progress in this IMRF and further interest. I recommend people reviewing the Business Advisory Group paper entitled Business Perspectives on what Works and what doesn't as well as attending Roundtable 1 and the May 7 side event at the Concept Canadian Mission on Private Sector Partnerships for GCM Implementation. Thank you very much.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:23:20]:

Thank you. I'll now give the floor to the representative of ITUC Asia Pacific seated at the seat number 2588, to be followed by the distinguished representative from the Government of Mali, seated at seat number 254 8.


ITUC Asia-Pacific [2:23:44]:

Thank you. Thank you, Madam moderator and distinguished panelists. First of all, let me express my gratitude to all the panelists who spoke very well and in line with the trade union demands. Friends and colleagues, what we are witnessing over time raises serious concerns about the systematic dehumanization of undocumented migrant workers evident across the Asia Pacific region, where despite commitments under the Global Compact for Migration, migrant workers continue to face detention, forced return and exclusion from basic human and labor rights protection. The images of undocumented migrants deported, handcuffed, legs shackled during long haul flights, including those sent back to India and other countries, are deeply disturbing. Equally troubling is the lack of courage shown by both countries of destination and countries of origin in challenging such practices. When human dignity is at stake, silence cannot be justified. This directly contradicts the commitment under the Global Compact for Migration, particularly its principle of upholding the human rights and dignity of all migrants, regardless of status. At the same time, we are here in New York, a city that reflects the power and contribution of migrants, where leaders have emerged through democratic processes. Campaigning in Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and other immigrants languages. This contrast is telling. Migrants are not outsiders. They are workers, contributors and part of the social and political fabrics of our societies. Colleagues, from a trade union perspective and as emphasized in ituc, Asia Pacific's work migrants must be recognized as workers first. Their rights cannot depend on migrant status. This is why the ITUCH continues to call for a new social contract that ensures decent work, fair wages and equal treatment, safe and healthy working conditions, universal social protection, freedom of association and collective bargaining, and an end to exploitation across recruitment and employment processes. These demands are fully consistent with both both the Global Compact for Migration and the broader international human rights framework. Yet the reality on the ground shows a widening gap between commitments and its implementation. As we move into discussion on labor rights, this connection becomes even more critical. Without securing labor rights, human rights for migrants remain incomplete. Thank you so much.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:26:43]:

Thank you. Distinguished representative of mali, seated at 25:48. You have the floor. Seat number 2548.


Mali [2:27:37]:

The seat number is not correct.


Speaker 62 [2:27:43]:

Yeah, but I am not represented. If they give flow, I can speak.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:27:56]:

Excuse me, distinguished representative. There's no interpretation because the microphone doesn't correspond to the seat number. So. Seat number 255 please. 25, 5, 8. Thank.


Mali [2:28:22]:

You.

Madame La Model Triste.

Madam co facilitator, I commend the organization on this meeting. I'm speaking on behalf of Mali to share our national experience and also the concerns of the Malian community abroad. Our country is deeply concerned by migration Migration which is a historic and social and structural reality. This trend is governed by our national framework to address migration. In order to address this phenomenon, better protect migrants and ensure the contribution of the diaspora to our national development. In Mali's experience, migration has been a lever for development. Several million Malians live ab abroad. They actively participate in the economies of the host countries. This while significantly contributing to our national development through cash remittances and through maintaining social ties as well. Enter Alia Madam Chair. Our framework aims to strengthen the institutional contribution of the diaspora and ensure that this all takes place in a secure and organized fashion fashion. Our framework shows our desire to leverage the opportunities offered by these human resources while curbing the challenges. However, there are risks here and difficulties with regard to certain forms of stigmatization. Given these challenges, we reiterate the need for international cooperation grounded in human dignity, solidarity and shared responsibility. As for the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration, we support it in coherence with our national spirit. Number one, the promotion of safe and accessible migration pathways. Also the protection of the rights of all migrants and third, the consolidation of links between migrants and and development. The Council of Malians Abroad is an organization that plays an essential role in interfacing between the national authorities and others and they contribute to the implementation of our migration policy. Our experience has shown that when it's well regulated, migration is a factor for shared development and stronger cooperation amongst states. Mali thus calls for more coherent and with more solidarity a collective action in order to ensure migration is safe, orderly and effective and respects human rights.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:31:16]:

I now give the floor to the representative of the Pacific Migration Partners seated at 2569.


