A/61/PV.6 General Assembly

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Margarita Escóbar, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, who will report to the Assembly on behalf of the Chairman of round table 2.

I shall read out the following summary on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Francisco Laínez, Minister for Foreign Affairs of El Salvador. “I have the honour to summarize the excellent debate that took place in round table 2, which focused on measures to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of all migrants and to prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking in persons. “The discussion in our round table was lively and enriching, enjoying broad participation by Member States, United Nations entities and representatives of civil society. We also benefited from the participation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour. It is thus with great pleasure that I will share with the Assembly some of the key insights that emerged from the discussions. “There was agreement that migrants were, above all, human beings endowed with fundamental and inalienable rights. Human rights should be considered part of the necessary foundation linking international migration to development, since, as participants stressed, it was only when the human rights of migrants are recognized and safeguarded that the positive contributions to countries of origin and destination could be fully realized. “It was emphasized that all States — whether they be points of origin, transit or destination for migrants — had the obligation to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all migrants, irrespective of their status. Of particular relevance was the protection of the rights and freedoms of groups that are more vulnerable to exploitation, such as children, young people, women, indigenous people, persons with disabilities and migrants in irregular situations. “The importance of social, economic and cultural rights was stressed, especially as their observance underpinned the successful integration of migrants into host societies. There was agreement that it was paramount to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to combat xenophobia and racism. The Governments of receiving countries had the responsibility to oppose discriminatory, racist or xenophobic attitudes and to promote respect and tolerance. “Member States were urged to ratify all core human rights instruments, in particular the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. It was noted that that Convention reiterated many of the obligations to which States were already bound because they were parties to the other core human rights instruments. Member States were also urged to become parties to all relevant International Labour Organization and United Nations conventions and to ensure their full implementation. “It was stressed that national legislation on international migration should reflect internationally agreed human rights standards. Trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants were recognized as major challenges facing the international community today. Intergovernmental cooperation and coordination were judged to be essential in effectively combating those crimes. Member States were urged to cooperate more actively to prevent those crimes and to bring perpetrators to justice. “It was emphasized that trafficked persons were victims and that they were entitled to protection and assistance. Several Member States gave examples of good practices, including media campaigns to warn potential migrants about the dangers involved in trying to cross borders irregularly or about the ploys traffickers use to ensnare victims. Another good practice was granting permission to stay to victims of trafficking. “It was emphasized that the ratification and implementation of United Nations instruments regarding trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants was essential, especially as they provided a framework for international cooperation in those matters. “While trafficking and smuggling were crimes, migration was not, and should not be criminalized. Participants urged Governments to protect the victims of trafficking in persons, in particular by safeguarding their human rights. Some participants argued that restrictive migration policies were at the root of increased irregular migration and that they made people more vulnerable to falling prey to traffickers. “Noting the increased feminization of migration, particularly labour migration, the need for a gender-sensitive approach in formulating international migration policies was underscored. It was stressed that, in many circumstances, female migrants, particularly those working in poorly regulated sectors, such as domestic service, were more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse than male migrants. It was therefore urgent to take effective measures to protect the rights of female migrants, irrespective of their occupation or migration status. “Lastly, several delegations expressed satisfaction with the opportunity afforded by the High-level Dialogue to discuss the issues of international migration, development and human rights, and supported the Secretary-General’s proposal to establish a forum to follow up on the discussions that had taken place at the High-level Dialogue.”

I now give the floor to the Chairman of round table 3, His Excellency Mr. Kastriot Sulka, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Equal Opportunities of Albania. Mr. Sulka (Albania), Chairman of round table 3: I have the pleasure to present a summary of the fruitful debate which took place in round table 3, which focused on the multidimensional aspects of international migration and development, including remittances. The round table, which benefited from the active participation of representatives of Member States, United Nations entities and civil society, discussed the various aspects of international migration with a view to finding ways of enhancing its benefits for development. Appreciation was expressed for the substantive support for the round table provided by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. José Antonio Ocampo. I will now highlight some of the main conclusions of the round table. It was recognized that, in order for international migration to benefit development and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, it was necessary to capitalize on the skills acquired by migrants while abroad. It was also necessary to reduce the transfer costs of remittances and to strengthen the benefits brought about by such transfers by, among other things, increasing the capacity for productive investment and improving access to financial services in countries of origin, particularly in rural areas. The potential of remittances to reduce poverty was underscored, and participants focused on strategies to maximize their development potential. However, some of them warned that remittances could create dependency among recipients. The importance of finding ways to reconcile the positive effects of remittances on poverty reduction with their possible negative impact was underscored. Participants also stressed that remittances were private funds that primarily benefited the families that received them and should not be viewed as a substitute for official development assistance. There was consensus on the need to reduce the transaction costs of remittances, since such lower transfer costs could significantly contribute to increasing the funds that actually reach the families of migrants. Participants called on countries of origin to take a pro-active approach to enhancing the development impact of migrant contributions and savings, particularly by collaborating with the private sector to widen access by migrants and their families to financial institutions, including micro-credit institutions. Civil society organizations, including migrant associations, could play an important role by providing financial counselling to migrant families and by advising and supporting them in the area of entrepreneurship. Access to such support was a means of leveraging the benefits of remittances for development. Coordinating measures to support or promote entrepreneurship in countries of origin were thought to be useful. The involvement of transnational communities in fostering the development of countries of origin was thought both desirable and essential to maximize the benefits of international migration. Participants acknowledged the positive contribution of transnational communities and networks to the development of communities of both destination and origin. It was recognized that the establishment of knowledge-sharing networks involving members of migrant communities could benefit countries of origin. A number of participants called for further initiatives to explore policy solutions that would facilitate the reintegration of migrants upon return to their countries of origin. The issue of ensuring the portability of pensions and access to social services was also raised. Many participants felt that the returning migrant could be an agent of development, provided that policies in the countries of origin facilitated the transfer of funds, access to loans and the setting up of small businesses.

The summary of the discussions in round table 4 will be presented at a later stage. Before giving the floor to the first speaker in the debate for this afternoon, I would like to inform members that there are still 59 speakers remaining to be heard. As I mentioned yesterday, we have to conclude the High-level Dialogue at the end of this meeting. I therefore appeal again to members to make their statements as concise as possible by summarizing them and circulating the full text. I now give the floor to His Excellency, Mr. Hassan Muhammad Lawal, Minister for Labour and Productivity of Nigeria.

We would like to congratulate you, Madam, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session and to assure you of our readiness to cooperate with you to make your tenure a success. We would also like to thank the Secretary-General and his staff for the elaborate report (A/60/871) prepared for our deliberations. Nigeria aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. International migration is an age-old phenomenon which, over the ages, has seen people of all colours and creeds move around the world for various reasons. Without a doubt, migration has enormous benefits and can be a potent force for development. But its challenges are equally enormous. Against this background, Nigeria is convinced that better-managed migration can bring win-win benefits to all countries. The asymmetries in the material wealth of countries and the demand for cheap labour in industrialized countries, coupled with unemployment and poverty, are some of the factors that propel international migration. While each country has the right to determine its migration policies, the exploitation, maltreatment, forceful repatriation and other dehumanizing treatment of migrants who are asylum-seekers — including their placement in concentration-style camps — prevalent in some countries as measures to manage migration are indefensible in the twenty-first century. The international community must therefore resist the temptation to build thick walls of exclusion or resort to xenophobia or other forms of discrimination under the pretext of measures to ensure national security. Rather, we should work collectively to find practicable and dignifying solutions to the problems associated with migration. Nigeria is particularly concerned about the degrading treatment of migrants, in particular those who belong to vulnerable groups, and calls on States to fulfil their labour and human rights obligations to migrants, for that is the essence of development, as all people aspire to better standards of life in greater freedom. In Nigeria’s view, specific policy measures to consider in this Dialogue should include capacity- building, especially in African countries; the mobilization of national populations in the diaspora; the cheaper, safer and faster transfer of remittances; the sharing of more information on remittances; and the integration of migration issues into national development strategies. Other measures that need to be put in place to support the achievement of national development strategies include the speedy conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda, the resolution of the external debt crisis, the provision of new and additional resources, global cooperation to fight corruption and terrorism and a greater voice and participation for developing countries in decision- making in international financial and trading institutions. In Nigeria, we have adopted a National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy as a framework to eradicate poverty, promote wealth creation and guarantee lasting prosperity for all Nigerians. Furthermore, Nigeria is working vigorously to achieve the goals and targets set out in the Millennium Development Goals and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. Cognizant of the importance of migration, the Government has established institutions to deal with the phenomenon, while three Special Assistants have been appointed to advise the President on diaspora matters, human trafficking and child labour, as well as on migration and humanitarian affairs. Nigeria supports the proposal of the Secretary- General to establish a consultative forum to complement coherent and well-coordinated migration strategies at all levels. We believe that the forum would provide a venue for States and other relevant stakeholders to continue the dialogue on migration in the absence of institutional arrangements within the United Nations system. Nigeria looks forward to the first meeting of the forum. Nigeria appreciates and commends the role of the International Labour Organization in providing an international standard for the protection of migrants. We also commend the International Organization for Migration for having raised awareness of the positive role that international migration and migrants can play in the economic, social and cultural development of countries. Finally, we call for more international cooperation on migration management.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Walter Fust, Director-General of the Swiss Development Corporation of Switzerland.

Migration is something that has always existed; it will continue to bring States together as we endeavour to manage it and to prevent illegal or undesirable forms of the phenomenon. We believe, therefore, that our efforts should result in the creation of a true partnership among States, international organizations and civil society, so that we are able to manage migration in a manner that is equitable, fair and transparent, in a spirit of mutual responsibility. In that context, we must first and foremost analyse the true causes of migration, inter alia, poverty, lack of prospects for the future, poor governance, insecurity, the violation of human rights and armed conflict. We urgently need to develop instruments to enable us to maximize the positive effects of migration while minimizing the negative effects. Such considerations inspired Switzerland to launch the Berne Initiative, a process aimed at the development of an international agenda for migration management. As a process, the Berne Initiative enables Governments from all regions to share their various policy priorities, as well as to set out their long-term interests in the domain of migration, with a view to arriving at a common approach based on cooperation, comprehensiveness, balance and predictability. The report of the Global Commission on International Migration, published in October 2005, clearly set out the ideal situation: migration should be a matter of choice, not of necessity. Indeed, there are far too many men and women who leave their homes and families as a result of circumstances that they cannot control. We have a duty to pay more attention to the causes of migration and to prevention. In order to do so, we must together focus on instruments geared towards improving living conditions in countries of origin. Switzerland is committed to that goal and intends, at the international level, to pursue its commitment to fostering human security, promoting peace and enhancing respect for international law and human rights. Similarly, Switzerland’s cooperation is strategically oriented towards obtaining results that contribute to the stabilization of political, economic and social situations in countries of origin. Development cooperation projects must do more to create a sufficient number of stable employment opportunities in developing countries, while emphasizing the great importance of savings and credit schemes. In addition, experience has taught us that the entrepreneurial capacity of women has been vastly underestimated. It is evident that we are dealing here with something that has enormous potential for promoting local economies in a sustainable manner. Another approach to be further explored is the possibility of exploiting the synergies between migration and development. The remittances that migrants send back to their countries of origin amount to close to $200 billion per year, including transfers between industrialized countries. Notwithstanding the fact that these are, indeed, private funds, we can and should seek out the potential synergies between these major financial flows and official development cooperation. These remittances, however, are no substitute for official development assistance. Our task is to improve the effectiveness of such transfers by lowering their cost and by ensuring that transfer procedures are secure, legal and exempt from additional taxes, while endeavouring to enhance these funds’ impact on development. In this regard, Switzerland applauds the efforts made by multilateral banks, bilateral agencies and other organizations operating in this area and encourages all partners to share their experiences. We encourage States, international organizations and international financial institutions to integrate the issue of migration into their national poverty-reduction strategies and their regional policies. We believe also that macroeconomic policies, when established, should facilitate international and national investment, including by diasporas, so that our actions unfold in a spirit of genuine partnership. Switzerland believes that the social integration of migrants takes place primarily by way of participation in the labour market and through education. For that reason, Switzerland advocates policies aimed at improving the status of migrant workers, their active integration into the workforce, vocational training for young people, a reduction in unemployment and the taking of effective measures against illegal or clandestine employment. We should spare no effort in combating the most inhuman form of forced migration, namely trafficking in human beings. It is our duty, therefore, to provide the victims — children, women and men — with enhanced support in terms of protection and assistance. Neither should it be forgotten that the insecurity and lack of protection to which migrants are exposed tends to put in danger particularly the elderly, the sick and the handicapped. Women and children, too, are also among the most vulnerable. Sadly, however, all this represents only the tip of the iceberg.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Richard Fadden, Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Immigration of Canada.

