Last 8 September 2015, the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (the Committee) organized a half-day general discussion to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The general discussion was a public meeting in which representatives of States, United Nations bodies and specialised agencies, civil society and other relevant organisations as well as individual experts are welcome to participate.
The panel discussion focused on the multiple human rights abuses faced by migrant workers, and challenges for States on how to best address these issues in the context of migrant workers in the Gulf, undocumented children in the Americas, and irregular migration flows in the Mediterranean. Each of these discussions underlined the importance of an agreed international human rights framework, including stepping up ratifications of the Convention. This discussion also included perspectives, including best practices, by States parties and non-States parties on how to address migration-related issues and the role of the Convention in this regard.
Please find below the statements, the presentations by panelists, conclusion remarks and statement, as well as pictures of the event.
Statements:
- Welcoming statement by Mr. Francisco Carrion Mena, Chair of the CMW Committee
- Opening statement by Mr. Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR
- Statement by Mr. Hubert René Schillinger, Director, Geneva Office, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
- Statement by Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Vitillo, Head of Delegation for Caritas Internationalis and Attaché at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva
Presentations by Panelists:
Panel 1: Current trends in violations of migrants workers’ human rights
- Ms. Michele Levoy, Director, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
- Mr. Mustafa Qadri, Gulf Migrant Rights Researcher, Amnesty International
- Mr. Ashley William Gois, Regional Coordinator, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)
- Mr. Diego Lorente Pérez de Eulate, Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova Tapachula, Chiapas
Panel 2: Challenges for States and promising developments in responding to these trends
- H.E. Mr. Peter Sørensen, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva
- H.E. Ms. Cecilia Rebong, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Office at Geneva
- H.E. Mr. Raúl Heredia Acosta, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office at Geneva
Concluding Remarks:
Ms. Manuela Tomei, Director of Conditions of Work and Equality Department, ILO
Concluding Statement:
Mr. Ibrahim Salama, Director, Human Rights Treaties Division, OHCHR, Moderator
