COMMITTEE ON PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS MEETS WITH UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay this morning told the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families that she realized that there had not been the desirable number of ratifications of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. In that context, she repeated her pledge to support each treaty body in its work, as they were the custodians of the international human rights norms on which she had relied throughout her legal career as a lawyer, a human rights defender and a judge at the national and international levels.

The High Commissioner said that in a number of speeches, in particular her address to the European Union in Brussels, in Germany and in the United Kingdom she had made calls for those countries to ratify the Convention. Those speeches had been made to non-governmental organizations and civil society groups as well, and so they were quite effective occasions for raising awareness.

Ms. Pillay assured the Committee that she would be an energetic advocate for the ratification of the Convention on Migrant Workers. She noted that the Convention had recently gained two more ratifications, bringing the total of States parties to 39. That brought the number of States parties close to the 41 that would allow four additional Experts to be elected to the Committee, and she trusted that that momentum would continue.

Abdelhamid El Jamri, Chairperson of the United Nations Migrants Committee, noted that yesterday the Committee had met with members of the Council of Europe. One issue discussed had been ratifications, but there were other lacuna that needed to be examined. He stressed the importance of working with that group.

In the ensuing discussion, Experts expressed their concern to have the Convention universalized. In particular, it was very important to have countries of destination for migrants join the Convention. Lacking that, the effectiveness and value of the Convention would be undermined in the long term. The High Commissioner was asked to target her advocacy work on behalf of the Convention in that area. In that context, an Expert said that many countries were worried about the legal and financial implications of the Convention and lacked an understanding of what benefits it provided. The Expert called for a greater dissemination of information in that respect, including information campaigns. Other issues raised included how the Universal Periodic Review could be used to promote the rights of migrants and to encourage ratification of the Convention, and the issue of promoting wider awareness of the Convention in countries of origin for migrant workers, including countries that had already ratified it.

In some closing remarks, High Commissioner Pillay recognized from the discussion today that it was not enough to call for ratification of the Convention. In addition to a lack of political will on the part of States, it was up to them to find ways to guide States around obstacles they had identified. In addition, there was a need to raise awareness in the States already parties to the Convention. Here, she noted that her Office had presences in 50 States which could be used immediately to spread information not only about the Convention but also how they should respond to it and what benefits it contained. She was willing to pursue that as a first step.

With regard to the Universal Periodic Review process, Ms. Pillay observed that so far the Working Group had reviewed 32 States. There had been a lot of criticism about the Human Rights Council, but she found it remarkable that they had been able to review 32 States in just two years so far. What was remarkable about that exercise was that in nearly all the reviews issues of migrants' rights had been raised and States had been encouraged to consider ratification of the Convention. That was how the Committee could link up with the Universal Periodic Review process, in recommendations.

Ms. Pillay concluded by noting that she, herself, had been the child of migrants, as her forefathers had migrated to South Africa to work in the sugar cane fields.

When the Committee next convenes in public, at 10 a.m. on Friday, 28 November, it will discuss its methods of work and promotion of the Convention, including follow-up to the Manila Global Forum on Migration and Development. In the afternoon, the Committee will adopt its concluding observations and recommendations on the initial report of El Salvador before concluding its ninth session.

For use of the information media; not an official record

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