The decision to hold the High-level Dialogue is a reflection of the broader perspective that States and experts are increasingly adopting in their consideration of issues related to immigration. It has been 12 years since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Canada continues to believe that chapter 10 of the ICPD Programme of Action provides an important guide for global cooperation on issues related to migration. Over the past few years, we have witnessed a growing sophistication in the way migration is treated. Linkages between migration and other areas of public policy are being explored in greater depth, an approach that Canada finds valuable. While it has become commonplace to talk of the impact that globalization is having on all parts of the world, it would be a mistake to suggest that globalization affects all parts of the world in the same way, or that each country’s response to globalization needs to be — or even can be — the same. Although there is much to be learned from sharing approaches and experiences concerning migration, solutions need to be tailored to local conditions to be effective. In that regard, the notion of sharing “best practices” requires refinement. Not everything can be systematized into a global approach. The High-level Dialogue brings together many voices from the worlds of migration and development: policymakers from developed and developing countries; international organizations; civil society; and the United Nations system. Each has something valuable to add to the discussion, and, as we move forward, we need to ensure that each of these voices is given the opportunity to develop and to contribute. To anchor the discussion within the realities of policymaking, however, Canada believes that this process should begin as a dialogue between States. As it evolves, the dialogue — while remaining under the leadership of States — should facilitate links with interested stakeholders. As the Secretary-General’s Special Representative has said on a number of occasions, for progress to be made on this issue, the various stakeholders need to approach these discussions in a constructive and open way. Governments cannot and should not work in isolation. Yet at the same time, it is important that States take the opportunity to reflect upon and refine their own perspectives in order to engage constructively with others. Canada supports consideration of appropriate mechanisms for civil society and the newly created Global Migration Group to provide input into any ongoing discussions that States may decide to undertake. In considering any ongoing process that might emerge from the High-level Dialogue, Canada would encourage States to take the following into account. An ongoing process should add value to international discussions rather than duplicate what is already taking place or what could occur within existing mechanisms. This new dialogue should take place as a standalone forum and not as part of the United Nations system and its related institutions. Clearly defined links to the United Nations, possibly through the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, should be developed. The process should focus on developing an understanding of substantive issues rather than on negotiating texts for resolutions or declarations. Finally, States should take the leadership role, as they are responsible for turning ideas into concrete policy.

I give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Ellen Sauerbrey, Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugee and Migration Affairs of the United States.

The United States is pleased to participate in this event, which provides the opportunity for States Members of the United Nations to discuss our collective experiences on migration and development. The issue of immigration is very close to America’s heart. It goes to the very core of who we are as a people and what we believe in as a country: hard work, opportunity, rule of law, freedom, tolerance and liberty. Let there be no confusion: the United States’ commitment to promoting orderly migration as a positive development for all nations is firm and undiminished by the challenges of the post-9/11 world. Last year alone, over 1 million foreign nationals received permanent legal residence in the United States. America hosts approximately 20 per cent of the world’s migrants, coming to us from every corner of the globe. Last year we resettled over half of the world’s refugees — perhaps the most vulnerable migrants. All countries of the United Nations family have shared with us their people, their culture and their faiths, representing the magnificent glory and range and reach of God’s human creation. So when America looks in the mirror, it is them that we see. The United States takes the issue of migration very seriously. We are deeply and sincerely committed to promoting legal, orderly and humane migration as an engine for economic growth and prosperity for all countries. We are also, without hesitation, fully committed to respect for the human dignity and human rights of migrants. On these points, there should be no doubt. My country approaches the subject of migration with humility. Through more than 200 years of experience, we have learned that the political, economic and human complexities of this phenomenon defy easy answers. Even in the eighteenth century, our founding fathers debated the appropriate scope of immigration to the United States. They mistakenly feared that foreign influences would somehow undermine America’s democratic principles. The United States recognizes that there are negative aspects of migration, such as human trafficking and smuggling, and we are committed to confronting those challenges. Our national conversation on migration continues today. Americans understand the need to work through these hard issues as a nation. We offer ourselves as an example, and perhaps a reassurance, to others who are struggling with immigration as a relatively new topic. Americans are a practical people when it comes to immigration. This national preference for the pragmatic and the concrete, coupled with an unwavering commitment to migration as a positive phenomenon, shapes how the United States fosters international cooperation in this realm. In our experience, migration relationships work best between neighbours and neighbourhoods, near and far, where there are common interests and concerns that lead to tangible outcomes. We are not interested in grand and ponderous global dialogues simply because we have seen the inherent weakness that results from their size and scope. They lumber under the great weight of rounds and rounds of conversation, far removed from immediate problems and realistic solutions. The United States welcomes the work of the Global Migration Group, which will enhance the ability of the United Nations system and the International Organization for Migration to address the nexus between migration and development. We believe, however, that the international community, including the United Nations system, already has adequate capacity to address migration issues and that the creation of additional structures could hinder, not help, international goodwill and cooperation on these issues. Any consideration of United Nations-affiliated discussions must be fully vetted by the Member States in a transparent and open manner in keeping with the United Nations rules of procedure and out of respect for the traditions of this institution. We continue to believe, as did our forefathers, that what binds Americans together is a shared belief in principles guaranteed under our Constitution. The United States expects immigrants to respect the fundamental rights and responsibilities that accompany residence and citizenship. We work as a society to build immigrants’ appreciation for United States institutions, recognizing their personal connection to our shared American history as an immigrant nation. Americans support the principle that immigrants, while fully integrating into their new communities, can also remain connected to their country of origin. One of the strongest links is remittances. These financial flows are a manifestation of migration’s pains as well as its benefits. They represent enormous toil, sacrifice and the sorrow of separation from family and community. Yet they also symbolize the profound love of those people and places left behind and the courage to follow one’s dreams. Both migrant sending and receiving countries have responsibility to maximize migration’s benefits, including remittances. Remittances are private transfers of funds, which will have a greater overall impact on development in countries of origin when those countries undertake economic and social reforms that create an environment conducive to asset building, entrepreneurship and investment. Immigrants come to the United States, as President Bush has said, not only to take, but to give. They come for a chance to work hard, to support their families and to rise in the world. While migration can be beneficial to sending and receiving countries as well as to migrants themselves, it is important to note that the decision to migrate should be made out of choice, not necessity. Countries of origin and destination must work together to make this a reality.

I give the floor to Mr. Kastriot Sulka, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the Republic of Albania.

Albania welcomes the organization of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development and believes that it will have a strong impact on future efforts and policies for the management of migration internationally. According to the Secretary-General’s report (A/60/871), more than 191 million persons are international migrants — a fact that shows the huge dimensions of the phenomenon and its influence on international balances. As such, it cannot be considered to be a phenomenon of developed or developing countries alone. The global policy on migration management for the benefit of both States and individuals is largely reflected in Albania. Since 1991, Albania has experienced significant flows of migration at a rate of up to 20 per cent of the total population. Albanian migrants are found mostly in the European Union, especially in the two neighbouring countries, Greece and Italy, but also in Germany, the United States of America, Canada and Australia. Until 2004, Albania was one of the main transit routes in South-East Europe towards the European Union. As a result, migration was a major concern not only for the country itself but also for its relations with the European Union and in particular with its neighbours. I would like to share with you a new approach that the Government of Albania has proclaimed recently: “Albania: 1 Euro”, aimed at attracting investors in poor areas with high unemployment rates. The initiative is addressed in particular at the diaspora and emigrants, as the need for their contribution is high, taking in consideration that they bring with them not only financial capital but also human capital. In this way, they share with the community a new mentality, culture and technological advancements. As noted in paragraph 16 of the Secretary-General’s report, “After working in Greece, Albanians bring home new agricultural skills that enable them to increase production. By promoting the exchange of experience and helping build partnerships, the international community can do much to increase and to spread these positive effects of migration on development.” While migration creates possibilities for migrants to have a better life and contributes to the countries of both origin and destination, it has a negative impact as a result of the emigration of highly skilled workers and the phenomenon of brain drain. Albania is trying to reverse the trend: from brain drain to brain gain, by introducing strategies for attracting highly skilled workers and excellent students who have studied abroad to contribute effectively to Albania. The Albanian Government supports and welcomes cooperation with civil society and student organizations that provide financial incentives for the highly skilled and students to return. The United Nations Development Programme is supporting an initiative of the Albanian Government through the Brain Gain programme, which seeks to maximize the role of migrants and the diaspora in academia, public administration and business. This programme supports the Albanian Government’s efforts to create the conditions and incentive structure required for the engagement of the diaspora in Albania’s development. Albania has seen that without the support and expertise of specialized international agencies in the field, in particular the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations, the World Bank, UNICEF, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the European Union, and without cooperation among countries, it is difficult to deal coherently with migration. Experience shows us that without close cooperation between countries of destination and those of origin it is impossible to fight illegal migration and manage migration for the benefit of all. Albania agrees that in framing policies or establishing structures, the perspective of emigrants and civil society should be taken into consideration, and not only that of the countries of origin and destination. We believe that the results of this debate will be followed by concrete actions, resulting in better management of migration internationally.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Hassan Ibrahim Al-Muhannadi, Director for Social Planning Management of the Planning Council of Qatar.

It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the State of Qatar to congratulate you, Madam President, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. I am confident that your wisdom and experience will guide the work of the Assembly towards success. I would like also to thank the Secretary-General for his tireless efforts to shed light on the question of global migration and development, and for his exhaustive report (A/60/871). The phenomenon of migration goes far back in time. Its pace has, however, increased in our era because of globalization and its socio-economic impacts and the significant progress in communications and transportation. The current status of migration requires serious attention if we are to harness it to further the interests of individuals and nations. Organizing this global Dialogue is merely a step towards finding effective means to ensure the protection of migrants, as well as of countries of origin and destination. The State of Qatar welcomes the Secretary-General’s proposal to establish a global consultative forum on migration, and we appreciate Belgium’s offer to host its first meeting. The State of Qatar hosts many migrant workers from many nations. They work side by side with citizens of Qatar, promoting the development of our nation’s economy, which is now one of the world’s fastest growing. The State of Qatar has always been proud of the contributions made by migrant labour to its robust economic growth and its tireless efforts to achieve sustainable development. Moreover, the State of Qatar is engaging in close and continuous cooperation with countries of origin. For example, it has concluded bilateral agreements regulating the employment of migrants and identifying the role of public authorities in countries of origin and destination. These agreements require that such workers be employed under labour contracts that clearly spell out the rights and obligations of both employees and employers. The contracts are certified by officials of both countries to prevent any abuse of migrant workers; they also define procedures for settling disputes between employees and employers, enable migrant workers to fully exercise their right to send remittances to their countries of origin and set out rules for paid vacations and other leave. Our Government has created a tolerant social environment that enables migrant workers to freely practice their religion and maintain their own culture. The State of Qatar also provides migrant workers with basic rights and benefits, including education, health care and social protection. Another example of Qatar’s interest in its migrant workers is its invitation to all members of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council to participate in the forum on migrant workers to be held in Doha in April 2007. The State of Qatar pays particular attention to protecting the rights of migrant workers in accordance with its laws and the contracts that are concluded with them and certified by the countries of origin. In that regard, I wish to reiterate that the State of Qatar honours its commitments under the contracts concluded with it and strictly abides by the relevant international agreements and treaties. In conclusion, I should like to express the hope that this Dialogue will be fully successful in promoting progress and well-being in our nations.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Yannis Valinakis, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece.