Pacific Migration Partners [2:31:31]:

Excellencies leaders leads. May we offer the following because we are suffering from regional grief because there's only two of us here. However, onwards 2030 may we offer the few following thoughts that we wanted to see in 2026. However, tis not to be Pacific Climate Mobility immobility Climate change is not a future risk for Pacific peoples, but a present structural driver of mobility. The GCM implementation must explicitly recognize loss of land, freshwater salinization and ecosystem collapse as migration drivers and link objective 2 to loss and damage financing, adaptation and relocation planning led by states and civil societies. Two States and international actors should commit to the demilitarization of climate mobility governance and reject narratives that frame climate affected populations and as security threats, strategic assets or instruments of geopolitical competition. Climate induced mobility must be governed through civilian rights based humanitarian frameworks, not defence, border security or military doctrines. 3. Indigenous rights for indigenous peoples. Adverse migration drivers are indeed inseparable from colonial dispossession, environmental degradation and governance exclusion. Addressing these drivers requires restoring indigenous rights, decision making authority and environmental stewardship, not merely reducing migration pressures. May we offer these few thoughts that you're going to represent and Mirror in 2030. Aloha.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:33:46]:

Thank you good representative. And now give the floor to his excellency, the Vice Minister of Guatemala, seated at seat number 2578.


Guatemala · Vice Minister [2:34:07]:

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator, for giving me the floor. Labour migration is also something that we consider to be a global development factor, both for the families of origin and internationally a development factor for the receiving countries. Labor mobility, as we have heard quite eloquently from a number of the speakers this morning, plays a key role in our time. This involves millions of migrant workers all over the world. This dynamic of migration requires attention and concrete action to ensure that it takes place fairly, with dignity and with rights, both for the the migrants themselves, all of them, and also for the communities of origin and the target destination communities. This is why we must guarantee the human rights of individuals in migration or mobility so that they can better contribute to the economic and social and sustainable development of their communities of origin and the target countries, the destination target countries. This includes strengthening the migrant workers rights and also promoting equality of opportunity in the marketplace, the labour market. It's essential that we work closely with all stakeholders involved, including governments, international organizations, the private sector and also civil society. The aim is to find innovative and effective solutions to help us leverage the positive potential of global labor migration for local, regional, global development. Guatemala has been strengthening its consulate network to ensure protection of Guatemalan workers abroad and bring them closer to services and helping them organize with civil society organizations that defend the rights of communities in the destination countries. Consulates play a fundamental role in in watching over the rights of those who are seeking labor opportunities far from their countries of origin. So far, people might think that we are speaking as a sending country, but we are actually also a receiving country of migrants. The Seeger's microphone has unfortunately been cut off.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:37:05]:

Thank you, your excellency. Now give the floor to the representative of the International Organization of Employers seated at seat number 2692.


IOE [2:37:21]:

Thank you so much. Thank you. I would like to thank the PGA for recognizing employers, organization and the private sector as important stakeholders in the process process and also thank all the governments who are attending the hearings today and being open for engagement. The private sector is diverse with small and medium sized enterprises, employers, organizations, multinationals, sectoral associations, all operating in different contexts and realities with different roles yet across sectors and regions all businesses depend on people and people are the foundation of every successful company. IOE represents this diverse private sector ecosystem and we're very pleased to be here at IMRF with 20 business representatives from various countries available to engage this week with governments and civil society friends and colleagues. The importance of governmental and private sector cooperation is referenced over 16 times times in the GCM stressing the importance of a whole of society approach to migration governance and the PGA has also referred to this important approach this morning. It allows governments to understand the challenges that can prevent businesses from hiring from abroad and it helps businesses to better understand the motivation behind particular policies. So we need now to realize this more concretely. IOE hosts the Business Advisory Group on Migration and our call to the government is really to work together on improving legal pathways that respond to labor market needs as per objective 5. Legal frameworks conducive to responsible recruitment with a clear ban of recruitment fees to migrant workers. While we can discuss costs that can be shared through the process and this is all related to Objective 6 and skills recognition systems that are enabled by technology. Technology can be a huge tool that we should all be using to improve migration systems. And this is all referenced to Objective 18. Employers reaffirm their commitment to respecting labor rights for workers. Well regulated migration helps address skill shortages, supports business continuity and enables companies to grow, innovate and remain competitive. Productivity and performance go hand in hand with respect for labor rights. It's not about choosing between competitiveness and compassion. Smart migration policies allow us to achieve both A predictable and transparent migration system helps build inclusive societies where economic success and human dignity reinforce one another. Please do join us. We have a side event on Thursday at the ILO at the Canadian Mission. Apologies where we will be deep diving into these topics. Thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:40:18]:

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative from the Government of Uruguay seated at the seat number 2621.


