COMMITTEE ON PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS HOLDS MEETING WITH STATES PARTIES

The Committee on Migrant Workers held a meeting this afternoon with States parties to the International Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to discuss various key issues, including the launch of a guide on ratification of the Convention, the status of reporting under the Convention, the Committee’s working methods, the promotion of the Convention and other key issues.

Abdelhamid El Jamri, the Chairperson of the Committee, said that they were currently in their tenth session with a very heavy agenda. They had analyzed the reports of four States parties and were currently in the process of adopting their final observations. A very important moment would be the celebration of 1 May tomorrow morning, when the Committee would hold a roundtable on the right to freedom of association for migrant workers.

The current meeting with States parties was an important process that was part of the Committee’s ongoing exchange with Member States, noted Mr. El Jamri. The rate of ratification of the Convention was currently very satisfactory, but unfortunately no Western States had ratified the Convention yet. During meetings with Western States, Committee members had noted that one issue was the fact that their interlocutors did not have a lot of knowledge about the contents of the Convention, and a lot of that was assumptions. It was thus important to increase efforts to promote the Convention.

The Convention had always been the standard for developing migration policies; it could be helpful for States in their management of migration flows. With regards to the promotion of the Convention, the Committee’s partners, such as the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Children's Fund, were all doing excellent work, said Mr. El Jamri. They had also established relationships with the other Committees as well as the Human Rights Council.

Mr. El Jamri noted that to date they had 41 ratifications, 14 States had presented their initial report, 12 had been examined to this date, 24 had not sent yet their initial report, with some being five years late. Concerning the absence of a report, the Committee on Migrants Workers was currently the only one that did not examine the situation in a country that was late in the sending of its report, noted Mr. El Jamri.

Patrick Taran, of the International Labour Organization and member of the International Steering Committee for the Campaign for Ratification of the Migrants Rights Convention, presented the guide called “Guide on Ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families” which was a collective effort of the International Steering Committee. The booklet advocated for the universal ratification of the Convention and it also outlined the pros and cons of ratification. He noted that 41 countries had ratified the Convention but an additional 15 had also signed it. Added to this, 82 countries had also ratified the two complementary migrant workers conventions of the International Labour Organization; this was not a too bad result. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the first country that had ratified all three Conventions.

The Steering Committee is composed of staff from international organizations and non-governmental organizations, namely: December 18, the International Trade Union Confederation, the Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L’Homme, the Migrant Forum in Asia, Human Rights Watch, Migrants Rights International, the International Catholic Migration Commission, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Labour Organization, Public Services International, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Council of Churches and Amnesty International.

Paola Pace, of the International Organization for Migration and member of the International Steering Committee for the Campaign for Ratification of the Migrants Rights Convention, said that policy migration could be viable only if based on international norms. Thus, international instruments such as the Convention were a vital tool. At the Durban Review Conference, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her opening remarks, had said that “regrettably those who have been identified as ‘others’, particularly migrant workers, are also and all too often perceived as predator competitors, rather than as additional contributors of talent, hard work, and ingenuity to the wealth and welfare of receiving communities”. Many of the statements that had been delivered during the Conference had highlighted the challenges migrants, including migrant workers and member of their families, faced nowadays. The guide they were presenting today reminded that protection of human and labour rights of migrants enhanced the development and productivity impact of migration. On the contrary, denial of rights and abuse carried significant costs for all those involved in the migration process.

John Bingham, of the International Catholic Migration Commission and member of the International Steering Committee for the Campaign for Ratification of the Migrants Rights Convention, said that he could hardly think of a better day to launch this guide, than the day before Labour Day. Looking at the Convention, it was a formula for fairness and for cohesion. One aspect of the guide was to bring States to take another look at the Convention, especially those States that had not yet ratified the Convention. He hoped that this guide would highlight how practical the rights included in the Convention were. The Convention had clear language; it discouraged irregular migration and offered a clear framework to ensure the respect of the rule of law.

Committee Experts asked the Steering Committee what were the impacts on migration flows, given the current events in the world and the global crisis; how to bring more countries to ratify the Convention; and what could be done to publicize the Convention in advance of the upcoming Global Forum on Migration and Development which would take place in Athens in November 2009.

Members of the Steering Committee answered that, in order to take up the Convention at the next Global Forum on Migration and Development, material such as the guide they had presented today should be more widely circulated. Many of the arguments raised by Governmental experts from States that were reluctant to ratify the Convention showed that they were misinformed about the contents of the Convention, although legislation was already similar to the contents of the Convention in many of these countries.

On the impact of the current global crisis on migrant workers, members of the Steering Committee said that migrants were often the last hired and the first fired during a crisis. Also, as the crisis was global, migrants were not returning to their home country, as the situation was often worst there.

In the ensuing exchange with States parties, Morocco said that the guide was very timely, given the global economic crisis, and wondered what could be done to encourage the States that had not yet ratified the Convention to change their position. Peru emphasized the importance of the guide. Also, migration was a very sensitive issue and some States often used these political issues as a reason for not ratifying the Convention. There was a need for a change in attitude in developed countries.

In concluding remarks, Mr. El Jamri, Chairperson of the Committee, said that the Convention was a living document and the guide presented today showed its importance.

Present at the meeting were representatives from the following States parties: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Morocco, Peru and Turkey.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Friday, 1 May, it is scheduled to hold a roundtable on the right to freedom of association for migrant workers.


For use of the information media; not an official record


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