On behalf of the Greek Government, I would like to stress the importance of the organization by the United Nations of the High- level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. It was in May 2003, during the Greek presidency of the European Union (EU), that the European Council adopted, for the first time, Conclusions on migration and development, containing a series of concrete measures and items for further elaboration by community organizations and member States. Since then, much has been done in the framework of EU action related to the interrelationship between migration and development, and migration has rightly been placed on our development agenda. The links between migration and development are complex and need further study. It appears that migration, when managed effectively, can have a substantial positive impact for both countries of destination and countries of origin. The European Council, in its Conclusions of 15-16 December 2005, underlined the need for a balanced, global and coherent approach to cooperation with third countries, utilizing the benefits of legal migration and covering policies to combat illegal immigration. It recalled that migration issues are a central element in the relations of the Union and its member States with third countries. The EU commitment to support the development efforts of countries of origin and transit is also part of a long-term process aimed at responding to the opportunities and challenges of migration. In that regard, the European Council recognized the importance of addressing the root causes of migration — for example, through the eradication of poverty in countries and regions of origin, good governance and the protection of human rights. We fully subscribe to those basic policy principles. In the same vein, we consider the Rabat EU- Africa Ministerial Conference, held in July 2006, to be a fine paradigm for our relations with a basic group of countries of origin and transit. We believe that it will assist significantly in improving ways to communicate and cooperate with African partners. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need to address the phenomenon of illegal migration jointly, appropriately and effectively. The fight against illegal migration is an incessant struggle that is taking place from West Africa and the Canary Islands, across the Mediterranean to the Aegean Sea and the Middle East. Illegal migration has recently taken on huge and uncontrollable proportions. Given the fact that Greece’s coastline extends more than 16,000 kilometres, combating all forms of illegal migration is a declared high priority of the Greek Government. In conclusion, I should like to reiterate our view that the High-level Dialogue should be the beginning of a new global approach to migration in its various forms. It should thus focus on initiating broad and thorough discussion on the relevant issues and on lessons learned about the multidimensional aspects of international migration and development in order to identify appropriate ways and means to maximize the development benefits of migration and to minimize its negative impacts.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Mari Pedak, Director-General of the Citizenship and Migration Board of Estonia.

The general position of the European Union (EU) was outlined in the statement of its presidency. Therefore, as the representative of a member of the EU, I will not repeat what has already been said, but rather focus on a number of main aspects that are of great importance to Estonia. Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen defined development as the process of expanding the real freedoms that people enjoy. That includes both social and economic arrangements and political and civil rights. Although migration is an increasingly complex phenomenon in our globalizing world, its primary cause remains the disparities that exist with regard to the freedoms enjoyed by individuals. Therefore, I would like to stress the need to address the root causes of migration. They encompass conflict, poverty, famine, disease, lack of employment opportunities, trade barriers, lack of rule of law and poor governance. Most of those causes are primarily of man-made origin. These are significant barriers to freedom that need to be abolished in order to eliminate conditions that compel people to leave their country. It goes without saying, that we, as States, are primarily responsible for creating an environment conducive to development. Naturally, one element of that environment would be the efficient and purposeful utilization of the remittances of migrants for further development, such as for education, investment and microcredit. That would benefit both sending and receiving societies. Those are some of the reasons that issues related to international migration must become an integral part of the development agenda. Likewise, development issues should be recognized as important elements of migration policy. The Secretary-General has stressed the importance of respecting the rights of migrants in order to realize fully the benefits of international migration. He also has stressed the obligation to observe the laws and regulations of the host State. It is almost a truism that education plays a key role in personal development and significantly expands individuals’ opportunities and their capacity to live a happy life. Former Estonian President Lennart Meri has said that a lack of language skills creates lawlessness. Only by understanding the language will we understand the laws and thus, effectively, our rights and obligations. Learning the local language and respecting the local culture opens a window of opportunity to an immigrant to effectively operate in the host society as a subject and not as an object. It also allows him or her to increase his or her competitiveness in the labour market, as well as to obtain new skills and other assets for development. To effectively support this process, we need to continue local introductory and integration programmes, also bearing in mind that integration is a two-way street and that citizens of receiving nations must also be educated. Last but not least, for successful integration we all — both sending and receiving States — must avoid using migrants for domestic ideological purposes. We must not make these people instruments of our domestic policy. We truly hope that this Dialogue on International Migration and Development will continue to play a significant global role in this respect.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Carlos Zamora Rodríguez, Director of Consular Affairs and Cubans Living Abroad of Cuba.

Allow me, Madam, to congratulate you on your election as President of the General Assembly and to express my delegation’s will and commitment to continue working constructively with you. My delegation wishes to associate itself with the statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. At the same time we would like to express some thoughts on this topic. The current phenomenon of international migration is a consequence of the present world order imposed by the developed world. The increasing differences between the rich countries and the huge underdeveloped and poor areas of the planet are a consequence of neo-liberal globalization. Millions of human beings see no alternative for their future other than to migrate towards the developed economies of the first world. Changing this landscape is a challenge that we all must address, for its consequences affect both rich and poor countries. It is a matter of urgency to address the current phenomenon of migration, and it is appropriate to include the issue in development policies. Maintaining the status quo will only serve to increase the pressure of masses of migrants coming from impoverished areas of the planet besieging the borders of the developed world. This flood cannot be stopped by criminalizing migration, erecting massive walls at the borders or creating administrative or even military barriers. We cannot accept approaches aimed at managing and administering migration flows to meet the needs of the developed world. It is essential to change the current situation of underdevelopment and poverty in a large part of the planet so that migration meets the true needs and aspirations of individuals who wish to settle in another country. Development is the only way to balance migration flows in the world of the future. The planet’s natural resources are being exploited for the benefit of the developed countries. In today’s globalized economy, the exploitation of human resources is ever increasing. An unjust international migration order has been created to serve the richest and most powerful countries, which receive skilled labour, steal the best brains and talent, and in return want our countries to become their border guards, to stop irregular migration. For example, in Latin America every year we train 1.2 million university graduates, at a cost of at least $20,000 each. Of these, 240,000 — that is, 20 per cent — are stolen away to work and do research in the rich nations, which offer them conditions that our impoverished nations, cannot guarantee them, and we receive no compensation whatsoever. They sell us remittances as a panacea for development — remittances that are the fruit of the migrants’ sacrifices — while constantly reducing their commitments and their official development assistance. It is time to rectify this. Sincere cooperation is required to contribute to the development of the vast poor areas of the planet. Without steadfast political will, it will not be possible to solve the problem. However, today’s facts call into question the existence of that political will on the part of the industrialized world. The policy of blockade and aggression against my country is one example of the aforementioned problem. The so-called Cuban Adjustment Act allows any Cuban who arrives on United States territory to take up residence, no matter the means and procedures used. This act has encouraged illegal migration and alien smuggling. It contradicts the bilateral migration agreement, which establishes the obligation to ensure legal, safe and orderly migration. Moreover, the United States authorities show no inclination to investigate and punish organized crime that benefits from alien smuggling. Moreover, Cubans resident in the United States are the only group of migrants that is restricted in terms of visiting and helping their relatives in their country of origin, as a result of the regulations issued by the host country. This situation has become crueller since the United States Government’s May 2004 adoption of measures further restricting travel and remittances on the basis of an absurd and offensive limitation of the concept of family. Today, a son can visit his mother only once every three years, even if she is dying. Increasing and unsustainable military expenditures constitute another example of the lack of will regarding development cooperation. What can justify the vast and growing amounts spent on the development of increasingly deadly and sophisticated weapons, which are shown by the current wars to be aimed precisely at the poor countries and to cause significant displacements of people? The reduction of military spending and its investment in development would be a demonstration of the genuine will to address the issue of development, and to help change the current situation. The developed world has received a substantial contribution from migrants to its current standard of living, while migrants are the victims of economic, cultural and social discrimination. The developed world can be said to have contracted a debt with the migrants for those contributions. A way to pay it back would be to cancel the external debt of the source countries. The walls and barriers being built today can hold back migration, but they do not solve the causes of the present and continuing forced migration of millions of human beings. If this High-level Dialogue raises greater awareness of the need to seek solutions that will address the structural causes of international migration, then it will have been worthwhile for the Secretary-General to have convened it; but if we confine ourselves to migratory flow management formulas, we shall at best be postponing the impending crisis to which the phenomenon is leading. The beneficiaries of the current world order should reflect on this issue — if not with generosity, at least with intelligence and common sense. Solutions are urgently needed. It is better to arrive at them between us all through cooperation.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Christian Wenaweser, chairman of the delegation of Liechtenstein.

International migrants numbering 191 million constitute an important factor in the global economy. Their decision to migrate has, however, first and foremost an impact on local communities, in countries of origin as well as in countries of destination. And the impact is not only an economic one. The report of the Secretary-General (A/60/871) illustrates that migration also generates far- reaching social, cultural and political consequences. The challenges of governing international migration are radically different from those involved in managing the movements of inanimate objects such as goods, capital or information. Co-development through international migration should therefore be understood and discussed as a people-centred process of which many aspects cannot be measured in purely economic terms. Promotion of a people-centred process would help in responding to the many differences in global migration patterns and to local conditions of sending and receiving societies. It would also ensure a human rights approach in our policymaking at the local, national and international levels. Lack of the rule of law and low levels of human security, together with underdevelopment, are often at the origin of the desire to search for a better future abroad. Coupled with misinformation on the possibilities and limitations of migration, such situations may lead to the exploitation of migrants and to violations of their human rights. States have a responsibility to properly inform people about the conditions of regular migration. They also have the obligation to raise awareness of the positive contributions of migrants to society, in order to counter racism, xenophobia and discrimination, and they have to take firm action against any elements in society that seek to abuse, intimidate or exploit migrants. Mr. Awaluddin (Indonesia), Vice-President, took the Chair. Migrants who deliberately challenge the rule of law or the human rights of others must, for their part, expect States to take measures against them. Ensuring the rule of law with full respect for human rights in countries of origin and destination must be an essential element of any international and national migration policy. Rule of law and human rights are the basis for good governance of international migration, which is beneficial for the sustainable co-development of all countries and for the migrants themselves. While migration is a global phenomenon, its forms and manifestations vary from region to region, as does its impact on individual countries. The experience of small countries shows that their ability to cope with the challenges of migration is more likely to be stretched. Emigration of highly educated persons tends to affect small countries earlier because their pool of human resources is limited. Similarly, the economies of many small developing States depend to a high degree on remittances. On the receiving side, it is often the small countries which account for the highest percentage of migrants living or working in their jurisdiction. The impact of large cross-border movements of persons tends to be more directly felt in small communities. As a small State, Liechtenstein has been seeking to balance economic necessities with the social challenges of migration. With a population of roughly 35,000 persons and 34 per cent non-Liechtenstein nationals residing in the country, Liechtenstein is home to people from about 90 different countries. One of the priorities of Government policy lies in the promotion of integration through the provision of targeted services for migrants, to learn the national language. Those services have proven especially helpful for the integration of women migrants and their young children. Many other measures are currently under discussion to further promote integration, which is based on the cooperation of both sides — the receiving and the migrant communities. In its development cooperation, Liechtenstein has been placing special emphasis on the development of rural areas in small developing countries. The projects it has been financing seek to improve the livelihoods of people outside their countries. Political and financial investments in integration measures, based on the rule of law and respect for human rights, as well as development cooperation with small countries, are the two pillars of sound migration policy. Liechtenstein will accordingly continue to contribute to international efforts to realize the full potential of migration, for the co-development of countries and migrants alike.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Luis Alberto Sepúlveda, Director of Consular and Migration Affairs of Chile.