Uruguay [2:40:36]:

Mucha gracias.

Thank you.

On behalf of Uruguay, I'd like to thank all of the panelists and take this opportunity to reaffirm our full commitment to the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. We also wish to highlight the important role of civil society organizations who are here today and work daily to ensure the human rights and dignity of all migrants. As indicated in our voluntary report, one of the central pillars of Uruguay's migration policy is the facilitation with strict security controls of access to documentation and migratory regularity in order to ensure safe and regular migration. We also wish to integrate all migrants into our society and labour market. Our policies are based on recognition of migration as an integral part of human history and a genuine commitment to the UN universality of human rights and the principles of equality and non discrimination. We are convinced that migrants contribute positively to the development of their host communities, including through insertion into the labour market and payment of taxes and Social Security contributions. Uruguay has ratified the main ILO conventions and the main human rights treaties. According to our national regulations, migrant workers have the same labor rights as nationals, without any kind of distinction, without prejudice. We recognise that in practice there are still challenges and so we continue to work daily to facilitate their social and labour integration. By way of example, we are currently working on a project with the ILO through 2027, with financial support from Canada. It aims to strengthen the capacities of public and private sectors to harness contributions of international migrant workers and facilitate their social and labour inclusion. The initiative envisages the production of information and data on labour market profiles and needs and also promotion of coordination and tripartite social dialogue. In this regard, important advances have been highlighted in public private coordination for the development of inclusive inclusive employment policies and also for business training in labour rights, diversity and inclusion. These efforts include the program called Road to Employment which aims to facilitate formal labour integration. Sub national governments in turn have carried out important initiatives, together with the support of international partners, to advance labour inclusion of migrants. One example is the Resonate project in the municipality of Montevideo. This is for migrant and displaced families and includes a community care center for children of migrants between 0 and 3 years of age. Finally, I'd like to share that Uruguay is also working on simplifying procedures for recognition or revalidation of third cycle tertiary education degrees and migrant workers can access skills certifications program through our national institute, regardless of how they've been acquired. I thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:43:38]:

Thank you, the distinguished representatives. I now give the floor to the representative from the Solidarity center, seat number 2592.


Solidarity Center [2:43:52]:

Thank you so much to my trade union sister for recognizing me and for facilitating this important panel. While administrative migration policies vary, Member states have an absolute responsibility to abide by inalienable human rights and fundamental ILO core labor standards. This is non negotiable. National sovereignty is not a license to bypass the international legal framework that protects all human beings. We must reject any narrative that measures labor migration success primarily through remittances. Governments must stop treating migrant workers as economic engines and start treating them as human beings with full agency. As we assess the realities today, we are witnessing a severe global regression in the rights of migrants, there is a widening chasm between diplomatic rhetoric and the harsh punitive realities of state practice, where governments fuel narratives of division and xenophobia. This regression is exasperated by immigration policies that fail to align with actual labor market conditions or recognize the socioeconomic contributions of migrants. A critical component of global migration policy must be the right to stay in origin countries where migration is a choice of opportunity rather than a desperate escape from poverty. States must prioritize the creation of decent work and living wages in in local origin communities. This is backed by a Solidarity Center Commission study from Penn State University which found that garment workers and Honduras were 25% less likely to migrate when protected by a union and a collective bargaining agreement. This is common sense. Yet decent work in origin communities remains highly neglected in migration policy, and temporary labor migration schemes are promoted over decent work and at home. Regardless of migration status, all migrants who work are rights holders. We must eliminate the artificial silos that segregate migrant workers and worker in agriculture, construction, or the care economy is a worker period. There's a profound policy incoherence where migration is managed by interior or foreign ministries, excluding ministries of labor. By silating sidelining labor institutions, states fail to center labor laws and enforcement, stop looking at bank transfers and start looking at the front lines of labor rights. It is time for member states to align their migration actions and legal frameworks with the ILO core labor standards and the decent work agenda they are committed to uphold. Thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:46:40]:

Thank you. I now give the floor to the representative of ITUC and from Senegal, seated at seat number 2589. Thank you.