My delegation welcomes the decision of the General Assembly to hold this High-level Dialogue on the highly important topic of international migration and development. We are confident that this initiative will place that social and economic phenomenon, involving almost 200 million people in the world, at the centre of the United Nations agenda. Allow me to point out that the President of Chile, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, also underwent the difficult experience of being a migrant, when in the mid-1970s, owing to political reasons, she had to leave her country. Consequently, she is closely acquainted with the adversities and insecurities that come of leaving behind homeland and loved ones. The position of Chile on the key subject of migration is basically reflected in the Declaration of Asunción, adopted at the VIth South American Conference on Migration, held in May 2006, and in the Declaration of Santiago on Migration Principles, agreed upon at the Meeting of Ministers of the Interior of the Common Market of the South and Associate States, held in May 2004. One of the central themes of this debate should be the developmental dimension of migration, and particularly its contribution to poverty reduction. The main challenge facing us is the process of making international migration a positive force for the comprehensive and harmonious development of our peoples. To that end, we must see how the sizeable resources created by remittances can be channelled towards development objectives that benefit migrants and their families. Chile accordingly considers that the cost of remittance transfers should be reduced, that remittance flows should be facilitated and that development-oriented investments in recipient countries should be encouraged, supplementing and complementing official development assistance. In addition, we share, along with other Latin American and Caribbean States, the concern about the rights of migrants and their families. In that spirit, Chile last year ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. We reaffirm our total commitment to the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrant men, women and children, regardless of their legal status, beliefs, religion or ethnicity, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We believe that this High-level Dialogue should mark the beginning in the Organization of a process of reflection and ongoing consultation on international migration. Nevertheless, we believe that this exercise should not lead to the establishment of a new body within the United Nations, nor should it duplicate the functions of existing bodies and mechanisms. Our country is the product of the integration and mixture of indigenous populations with various waves of European and Arab migrants. As a result of economic developments in recent decades in our country, Chile has now become a country of destination for migrants. As a host country, we have endeavoured at this time to formulate and implement a policy seeking to modernize the management of migration, principally by improving the living conditions of foreigners, so that their establishment and integration in the country can benefit all concerned. The migration policy of Chile is based on the following principles: guarantees of the right of residence and freedom of movement, guarantees of freedom of thought and conscience, access to residence on a basis of equality, access to justice as a right of all immigrants, social protection of immigrants, guarantees of the labour rights of foreign workers in Chile, non-discrimination and family reunification. At the same time, as a country of origin, we have a responsibility towards Chilean migrants residing abroad. As a crucial step towards meeting that responsibility, in 2003 and 2004 our country carried out its first voluntary census of Chileans residing abroad. That entailed arduous but valuable work on the five continents and in some 100 countries. That effort helped to strengthen links between Chilean society and the community of Chileans abroad. We have been able to confirm, in the course of these two days, that there is a significant and expanding awareness in the international community regarding the realities of migration, including migrant rights and the benefits they bring to development and to poverty relief in the world. We hope that this meeting will constitute a real and decisive milestone on the road to progress in dealing with this important social phenomenon specific to our age, which we must decisively address.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ewald Limon, Chairman of the delegation of Suriname.

Globalization, advances in communications and transportation, underdevelopment, lack of opportunity and poverty, have all contributed to the increase in the flow of migrants. We share the view that there is a need for effective management of international migration. For such management to be achieved, all stakeholders must be involved and all root causes must be examined. My delegation therefore welcomes the convening of this High-level Dialogue and considers it an excellent opportunity to exchange views at the global level. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The Government of Suriname agrees that international migration should be managed in a manner that contributes to the development efforts of States. A process of consultation and an exchange of views, including best practices on the various aspects of international migration, are therefore needed. The consultations on co-development and the maximization of the impact of remittances on the development process are of special interest to my delegation. Suriname believes that there is need for a steady flow of skilled human resources to meet the nation’s development objectives. Therefore, the Dialogue should discuss and explore possible arrangements to compensate for the loss of skilled personnel between the receiving States and States of origin, given the high cost of training human resources. In addition, the advantages of the brain gain and brain circulation arrangements could be examined. The Dialogue could also examine the use of remittances for economic investment and social advancement, for education and health services and for housing purposes, as well as assisting in analysing financial services, attracting savings for, and investment in, those areas. With regard to international migration, Suriname is engaged in a process of evaluation at the national level, and consultation and exchange of views at the regional level, in order to strengthen our migration policy. We are convinced of the need for international migration to evolve within a framework that guarantees full respect for human rights. Among our commitments at the national level are actions to ensure that migration takes place within a legal framework and that trafficking in persons is more effectively countered. At the core of these actions is the establishment of a special police unit responsible for the combating of human trafficking and related crimes. In addition, an information campaign concerning trafficking in persons and related crimes was launched, and policy decisions have been taken that will guarantee the safe return of victims of trafficking to their countries of origin. Suriname values the contribution and initiatives of the various regional organizations and institutions with regard to the manifold aspects of international migration. We are therefore actively participating in that process. At the regional level, consultations are ongoing within the framework of the African, Caribbean and Pacific groups of States; the South American consultation mechanism; and the Caribbean Community. This dialogue can significantly contribute to discussions on improving coherence on migration policy, foster dialogue between sending and receiving States, support regional consultative processes and strengthen coherence and coordination among agencies at all levels. Hence we consider this meeting to be the start of a process at the global level that complements consultations and actions at the regional and bilateral level with regard to international migration. We therefore support the Secretary-General’s proposal for the establishment of a consultative forum on migration and development issues.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Eduardo Sevilla Somoza, chairman of the delegation of Nicaragua.

We wish to associate ourselves with the statement made by the delegation of Guyana on behalf of the Rio Group and with the statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77. Nicaragua welcomes this High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development and deems it particularly timely and relevant, as these two issues should be dealt with in a comprehensive and integrated manner. We recognize that the issue of migration involves all sectors of Government, and we believe also that account should be taken of the experiences and views of the relevant non-governmental sectors, including diaspora associations, civil society and the private sector. We welcome the fact that this dialogue is multidimensional and is launching a quest for the best way to ensure that migration contributes to development. Indeed, the United Nations is the forum best suited to this exchange of ideas and experiences. Since migration is a global phenomenon that occurs not only between pairs of countries or within one single region, but from and to all parts of the world, we must consider it collectively. We very much welcome, as a follow-up to this High-level Dialogue and in order to deal in greater depth with the broad subject of migration and development, the recommendation of the Secretary- General to establish a consultative forum led by States and open to the 192 States Members of the United Nations. Such a forum would offer Governments a venue to discuss issues related to international migration and development in a systematic and comprehensive way. The Government of Nicaragua attaches high priority to the combat against trafficking in human beings. To that end, in February 2004 we formed a National Coalition against Trafficking in Persons, with the participation of several related institutions. They are making significant progress in fighting this scourge at the national and regional levels, with a firm commitment to protecting human rights. The programme to fight trafficking in persons launched by the Government of Nicaragua together with the International Orgaqnization for Migration (IOM) and members of the national coalition against trafficking in persons is holding regular working sessions with a view to drafting a repatriation protocol that sets out administrative and legal guidelines in that respect that are based on daily experience. It also aims to take, along with the participants, concrete actions and steps in the context of the various components of the process: research, repatriation, assistance, and legalization of the system. The result will be the drafting at the national level of the protocol for the return of boys, girls and adolescents victims of human trafficking, which is in the final stages of ratification. Our Government also participated in the technical meeting held in Guatemala on 9 and 10 March to consider the possibility of elaborating a regional protocol that would include guidelines for the repatriation of victims of trafficking and vulnerable populations. The outcome of that meeting yielded a draft setting out regional guidelines for providing special protection to boys, girls and adolescents who are victims of trafficking. We are aware of the technical limitations to our work, but experience has shown that the political and personal will of all involved with the issue is fundamental to the eradication of this social scourge. That is why we have been developing a new culture of citizenship, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of the principle of shared responsibility between the State, the family and society in guaranteeing human rights, in particular those of children and of adolescents. The efforts that have been undertaken by the various departments of the Ministry of the Interior responsible for the national police, migration, immigration, coexistence and citizens’ security are showing positive results among the general population as well as the student population in terms of prevention and detection. However, since the crime of trafficking is very complex and has various manifestations, it would be better addressed if certain State institutions and national and international non-governmental organizations with experience in this area were able better to coordinate their work within the National Coalition against Trafficking in Persons, so that we could more effectively optimize and distribute the resources available.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ali Hachani, chairman of the delegation of Tunisia.

I should like to endorse the statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. This important debate is the first high-level event of the United Nations entirely devoted to migration and development. It is the outcome of a long process of coordination and reflection undertaken at both the international and regional levels. In that framework, I should like in particular to mention the Euro-African conference on Migration and Development, held at Rabat on 10 and 11 July 2006, whose conclusions, namely the Declaration and Action Plan, encompass a broad range of measures relating to migration and development, including the establishment of financial mechanisms to promote co- development, as well as issues relating to legal migration, and judicial and police cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration. Increased international interest in questions of migration, of which this High-level Dialogue is a consequence, shows that now more than ever migration is a cross-cutting issue in all societies, with economic, political and cultural aspects closely linked to development. Globalization especially has brought this to the foreground. Migration can no longer be dealt with on a short-term basis or unilaterally, but as part of a cooperative plan, for the process of migration requires coordinated, multidimensional responses. Because of increased disparities in development, unbalanced changes in population growth and the multiplication of conflicts, there is a clear trend of increased migratory flows, which must be taken into account in the formulation and implementation of migration policies. Thus migration, which is much more a necessity than a choice, should be dealt with comprehensively and incorporated into programmes for economic development and cooperation among States. It is inconceivable that at a time when borders are opening to the flow of trade, services and capital, they are increasingly closed to the flow of persons. This inevitably leads to clandestine migration and all that that implies in terms of risks to individuals and to society in general. Migration ought not to be a threat, we believe; it should be a factor for mutual enrichment, both socio- economically and in terms of culture. It is an appropriate alternative response to the needs of the labour market in industrialized countries and an essential, complementary and rewarding component in various areas of bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation. International events over the past few years give the issue of migration political, economic, social and cultural importance and confirm the close interdependence between changes in both countries of origin and countries of destination, involving the responsibilities of all parties. I would like to stress that collaborative management of migration, based on a comprehensive approach that conforms with and respects the interest of the different countries, has become one of the major challenges that the international community must take up at the beginning of this millennium in order to establish a balance between the imperatives of development and the constraints of globalization. It is also of paramount importance that we highlight the promotion of the transfer of new technologies and the exchange of skills in order to strengthen the economies of the countries of origin and of destination through increased international, bilateral and triangular development cooperation as well as decentralized cooperation between local institutions and development agencies. My delegation endorses the finding that financial flows from immigrants are poorly or little used, owing to high transfer costs. It is necessary to discuss measures to decrease transfer costs and thus provide additional resources for financing development. However, remittances sent by migrant workers cannot be considered as and made part of international financing for development, not can they substitute for it. Remittances are fluctuating private resources, of a complementary nature. My delegation shares the idea that the Millennium Development Goals process must discuss migration and development. Given the increased interdependence of the two shores of the Mediterranean — a political and geographical area of which Tunisia is part — and the complexity of migratory movements, Tunisia has repeatedly appealed for the establishment of a constructive dialogue to promote the development of a sustainable and dynamic process that makes emigration one of the elements of economic cooperation, of equitable development and of cultural exchanges between the North and South of the Mediterranean, especially in the western region. In that spirit, Tunisia is pleased that the first Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 Dialogue on Migration in the Western Mediterranean was held in Tunis on 16 and 17 October 2002. That conference unanimously adopted the Tunis Declaration, which represents a fundamental new step in Euro- Mediterranean cooperation. I would also like to mention the positive evolution of the 5+5 Dialogue through the holding of annual ministerial meetings, which shows that the countries involved recognize the need to continue the dialogue, consultation and coordination in the area of migration. The Fifth Ministerial Conference, to be held in Madrid in November 2006, will be a new milestone in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Tunisia will continue to attach appropriate importance to the questions of migration and to maintain to its partners that unilateral solutions and administrative and security measures do not necessarily lead to the effective and sustainable handling of the migration issue. As His Excellency President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has stated, “Migration today is not the simple search for employment and a source of income. It is also an essential aspect of the creation of wealth, a basis of stability and united co-development, and a decisive factor in enriching areas of mutual knowledge and rapprochement among nations.”

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Guy Serieys, Chairman of the Delegation of France.

The global phenomenon of migration is in large part the result of inequalities in development between various regions of our planet. How can we forget that today one fifth of the world’s population enjoys four fifths of the world’s wealth? Dramatic and daily events that illustrate the vital need for mobility make us aware that the phenomena of migration cannot be dealt with without taking into consideration the development of the countries of the South. We must each, at our own level of responsibility, mobilize to re-examine our activities and efforts from that angle. The goals of development must remain the pillar of international cooperation. And for that, we must reinforce the instruments and means for combating poverty and promoting achievement of the Millennium Development Goals that we defined together. In that sense, human development, health and education, but also economic development, remain our priorities. If immigrants opt for exile, it is because the means for attaining those Goals are not being effectively implemented. Much too frequently, conflicts and insecurity motivate this choice. If we meet here today — countries of origin, countries of transit and countries of destination — it is because we have become aware of the role that migrants play in the development of their countries of origin. In order to make the most of that link, the Government of France recently adopted an inter- ministerial strategy on migration and development based on three aspects and which fully takes into account European initiatives on this issue. First, we want to facilitate — through co-development projects that France has been implementing for several years — individual and collective initiatives by migrants in favour of their regions of origin through financing microprojects that promote local development and employment. These initiatives require a strong partnership with immigrant associations and with the authorities of partner countries. In this regard we include Morocco, Mali and Senegal in the first rank today. The second aspect of our strategy concerns remittances by immigrants to their regions of origin. The transfer of savings is the most eloquent expression of the socio-economic tie between diasporas and their regions of origin. In order to promote the investment of savings in development, we back both a reduction in transfer costs by encouraging competition between banking institutions and support for immigrants in their projects. The creation of a development savings account should make it possible to exempt from taxes savings that are used in the productive sector. Finally, we should act against the brain drain and loss of human resources, fostering North-South and South-South mobility. We want to associate the elites established in France with the development of their continent, notably at the level of training and skills transfer. We also want to take steps to facilitate the mobility of qualified people in the diaspora, namely, doctors, engineers, university staff and high-level personnel who reside in France and who could, with our help, participate in our cooperation programmes and thereby transmit their knowledge and skills to the countries of the South. Our approach to the challenges of international migration and development can be neither exclusively bilateral nor exclusively regional. Migration routes change as globalization develops, and we must, therefore, facilitate the emergence of a multilateral approach that tends itself to the identification of practical means of intervention. The proper forum for pursuing this line of thinking is of course the United Nations, but care should be taken not to exclude those who are mainly concerned, namely, the migrants themselves. We should pool our experiences. In that regard, the most recent Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development was, in our opinion, an essential stage in the definition of a North-South partnership aimed at providing a global and balanced approach to migration issues. We should also encourage the emergence of a system of effective exchange among Governments and international organizations working in these areas, be it at the level of objective analysis of the issues or at the level of programmes to be launched to meet the challenges that we face. I have no doubt that our contributions to this High-level Dialogue will manage to shed light on these various questions, taking account of the variety of the situations and people concerned.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Julian Vila-Coma, chairman of the delegation of Andorra.

First of all, I would like to congratulate Ms. Rashed Al-Khalifa on her appointment as President of the General Assembly and, at the same time, to thank the Secretary-General for his excellent report on international migration and development (A/60/871) and his recommendation to set up a global consultative forum on this issue. We firmly believe such a forum to be a fundamental tool for working constructively on this phenomenon, one of the most sensitive in today’s world, taking into account the links that exist between international migration and development. In that regard, Andorra also wishes to commend the initiative of the Government of Belgium, which has offered to host the first forum meeting on this topic in 2007. Andorra, which has long been a country of origin for migrants, can testify to the changes that this phenomenon makes to all the different aspects of the life of a small country. Andorra, with an economy based essentially on tourism, trade and services, has not been untouched by this phenomenon. It underwent an important change at the end of the first half of the twentieth century when it went from being a country of origin to a country of destination. The history of Andorra then became inseparable from the phenomenon of immigration, which triggered a process of development unprecedented in its history. Immigration took place within a legal framework that made it possible for the various demographic, economic, political and social factors involved in that transformation to be carefully tied in with our everyday life in order to create a sense of belonging to our community. Moreover, upon the adoption of our new Constitution, political relations were facilitated between Andorra as a country of destination and the countries of origin within a legal framework that is more favourable to the integration of migrants, while allowing them to maintain links with their countries of origin. Allow me to stress my country’s interest in all the issues with which we are concerned here. Andorra selected the subject as the main topic for discussion at our twenty-third summer congress this year, in order to analyse the related challenges and opportunities in historical, political, legal, sociological and cultural terms. Andorra supports all strategies based on the study of the phenomenon of migration in the context of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, because we are convinced that only such an approach will yield positive results in that regard.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Choi Young-jin, chairman of the delegation of the Republic of Korea.

Immigration echoes many of the aspects of globalization. It is indeed, a multidimensional and global phenomenon. With almost 200 million international emigrants in the world, it has the potential to reshape the basic structure of our societies and to inject the countries of origin and destination with new ideas, input, and energy. A by-product of our interdependence, migration is a testament to our diversity. As is noted in the report of the Secretary-General (A/60/871), the goals of the High-level Dialogue are clear: to raise awareness of the development dimensions of migration, to examine the migration- development nexus and to identify examples of best practices. The Republic of Korea has been mentioned as a noteworthy case with regard to migration policies. We have the dual status of a country of origin and destination; we attract home our expatriate researchers through various policy incentives; and we successfully integrate a large number of foreign immigrants into Korean society. In order to maximize the benefits and contain any collateral damage of migration, policies tailored to those particularities of the country are indispensable. Without them, migration could lead to an uneven distribution of benefits among societies. Our first task in addressing this issue, then, should be to devise comprehensive and coherent migration policies in all concerned countries. Poorly integrated immigrants are a source of segregation, social problems, tensions and security-related challenges. Countries of destination should focus on formulating migration policies that take into account the long-term objective of social integration. Another focus of a win-win migration policy involves the introduction of a domestic system to absorb the migration benefits by the countries of origin. Remittances — at least $167 billion in 2005 alone — seem to be one of the most immediate and tangible benefits of migration. Without a solid social system, however, the development potential of those huge resources cannot be realized. In order for remittances to actually benefit the local economy, we first need to seek ways to reduce transnational transaction fees. Secondly, migrant families should be provided with technical assistance to utilize remittances in order to enhance productivity and thus increase their income. Microfinances would be the most useful system for the families of migrants. Countries of origin must also put mechanisms in place to mobilize the developmental potential of skilled migrants who return home. I believe that we cannot maximize the contributions of migrants to societies without enlisting the help of the business community. The business community must recognize the economic potential of migrants, not only in terms of their labour, but also as contributors to the expansion of trade and tourism. The business community should thus be actively involved in discussions on the development potential of immigration. Furthermore, various methods to facilitate real partnerships between Governments, international organizations and the private sector need to be considered. In this regard, the Global Compact provides a worthy model of a successful international business partnership. International cooperation on issues relating to migration is also crucial. The recently established Global Migration Group should serve to enhance coordination, cooperation and coherence between international organizations working in the field of migration and development. At the same time, we must also embrace regional efforts such as the Bali Process, among others.

I give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Caroline Ziade, chair of the delegation of Lebanon.

We welcome the holding of this High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. We believe that this Dialogue will provide an excellent opportunity for an exchange of ideas and views on migration. Furthermore, it will allow for the exploration of new horizons in terms of increasing the mutual benefits derived from migration. We also appreciate the efforts of the Secretary-General in preparing his report (A/60/871) entitled “International migration and development”, and we consider it to be a good step forward. Lebanon has 4 million people inside the country and 12 million people abroad, whose number includes 3 per cent of the population of Australia. Gibran Khalil Gibran, Carlos Ghosn, Elias Khoury, George Dabaghi, Nicolas Hayek, Amin Maalouf: they are but a small example of the great contribution that Lebanese expatriates have bestowed upon their host nations and the world. Migration is a phenomenon that has paralleled the modern history of human beings. It was the prospect of overcoming adversity and improving their standard of living that pushed many men and women to leave their homelands and migrate to wealthier and more developed countries. It is quite obvious that the main reasons for migration are poverty, underdevelopment, social exclusion and foreign occupation, together with the absence of peace, security and stability, the large income differential between high- and low-income countries and economic crises. In 2005, the estimated number of international migrants reached 191 million, of whom 115 million lived in developed countries and 75 million in developing countries. This means that the magnitude of South-to-South migration is comparable to that of South-to-North migration. The positive economic and social impact of migration on the receiving and sending countries is certainly beyond doubt. According to World Bank estimates, migrants’ remittances at the world level amounted to an estimated $232 billion in 2005. The share of global remittances going to developing countries is equal to $167 billion. Those remittances increase families’ incomes in countries of origin and help them secure access to services such as education and health. They also improve the entrepreneurship atmosphere and increase the ability of households to make productive investments. In Lebanon, for instance, the remittances of Lebanese emigrants are estimated to be equal to 12 per cent of gross domestic product. In certain cases, the contribution of remittances to the overall economies of countries of origin is greater than official development assistance. There is a need, therefore, for more action to reduce the transfer fees tied to migrant remittances with a view to increasing the benefits derived from them. The important contribution of remittances to the economies of the sending countries should not be used as a pretext to reduce official development assistance to developing countries. It is well known that migrants who return home bring with them expertise and savings. They use their expertise to transfer to their countries of origin the know-how they acquired in the countries of destination. Moreover, they use their savings to start businesses that contribute to job creation in the countries of origin, thereby reducing unemployment rates. In countries of destination, migrants supplement, rather than substitute, the greater majority of workers in the receiving countries. Inflows of low-skilled migrants help to fill jobs that are no longer attractive to the local population. Migrant workers also help to maintain services that would otherwise disappear. The receiving States should respect the human rights of migrants. The receiving States, together with the countries of origin, should combat the traffic in persons and the smuggling of migrants and punish those offences. Also, receiving States should accord migrants equal treatment and should prohibit all forms of discrimination. The successful integration of migrants depends upon their protection from racism, xenophobia and ethnocentrism. In conclusion, it is important to mention the fact that migrants contribute greatly to the dialogue between culture and civilizations. They largely account for the very first encounters between different civilizations and cultures. The success of that dialogue hinges upon the acceptance of their differences by the hosting societies and upon the recognition of such differences as a source of enrichment rather than discord.

In line with the announcement made earlier, I now give the floor to the Chairman of round table 4, His Excellency Mr. Jean- François Ndongou, Deputy Minister to the Minister of State, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, Francophonie and Social Integration of Gabon.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh, chairman of the delegation of Viet Nam.

Let me at the outset thank the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General for their initiative and endeavours in bringing together delegates from around the world, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to discuss international migration, a burning issue of our time. I am convinced that the High-level Dialogue offers a historic opportunity for a far-reaching discussion on, and an advanced understanding of, multidimensional aspects of international migration and development. Viet Nam, which has about 2.5 million migrants and migrant workers in more than 80 countries and territories, will do whatever it can to contribute to the success of the new process. Viet Nam associates itself with the statement made earlier by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. My delegation also shares most of the views expressed by the Secretary-General in his report entitled, “International migration and development” (A/60/871), as well as his statement at the opening of the Dialogue. Today, international migration is widely envisioned in the context of globalization and the growing wealth disparities it engenders between different countries and regions. In our view, people are drawn to migrate mainly because of the “pull” factors, which are encouraged by the demand for more flexible labour in countries of destination. That is a natural phenomenon and part of the “unfinished business of globalization”. There is no doubt that, apart from making contributions towards the prosperity of destination countries, migrants play an increasingly important role in promoting development and poverty reduction in countries of origin. While there is a growing recognition that international migration flows have increased over time, the dynamics and policy implications of that phenomenon have not been given adequate attention. The protection of the human rights of migrants and migrant workers, including the rights to education, food and adequate housing, have in many cases been ignored. The exploitation of migrants, especially women and children, through human smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime, still happens. Today, women constitute half of the global migrant population and they are among the world’s most vulnerable workers. Their working conditions vary enormously. Some are treated as members of the employer’s family, while others are exploited and subjected to conditions which, in some cases, amount to virtual slavery, forced labour, servitude or sexual exploitation. Over the past few decades, migration has grown in volume and migration trends have become ever more complex. However, policy on migration issues is no longer discussed in purely regional terms, while a global mechanism capable of coping with the complexities and challenges of growing migration has not been put in place, even under the auspices of the United Nations. For many years now, only the International Organization for Migration and a number of regional structures, in collaboration with related United Nations agencies, have been actively involved in cooperation on migration. Viet Nam is of the view that, if this “unfinished business of globalization” is to be effectively taken in hand, we must, in addition to enhancing bilateral and regional cooperation on migration, establish more institutional mechanisms that can serve as forums in which all States, as well as international organizations and agencies, can exchange views and experiences and promote cooperation and the coordination of efforts with a view to better addressing migration issues at the global level. We also hope that the High-level Dialogue can focus on considering ways and means to further integrate the IOM into the United Nations inter-agency system. In addition, the High-level Dialogue and its follow-up meetings should discuss steps and measures to further integrate migration into national and international development strategies and to promote partnerships, capacity-building and the sharing of best practices at all levels — including the bilateral and regional levels — for the benefit of countries of origin and countries of destination alike, as well as migrants, in order to fill a perceived gap in the United Nations system in respect of the issue of migration.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Daniele Bodini, chairman of the delegation of San Marino.