ITUC [2:46:57]:

Thank you very much, co facilitator. And I thank the panelists as well. You'll agree with me that there's a paradox here. The fact that the mobility of workers continues to be a source of difficulty because there is demand in host countries. Most European countries need labor and African countries have a very young population and they don't have the industrialized economic structure that allows them to absorb all this labor. So the demand is there, but the mobility of workers continues to generate problems. I come from Senegal and we continue to see many deaths every day of people that are simply in quest of jobs. This is a paradox for me. And they have a human right. And this is a practice that allows for many countries to develop. So we need to stop declarations of will that aren't backed up by conviction. Without commitment, there can be no action. I think it's important to tackle migration in terms of rights and responsibilities. Migrant workers are part of the economic development of the host countries. And they are the ones that do the difficult work, they are the ones that do unpleasant work, and they do degrading work. These workers in the context of social justice, need to be able to draw on social protections. And speaking of social protections, what we're talking about is what allows workers to retain their dignity and dignity is linked with the human person. Dignity doesn't have to do with a signature. Dignity isn't about documents. Dignity is what makes the human beings themselves, because someone in an office decided not to sign a particular document that would allow someone to cross one border or another. So we need to retain our dignity. And if we want to remain in dignity, we need to preserve the dignity of others. This is the very simple message I wanted to convey.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:49:33]:

Thank you very much, representative of itsc. I now give the floor to the representative of the Employer Federation of Congo, seated at seat number 2693.


Employer Federation of Congo [2:49:51]:

Okay,

thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to begin by something simple. It is our. I want to tell you about our reality on the ground. In the drc, the main risk for migrant workers is not the lack of standards, but rather the lack of effective structurization of the labor market. In our context, migrants offer opportunities in terms of jobs, and migrant workers can work in the informal sector as well. So that means that they don't have a framework for the work, with no reliable information and sometimes no genuine protections. In these contexts, the law exists in theory, but it's difficult to enact it in practice. This reality concerns the migrants that leave our country, but it also applies to those that we welcome. The absence of a structural frame, the absence of a structural framework that creates the risk of falling into informal structures. Given these challenges, we should underscore the fact that in Congo, the private sector is partnering with public authorities, especially the Office, the National Office of Labor. The framework cooperation is being fleshed out so as to enjoy to structure what is currently largely informal, addressing recruitment through mediation and ensuring professional pathways. This work is shown by a code of good conduct with our National Office of Labor, which, inter alia, allows for some ills to be avoided, such as the lack of payment by employers. So we're setting up a national employee observer to address the labor market, because without concrete data, it's difficult or even impossible to develop effective policies and anticipate migration trends. The message here is a simple one. Protecting the rights of migrants can be completely effective only with an effective labor market and with an effective knowledge of the responsibilities. No actor acting in isolation, be it The States, the employee organizations or civil society can by themselves have the tools necessary to effectively ensure the rights of migrants. We need to close ranks in order to find collective and coordinated solutions, but above all, sustainable solutions. Thank you.


BWI · Global Campaigns and Migration Policy Director; Moderator · Paola Camille [2:52:38]:

Thank you to the representative we have heard, looking at the time, the last speaker in our interactive discussion. I apologize to those who were not able to take the floor. There will be more occasions during the next few days this afternoon to speak. Today's discussion has highlighted both progress and continuing gaps. I won't try to summarize or to wrap up. There will be a session later where we will come up with recommendations from this discussion. So you'll hear the areas of convergence where we can move ahead together. But among the challenges that I want to highlight that have emerged, we've heard of precarious work, of witch theft, of barriers to access social protection, of barriers to recognize the skills across countries. And what emerges is not just the implementation barriers, but also somehow the direction we need to advance implementation. Implementation requires commitment. But commitment to implement might not come at the expense of existing standards. So the final call from this table it is let's hold on to the existing UN obligation ILO international labor standards that have been referred to as fundamental points to advance labor rights and protections across migration routes. Labor rights are not conditional. I hope we can end with this. They apply to all workers regardless of their status. And this includes the fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining that are enabling rights. Without those rights, protections cannot function in practice. Looking forward, we will try to elaborate recommendations for this afternoon reporting to move deeper from commitments to implementation nationally and across borders. Migration policies are not an ABSA frameworks. They shape the lives, dignity and safety of millions of workers. And I think this message has resonated across all interventions so far. Before I conclude, I have to make an announcement. I would like to remind participants that the third thematic discussion entitled Pathways for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration will begin promptly at 3:3pm in this room. Let us continue to engage one another constructively. Listen attentively with an open mind. With this, I ask you again to please join me in thanking the distinguished panel of speakers that I had the honor to serve all of you stakeholders. And I can declare the thematic discussion one and two concluded. Thank you.