Permit me at the outset to congratulate you, Madam President, on your appointment and to wish you every success. Our country, San Marino, today enjoys economic prosperity and an enviable standard of living, but only 60 years ago it was extremely poor and had scant economic prospects. As a matter of fact, most of our people migrated to countries where they thought they could find job opportunities and thus a better life. In Europe, they emigrated mostly to Italy and France, while the preferred overseas destinations were Argentina and the United States of America. Migrant remittances and the return of our emigrants back home were essential in boosting our country’s economic development and improving its living conditions. As a nation, we understand very well the anguish created by migration and are very sympathetic towards people in need who seek a better life away from their native countries, sometimes risking their own lives and the lives of family members in desperate journeys. We believe that it is the responsibility of developed countries to help such people so that their hopes can be fulfilled. Happiness is the fulfilment of hope. However, the acceptance of migrants in an environment that is not ready to provide adequate education, health care, jobs and, most important, social integration can lead to the creation of unwanted and desolate ghettos and give rise to cultural and religious clashes, misunderstanding, intolerance and racism. Such conditions can create, on the one hand, breeding grounds for vocal dissent and violent protest and, on the other, selfishness and prejudice. It is our duty as members of the United Nations family not only to respond to crises, but also — and more importantly — to make every effort to prevent them. In a world of unrelenting globalization, migration is no longer only a bilateral affair; it is a multilateral mega-issue. Countries of destination should deal with migration in a humane manner, taking into account the needs of their own people and of their social and economic fabrics. Countries of origin, with the assistance of the international community, should ensure that their migrants do not fall victim to human trafficking and abuse. Their journeys to foreign countries should lead not only to economic rewards, but also to their personal fulfilment as human beings, which will eventually enable them to transfer their know-how and their social and institutional knowledge to their native lands. Transparent international migration rules and laws should be in place and in force to prevent human rights abuses. San Marino wishes to congratulate the General Assembly on the success of this high-level meeting. We strongly believe that the United Nations, with the cooperation of all its Members, is the best instrument for facing the challenge of migration today and in the years to come.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Amir Muharemi, chairman of the delegation of Croatia.

Allow me to join preceding speakers in expressing satisfaction at participating in this High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. It gives us an excellent opportunity for an exchange of views on this complex issue, providing new insights into the global phenomenon of migration. As Croatia aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the European Union, I will limit my statement to a discussion of my country’s national policies. First of all, let me reiterate one of the messages contained in the report of the Secretary-General on international migration and development (A/60/871), namely, that each of us holds a piece of the migration puzzle, but none of us has the whole picture. It is time to start putting the pieces together. International migration cannot be managed unilaterally. Consequently, country partnerships, bilateral agreements and regional arrangements on migration are multiplying. But the complexity of migration is global; it is a fundamental feature of today’s world system and demands attention at the global level. The Republic of Croatia is at the crossroads of migration flows between the East and the West. As Croatia is a candidate for membership in the European Union (EU), a consistent migration policy will surely have new dimensions and new meaning for us. Although our national legislation in this area is a work in progress, Croatia has already achieved a significant improvement in the regulation of migration, asylum and related matters in the context of harmonizing its domestic laws with EU legislation. We are also in the process of adopting a document aimed at regulating national migration strategy that envisages steps for institutional capacity-building to effectively manage migration. Croatia manages migration in accordance with the principles of freedom of movement, solidarity and humanity, ensuring respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants. Legal foreign immigrants are permitted to stay in our country either temporarily or permanently, and their social inclusion is one of our top priorities. Croatia continues to play a prominent role in regional cooperation. In collaboration with the mission of the International Organization for Migration in Croatia, a regional workshop on labour migration for integration and development in South-East Europe was held this year in Zagreb. Its aim was to find a platform for discussing the further development of our policies and programmes on migration within and between countries in South-East Europe, pointing out their positive implications in terms of economics and employment and the fact that they help prevent irregular migration. In addition, like many other countries, Croatia is only beginning to learn how to maximize the benefits of migration while minimizing its negative effects in terms of development. Historically, Croatia has been a country of emigration, but over the past decade we have encountered a new challenge, noting the steady growth of a positive migratory balance. Some industries, confronted with a shortage of highly skilled workers, employ foreigners. That suggests that Croatia may face a growing demand for skilled and highly skilled workers in the near future. In addition, if negative demographic trends continue, the development of a forward-looking policy may soon become a matter of necessity. Recognizing the important role of scientists in development, the Croatian Government and a group of prominent scientists have launched a return migration programme which has encouraged Croatian scientists abroad to foster linkages with Croatia through joint international projects, training or specialization of skilled personnel. The active involvement of national and local authorities and of regional and international institutions, as well as of the private sector, is required if multidimensional aspects of migration issues are to be addressed and managed in a coherent and coordinated way. We strongly believe that migration issues need to be addressed holistically at all levels — national, regional and global. We support the idea that migration issues should continue to be observed and debated in a voluntary and consultative permanent forum, and initially within the most valuable setting for the exchange of ideas and the sharing of experiences — the United Nations — in order for international migration to be accepted as a normal and crucial element in the development process.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Yusupha Kah, Permanent Secretary, Department of State for the Interior of the Gambia.

My delegation wishes to congratulate the Secretary-General for convening this important High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development and to associate itself with the statement made by the delegation of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. This meeting is long overdue and sorely needed. Globalization has reached a point that now demands a serious response by the international community to the myriad problems surrounding the free movement of people across international borders. The report of the Secretary-General (A/60/871) demonstrates that along with the problems there are also countless benefits that international migration brings to both sending and receiving countries. Transit countries also benefit from the spillovers. It is clear that international migration is here to stay. No one can legislate against it or wish it away. It behoves us all, therefore, to initiate and maintain a permanent dialogue on the phenomenon, with a view to maximizing its benefits and minimizing its costs. Countries of the North will have to contend with the fact that with their current demographic trends, it is only through international migration that they will be able to keep their economies and social systems on an even keel. Developing countries must also live with the fact that until the standard of living of their people improves, more and more of their nationals will head towards greener pastures in the industrialized world. Short of imposing repressive measures that violate human rights, there will be no way of halting the wave. As an African country, the Gambia is concerned about the growing preference for selective migration being displayed by receiving countries in the developed world, because it causes a depletion of the skilled manpower base needed for our social and economic development. It also amounts to us subsidizing the developed countries through the cost of education and training, which we incur in producing professional and skilled workers who are then siphoned away from us into the developed economies of the North. We must urgently address that growing phenomenon which is emerging as a major constraint on our development. While we do admit that many of our countries benefit from international migration through the remittances that migrants transmit into our economies, we cannot accept that it should be an alternative to the creation of internal mechanisms for growth and development; nor should it be a substitute for official development assistance. Because remittances emanating from international migration contribute to the reduction of poverty for many households in the sending countries, ways must be found to mainstream international migration within the development process, and to relate it more explicitly to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We strongly support the view that we should begin considering ways of reducing the transaction costs of remittances and ensuring that the monies remitted are channelled more formally through our financial systems. The Gambia does not encourage illegal migration and has taken measures to minimize it, including: strengthening border and sea controls; enhancing cooperation between law enforcement and security agencies; improving information gathering from the public, particularly those at the border and on our beach side; promulgating legislation against the smuggling and trafficking in persons; and entering into bilateral and multilateral cooperation arrangements with other countries. We strongly condemn any violations of the human rights of migrants, whatever their status, and we join the African Union in unreservedly condemning acts of racism, xenophobia and discrimination perpetrated against migrants. As both a sending and a receiving country, the Gambia has mixed experiences. It is true that as a developing country we are as vulnerable as any other to having our brightest and best lured away to greener pastures. We have lost quite a number of people over the years to Europe and North America. At the same time, we are a destination for hundreds of thousands of migrants, especially from the subregion. They contribute significantly to our economy in critical areas such as manufacturing, health, construction and fishing. A large proportion of teachers in our school system, and professors in our university, are migrants, contributing immensely to our efforts to meet our skilled manpower needs. As a matter of policy, the Gambia will continue to seek ways of optimizing the benefits of international migration and mitigating its negative effects. We believe that international migration is a complex phenomenon that requires a multifaceted approach, as well as strong political will and commitment on the part of sending and receiving countries and the international community at large. It is our hope that this Dialogue will mark the beginning of a formal and, if possible, permanent process that keeps the important subject of international migration and development under discussion within the international community and leads to the adoption of measures to ensure that it serves all of mankind, wherever they may be.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Wang Guangya, chairman of the delegation of China.

The Chinese delegation supports the statement by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The emergence of migration and the development of human society are closely linked. Currently, the number and scale of international migration, as well as the range of countries affected and the impact it produces on the economy of those countries, have reached an unprecedented level. On the one hand, the normal flow of migration can help people to broaden their horizons; promote economic and social development and cultural exchanges among countries; optimize the allocation of human, technical and financial resources; and enhance cooperation among States and joint development. On the other hand, the surge in migration has also led to the increasingly serious problems of illegal migration, human trafficking and other transnational crimes, which pose serious challenges to social security and stability. Migration and development have thereby become important issues that must be faced squarely by the international community. The Chinese delegation wishes to share with the Assembly the following views and proposals on how to properly handle this issue and promote joint development. To solve the problems caused by migration, it is essential to address its root causes. Ultimately, migration is caused by unbalanced economic and social development among different countries. In order to find a lasting solution, it is therefore necessary to gradually narrow the gap between rich and poor countries and bring about joint economic development and overall social justice. Secondly, it is important to improve domestic policies, laws and regulations. Countries should continuously improve their migration policies, laws and regulations, protect the legitimate rights and interests of migrants, oppose discriminatory policies and adhere to the principle of opening up legal channels and blocking illegal ones, so as to enhance the legal and orderly flow of migration and curb illegal migration activities to the greatest possible extent. Thirdly, international migration must be addressed within the context of development and in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. National Governments should give comprehensive consideration to political, economic, social and cultural factors, strengthen coordination among different departments, facilitate the flow of migration in an orderly and legal manner and enable migrants to be truly integrated into local societies. We should also act in the fundamental interests of migrants, take into account their special characteristics, effectively safeguard their political, economic and social rights and interests, and fully respect their religious beliefs and cultural traditions. It is also necessary to reduce the transaction costs of remittances, enhance the effectiveness of how they are used and encourage migrants to participate in investment and trade and to return to their own countries in order to play a role in promoting development. Fourthly, sincere efforts should be made to achieve international cooperation. The international community — especially countries of origin, transit and destination — should strengthen dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit to effectively manage the flow of migration. The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the issue of migration and to the related opportunities and challenges. In the light of the latest developments, in recent years the Chinese Government has adjusted its border management policy and improved the efficiency of arrangements for entering and exiting the country, in order to facilitate a regular population flow. At the same time, we have acted resolutely and forcefully against illegal migration. We have formulated and improved relevant laws and regulations, intensified law enforcement and reinforced public education. We have also incorporated into our national development plan such elements as financial incentives and tax reductions and exemptions. We have also simplified entry and exit procedures to encourage Chinese students abroad to come back to work in China and reduce the brain drain. China has also assumed an active role in international and regional migration cooperation, exchanged experiences and cooperated with relevant countries and international organizations on the basis of mutual respect and consultations. This Dialogue marks the beginning of the discussion of migration and development at the United Nations. We hope that the international community will seize this opportunity to further strengthen dialogue and contribute to joint development in the world.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Alexei Tulbure, chairman of the delegation of the Republic of Moldova.

For Moldova, migration is indeed an important source of development. We have come here to confirm the clear connection that exists between migration and development. That is in fact the theme of our Dialogue and one of the main conclusions of the Secretary– General’s report (A/60/871). We fully share the conclusions of that report and believe that the idea to hold the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development is an extremely timely one. In order to have an idea of how strongly Moldova is affected by the process of migration, it is enough to know that Moldova’s dependence on remittances is the second highest in the world and that remittances account for 27 per cent of our gross domestic product. Over 80 per cent of Moldova’s migrants remit funds and for more than 70 per cent of senders, those remittances constitute half of their earnings. According to our official statistics, in 2005 almost 400,000 Moldovans went to work abroad or to seek jobs. That constitutes over 25 per cent of our total active population. However, migration is also a source of many distressing problems. Today I would like to concentrate on the negative aspects of international migration. The very moment we speak about migration we start speaking about discrimination, exclusion, criminality, illegal trafficking, smuggling and similar subjects. The reason for that is obvious: all the phenomena I referred to are today connected to international migration. Migration is perceived by many as something unlawful, bad and troublesome. There are clear signs today that we are not coping with the situation or with the new trends in contemporary migration processes. Criminals rather than Governments often control the main migratory movements. The less we are able to develop adequate polices, frameworks and new institutions to effectively address international migration, the more opportunities we offer to criminals, who become rich at the expense of migrants. What do we need today? In my opinion, we need a sort of rehabilitation of international migration that should lead to the development and implementation of relevant policies at the local, national, regional and global levels. We need to decriminalize migration while at the same time contributing to the reduction of poverty and to improving general living conditions in the countries of origin. I believe that, while we fight against criminals, the best thing to do would be to expand the channels for regular and legal migration — or, to put it in a more politically correct way, documented migration. That would more closely match reality. The reality is that millions of people today have no choice but to migrate — in search of food, water, work, human dignity and hope. And nobody can stop them. There is no need to do so. What we have to do is to take those people out of the hands of criminals and help them — if it is really impossible to have a decent life in their countries of origin — to arrive at their new destinations and to integrate into their new environments. That would benefit everyone, migrants, countries of origin and countries of destination. Those new mechanisms and policies could be developed in bilateral and multilateral frameworks. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the rights of migrants and those of the victims of trafficking in human beings are of vital importance. We already have some good news in that respect. For example, the Council of Europe recently developed and opened for signature and ratification the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The protection of the rights of victims is at the centre of that Convention. We believe that to be an example of good international cooperation and joint endeavour regarding certain aspects of the phenomenon of migration that we should commend and build on. I hope that our High-level Dialogue will be a new and powerful start in the difficult search for adequate responses to the political, economic and cultural challenges arising from international migration at the global level.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Irakli Alasania, chairman of the delegation of Georgia.

The Georgian delegation wishes to welcome the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development as a much- needed step towards placing migration issues on the international agenda. In today’s world of globalization and interdependency, every country is affected to a certain extent by the various issues related to international mobility. Efficiently managed migration can be beneficial to all — countries of origin, transit and destination. But there are many challenges and a number of issues that have to be addressed urgently to avoid illegal migration, trafficking, organized crime and terrorism. International migration has significantly affected Georgia since our independence. Experts estimate that more than 20 per cent of the country’s 1989 population — over 1 million people — have left Georgia since independence. According to the Secretariat’s Population Division, Georgia was among the top 20 countries worldwide in net emigration between 1995 and 2000. In the 1990s, socio-economic realities in the country were the leading motivation forcing thousands to travel abroad for work and education. Our citizens have ventured to Russia, Europe, the United States and Canada for skilled and unskilled job opportunities that offer higher incomes to better support their families at home. Conflicts in two separatist regions — Abkhazia and Tskhinvali — were other causes of migration. Ethnic cleansing and mass expulsions forced tens of thousands of our citizens to flee abroad. In 2003, the Rose Revolution sparked renewed hope and serious interest among all Georgians living abroad in our country’s renewed prospects for the future. That provided a window of opportunity to engage our diverse and far-flung population as partners in Georgia’s development. We have already taken steps to begin that process by making it possible to hold dual citizenship, which was granted to almost 1,400 persons in 2005. We are also increasing the outreach of the President and top Government officials. We hope to pursue a more comprehensive strategy, focusing on four main areas: engaging highly skilled migrants, maximizing remittances, leveraging and protecting economic migrants and relations with the diaspora. Experts estimate that 40 to 55 per cent of those leaving Georgia are highly educated. They also believe that movement has resulted in a significant brain drain. However, as a result of rapid economic reforms, Georgia has become a more attractive place to invest and work, and is ripe for reaching out to our highly skilled diaspora. While we continue to encourage return, we are also looking to explore ways to engage the highly skilled members of our diaspora where they are living by creating knowledge networks, engaging them in joint projects with host countries and recruiting them to help promote investment in Georgia. Remittances are an important source of revenue for many Georgian households, and continue to grow as a percentage of our gross domestic product. Official estimates show growth rates of 4.8 per cent in 2003 and 6.3 per cent in 2005. Most experts believe the growth of remittances to be two to three times greater. We would also like to help our citizens to maximize their private funds by improving the banking system. We can also provide new and innovative remittance- sending tools and products to our migrants by learning from the successes experienced by Latin American and Asian countries. We want to work with host countries to empower our citizens to use the banking systems in those countries. Georgia’s working age population has shrunk due to labour migration, compounded by our slightly negative natural population growth rate. We need to offer our citizens more legal opportunities to work abroad, protect their rights against discrimination, promote stronger entrepreneurial linkages and improve prospects for sustainable return by developing readmission agreements and targeting business development resources to returnees. In addition to those who left recently, we believe there are roughly 8 million non-citizen ethnic Georgians throughout the world. They are primarily concentrated in Turkey, Iran, Russia and Israel, as well as in other countries of the former Soviet Union. Since 2004 we have made great efforts to strengthen cultural ties with our diaspora around the world. As I mentioned earlier, the issue of legal opportunities to work abroad is extremely important for Georgia. We are also focusing our national and international efforts on the fight against trafficking in human beings. For its part, the Georgian Government, with the support of international organizations, has launched a very intensive programme against trafficking. To that end, a national action plan has been adopted, in accordance with which a coordination centre was established. We are all very well aware of the fact that national efforts alone are not enough. Support and cooperation with partners is essential. Investment and assistance will foster sustainable development, boost economies and protect human rights. We hope that our joint efforts, along with strong action by the international community, the United Nations and other international organizations, will help to address these problems. We believe that our forum will be able to come up with effective responses to those challenges.

I now call on Her Excellency Mrs. Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, Chairperson of the delegation of Tonga.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Collin Beck, chairman of the delegation of Solomon Islands.

My delegation would like to join others in congratulating you, Madam, on your election to preside over this important gathering. International migration gives a human face to globalization. It defines and represents the global structure that divides the world between the industrialized North and the developing South. It is important to note that the flow of migrants from the southern hemisphere to the North is due to the demographic and social structure of the industrialized world and the need for workers. Solomon Islands values this meeting, as it provides an opportunity to ensure that there is a mechanism in place to measure and match the supply and demand of the global labour market, as argued by the International Organization for Migration and by the Group of 77. Solomon Islands attaches great importance to this subject, as it pertains to a development opportunity that, if not well managed, can become a security concern, both for receiving and sending States. Migration is also an integral part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At the national level, Solomon Islands is made up of half a million people, who speak 80 different languages. It embraces a rich cultural diversity. Inter- island migration is therefore an economic issue. The pull factor in all migration routes, be they internal or external, is related to economic gain. Population movement tends to occur in the direction of where there is economic activity. The challenge is to balance the participation of migrant workers and indigenous populations. To leave anyone a spectator to development could lead to instability setting in, as recently experienced by Solomon Islands in its ethnic conflict. In that connection, the High-level Dialogue must take time to look at the domestic movement of labour as well. Having said that, both internal and international migration contribute to a country’s foreign income, not only through remittances but also, most important, through the transfer of knowledge, capacity and good practices. In other words, it is a win-win situation for both migrants and receiving countries. Within the Pacific region there are varying levels of international migrant workers. There are countries within the region that provide labour to developed economies, while there are also developing countries that acquire labour from within the subregion. Also within the Pacific subregion, work has already begun to explore short-term labour migration with some of our developed neighbours. While nothing concrete has yet emerged from those discussions, my delegation is pleased to note that a dialogue on shared migration opportunities seeking regional concerted action has been put on the table. The regional discussion has allowed us to better understand the position of receiving States, and we hope that it will allow us to work towards striking a balance. For many of the least development countries, development has not kept pace with the growth of their populations. Limited opportunities have been the push factor leading local populations to migrate and seek employment internationally. Solomon Islands, on the other hand, does not have a large migrant population. But it does have an abundant supply of labour relative to the local employment market. A good number of our workers are located and employed in rural areas. Urban drift has put pressure on agriculture-based economies, but it has not provided jobs. Therefore, the Government remains the largest employer in the country, rather than the private sector. The challenges are due to the high costs of communication and transportation, the smallness of the market and lack of foreign-direct investors to provide the engine for growth needed to see the economy take off. In that respect, the Government is examining all economic opportunities to guarantee our population a secure future. Solomon Islands could not agree more that there is a need to establish an adequate and transparent mechanism, especially as regards short- term contracts, that will ensure that workers are documented and legally processed, so as to avoid having workers working outside the system, which places them in a more vulnerable position. My delegation would also like to see more coordination between all international organizations and United Nations agencies in combating human trafficking, including the development of a common mechanism to address that. I would like to conclude by assuring you, Madam President, of my delegation’s ongoing support and cooperation as we seek an international solution to migration that will ensure that all countries can benefit.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Andreas Mavroyiannis, chairman of the delegation of Cyprus.

Let me begin by congratulating you, Madam President, on having convened this High-level Dialogue. The time could not be more appropriate for the start of a frank and open exchange of views and ideas on this important international issue that affects the lives and welfare of us all, as individuals and as States. I would also like to extend our gratitude to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for focusing high-level political attention on the many linkages between development and migration. Cyprus aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Finland on behalf of the European Union. I would, however, like to make the following additional comments. Migration is a global phenomenon as old as man itself. In the quest to find better lives and improve their standards of living, people move across borders. As we now live in an era of increased human mobility due to technological advances, an era marked by diversity and multiculturalism, any prevailing negative perceptions of the past must not be inhibiting factors in dealing with this normal fact of human civilization. In principle, migration should not be seen as a threat to or as a destabilizing factor for the economies of recipient countries. Of course, it is a phenomenon that needs to be regulated. But, if supported by the right policies, it can be a blessing for development both in recipient countries and in countries of origin. Cyprus has historically been a country of emigration, exporting migrants to richer countries. In fact, it is estimated that as many Cypriots live abroad as on the island itself. The invasion of 1974 and the displacement of one third of our population resulted in new waves of emigration. Many Cypriot refugees who had lost their livelihoods sought employment abroad. Since then, Cyprus has seen extensive economic development and has become a host to migrants, who contribute positively to the economy and its high growth rates. The contribution of Cypriots of the diaspora was also crucial for the economic miracle that Cyprus experienced in the 1980s. Cyprus is firmly committed to the protection of human rights of all migrants and has ratified all major human rights instruments, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its two Protocols, and the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Cyprus is also in the process of ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Our immigration and refugee laws have been harmonized with the relevant European laws and are implemented according to European Union policies and practices in this field. The report of the Secretary-General (A/60/871) provides an in-depth study of the issue of international migration and development and contains a plethora of suggestions and ideas that merit further discussion and elaboration. Notable recommendations are also contained in the report of the Global Commission on International Migration. Concerning the recommendation of the Secretary-General that a global forum be established, the position of the European Union has been presented by the Finnish presidency; Cyprus welcomes Belgium’s offer to host the forum’s first meeting. Cyprus is fully committed to cooperate with all relevant actors at the national, regional and international level and through the common policies of the European Union for the enhancement of the benefit of migration to development, and to fully play its part in the process that is now being initiated.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Dusan Bella, Chairman of the delegation of Slovakia.

Especially at the beginning of twentieth century, my small country produced thousands upon thousands of migrants bound particularly for the United States of America, and I have to say that this still affects my country’s social consciousness. Slovakia welcomes the organization of this High- level Dialogue, as migration is increasingly becoming an integral part of global processes, bringing both concerns and challenges — not only to migrants, but also to countries of origin, transit and destination. This fact is supported by the latest Transatlantic Trends survey of United States and European public opinion. According to those findings, 79 per cent of Americans and 76 per cent of Europeans agree that large numbers of immigrants coming into their respective countries constitute an important threat. Slovakia, lying on the east-west migratory route in Europe, has not had to deal with an excessive influx of migrants so far. Nonetheless, Slovakia, as a smaller European Union (EU) country, is involved in formulating EU migration policies and therefore fully supports the joint EU position presented at this High- level Dialogue, the European Union Global Approach to Migration adopted in December 2005, and instruments and policy guidelines contained in the so- called Hague programme. That programme sets forth, inter alia, the European Union objective of creating a common European asylum system. From our own experience, we can provide evidence that misuse of asylum procedures is still a frequent and widespread phenomenon. To facilitate the integration of migrants in Slovakia, we are working on a set of guidelines for an integration policy for migrants, which will cover all migrant groups and all aspects of their work and life in our country. We consider negotiations on readmission agreements at the European Union level to be a big step forward in the management of migration flows and in the effort to eliminate illegal migration. Last year, the Slovak Government adopted a set of migration policy guidelines which created preconditions for the implementation of effective policies and measures in the areas that are being discussed at this forum. Those policy guidelines aim to improve coordination among various Slovak institutions involved in the management of the migration process. One of the goals set out in the guidelines is the establishment of an immigration and naturalization office before 2010. Slovakia supports the strengthening of international dialogue and cooperation on migration issues, but at the same time we share the opinion that there is still room for better use of existing institutions and activities. Of course, any new initiative is welcome as long as it has potential for success and brings new added value to work already done in various international forums. Slovakia reaffirms the need to fully implement the United Nations conventions that fight all sources of intolerance, encourage cultural variety and focus on fostering human rights, mutual respect and understanding among civilizations. In this context, I am pleased to inform the Assembly that the Slovak Government has approved an action plan on preventing all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, anti- Semitism and other signs of intolerance. We are convinced that the management of migration is the common responsibility of all countries involved. Therefore, we engage in dialogue on migration with various countries and regions in the world. But at the same time, our cooperation is predominantly with our neighbours with the aim of creating conditions for the better management of migration flows and the smooth extension of the Schengen area by the end of next year. The Slovak Republic shares the view that migration and development are two inseparable agendas. The activities of the United Nations, the European Union and other organizations should be carried out along coordinated lines in order to achieve the best possible results. The misuse of asylum systems has been a major source of illegal migration; this phenomenon deserves international attention. Better management of migration processes would bring about a decrease in unfounded asylum claims, and genuine refugees would then enjoy better protection and accelerated asylum procedures. In addition, we think that more attention needs to be drawn to the possibility that suspects involved in terrorist activities could misuse asylum procedures. Slovakia believes that this Dialogue can be instrumental in identifying inconsistencies in existing migration and development policies while contributing significantly to the building of partnerships among countries of origin, transit and destination.

I now give the floor to Mr. Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins, chairman of the delegation of Angola.

First of all, allow me to join others in extending to Ms. Al-Khalifa my delegation’s congratulations on her election as President of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly. We associate ourselves with the statement delivered by the Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Responding to the President’s appeal, I shall deliver a summary version of my statement and shall circulate copies of the full text. Globalization has created an important partnership among the countries of the world, but it has also widened the gap between rich and poor, not to mention the economic disparities between countries and whole regions. That situation, together with other difficulties, such as wars, the deterioration of the environment and geopolitical transformations, forces an increasing number of people to leave their homes. That reality requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account not only the causes of, but also the complex relationship between migration and economic development. Angola recognizes the high importance of international migration to the development agenda of the United Nations. Thus, we thank the Secretary- General for his comprehensive report on international migration, contained in document A/60/871, which provides us with useful information on recent developments in international migration, and in particular very revealing statistics on the growing role of migration as a contribution to economic growth and development. Given the recommendations of the international community, my country is concerned about the related criminality that afflicts many States. The Republic of Angola is fully immersed in the process of adhering to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, particularly in relation to the illicit traffic of migrants by land, sea and air and to the prevention and punishment of human trafficking, especially of women and children, and we are therefore engaged in the fight against targeted crimes. In conclusion, we agree with the Secretary- General that this High-level Dialogue should be seen not only as an end in itself, but also as part of a process that will continue to be carefully analyzed in all the multidimensional aspects of migration and development. We in Angola have the political will to play our part towards making the recommendations and conclusions of this High-level Dialogue an important contribution to development. Let us seize this opportunity to strengthen the Dialogue, thus making migration a positive force in common development and the fight against poverty.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Johan Verbeke, chairman of the delegation of Belgium.

I would like first to thank and congratulate the Secretary-General for having taken the initiative to organize this Dialogue and his Special Representative for having prepared it so well. This initiative testifies to vision and courage. Indeed, nobody could have foreseen in 2003, when the decision to convene this Dialogue was taken, that only three years later migration would be at the heart of the policy concerns of all the members of the international community, migratory flows having grown not only in the North-South direction, but also in the South-South direction. The debates organized by the Global Commission on International Migration and the regional consultations that took place from 2003 to 2005 were an important catalyst for carrying the debate to a political level. We have a common interest in identifying a global and balanced approach by taking the multiple dimensions of migration into account. We need to install a coherent set of short-, middle- and long-term actions and policies. In the short term, we need to make greater efforts to discourage illegal migration by disseminating objective information on and increased awareness of the risks of human trafficking that are inherent to irregular migration. That dissuasion also needs to take place by means of increased border control, the negotiation of readmission agreements, and above all by the fight against human trafficking networks. In the medium term, we need to better incorporate the migration dimension into our cooperation policies. That means we must further promote an environment conducive to development in the countries of origin and consider how migration can contribute to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and how it can be included in poverty reduction programmes. In the long term, we must make international migration, trade and agriculture policies more coherent with our development goals. The conference that Belgium organized in March in Brussels, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, the World Bank and the European Commission, and which was attended by many present here today, shed light on those questions and has helped us to outline some responses. It highlighted the valuable role that the diaspora communities can play in favour of their country of origin. Another truism that was reiterated in Brussels — many truisms need to be hammered home — is that we will achieve nothing if we do not treat migratory phenomena in a spirit of partnership among all the countries involved. Once this High-level Dialogue is over, there are some priorities on which we should continue to work. The first priority field is data collection. We cannot develop credible policies without more reliable data on migratory flows. Secondly, we should examine the consequences of globalization on the job market and ensure a better balance between supply and demand. Thirdly, the contribution of migration to the Millennium Development Goals, and especially the role of migrant communities that generate transfers not only by means of social contributions, but also in the cultural, financial and economic fields, should also be studied. Fourthly, over and above transfers is the question of the voluntary return of persons. The investigations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development have shown that, to date, some of our co- development policies, while objectively praiseworthy, have not really succeeded in turning those returns into development opportunities. Together, we need to redefine co-development as a genuine approach to development. Belgium also proposes in that respect the creation of a co-development fund at the European level. Fifthly and lastly, the contribution of migrants in their countries of destination should also be optimized. That raises the question of the integration and rights of migrants. We are all aware of the fact that this is a vast programme which will not be achieved unless the international community and all its participants take action. In that regard, we welcome the fact that the Secretary-General and his Special Representative have proposed the establishment of a permanent process of dialogue and cooperation in the form of a global forum for migration and development. Belgium is ready to host the first such forum next year in Brussels and we thank those delegations that have shown their confidence in Belgium.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Rosemary Banks, chairperson of the delegation of New Zealand.

New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to participate in this exchange on international migration and development. We recognize that immigration issues and their impact require a long-term strategic dialogue. The short-term migration of workers has significant development potential and can benefit both origin and destination countries by helping meet labour market demand and providing remittance flows and the potential for skill development and knowledge transfer, while enabling migrants to return home. Although there are benefits from labour flows, there are also a number of economic and social risks to the sending country, which have already been well described by other speakers. At this late hour, I would like to touch very briefly on New Zealand’s immigration programme, labour mobility in the South Pacific region, and the way we see the future of this Dialogue. New Zealand is in the midst of the biggest overhaul of immigration legislation in 20 years. We have recently undertaken a wide consultative process on these changes. We currently face critical skill shortages in key areas of industry. Immigration for us is vital. Positive settlement outcomes for new migrants, along with robust border security, are priorities within our immigration change programme. This programme already includes a highly successful settlement strategy, which acknowledges that migration is an end- to-end process and that productivity comes best through successful settlement for migrants. While New Zealand’s main focus is on attracting skilled labour, we are, at the same time, a developed country located in the South Pacific. As part of our Pacific region, New Zealand recognizes that there must be opportunities for Pacific Islanders, skilled and unskilled, to access permanent employment in New Zealand. In addition to the mainstream immigration policy options, we have two dedicated permanent immigration schemes: the Samoan Quota (for Samoan nationals) and the Pacific Access Category (for nationals of Tonga, Fiji, Tuvalu and Kiribati). New Zealand believes that open dialogue among countries is an effective way of addressing global migration issues. That has been demonstrated in regional processes like the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime. Looking to the future and to the way this High- level Dialogue is taken forward, New Zealand would be cautious about establishing a new global forum on migration. We think that the avenue to address migration issues already exists in various structures. Any new forum that may be agreed should not duplicate existing forums and should have the potential to add value to the existing debates. New Zealand believes that if there is a consensus to establish an informal forum it should be voluntary and driven by States. It should build on the work of regional forums and allow for consultation and the exchange of good practices. It should not lead to negotiated outcomes. In closing, we would like to thank the Secretary- General for his thought-provoking report (A/60/871), and all the delegations who have contributed to this Dialogue.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Ms. Sohail Hernández, chairman of the delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela welcomes the opportunity of this High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development as a favourable opportunity to discuss, on a broad basis, the multidimensional elements of international migration, including the gender perspective, cultural diversity and full respect for human rights. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has insisted in various forums that migration is a topic that should be tackled from a comprehensive perspective that focuses on the social content of the topic itself because, above all, we believe that the origin of the problems involved is to be found in the growing imbalance between developing and developed countries, given the prevailing economic system. That is why we believe that, at the national level, we have to emphasize the following elements — rejection of discrimination on grounds of race, sex, creed, nationality or legal status; respect for diversity, since our society is multi-ethnic and pluricultural; orientation towards priority areas of national development; full respect for the human rights of the migrant worker and his or her family, including labour rights, the right to social security and education, inter alia; a migrant policy based on the principles of tolerance, solidarity, gender equality, justice and social equity; and respect for signed and ratified treaties and international conventions. Similarly, the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in its Title III on duties, human rights and guarantees, provides for coverage of the social needs of all persons, whether nationals or foreigners, as reflected in the recent enactment of a series of legal instruments. Among those instruments, I would mention in particular, the Aliens and Migration Act, adopted in May 2004, the regulations to regularize and naturalize foreigners of February 2004, and the Organic Law on the Social Security system of December 2002. In addition, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of Venezuela has developed a series of administrative mechanisms that we would like to bring to the attention of the Assembly, including: the implementation of an automated system to issue work permits for foreign workers; the implementation of a system linked to the computer systems of a national network of employment agencies; the creation of an automated mainframe database; the decentralization of the labour and migration services towards the employment agency network; and the updating and simplification of mechanisms and procedures for controlling migrant flows. As regards protecting and defending the human rights of migrants, the national Government has taken a number of measures to promote human rights. Among them, I would highlight the national campaign on the rights and duties of migrant workers and their families in Venezuela, undertaken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and the national campaign to prevent trafficking in human beings promoted by the Ministry of the Interior and Justice. In addition, in August 2006, we drew up a national plan of action to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in human beings in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. To demonstrate the national Government’s commitment to combating trafficking in humans, we organized a meeting of national authorities dealing with human trafficking under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS). That meeting was the first of its type held in the American hemisphere. It provided an opportunity for exchange of information and experience, political dialogue and cooperation among origin, transit and recipient countries on the subject of human trafficking, having due regard to the principle of co-responsibility among countries of origin, transit and destination, and with human rights as the central focus. With respect to remittances, Venezuela believes that policies must be crafted and coordinated to reduce the difficulties involved in transferring remittances. It is also important to study the possibility of facilitating the creation of family microenterprises to help the families of migrant workers. However, we believe that remittances cannot and should not become the basis for development policies. We cannot forget that remittances are private transfers and that they cannot at any point be considered to be or substitute for Official Development Assistance. Another problem that countries of origin should tackle is the problem of qualified and highly qualified migration. In that regard, we should study the possibility of implementing policies and mechanisms that stimulate the return of migrants and enable them to reintegrate more easily into their country of origin, thereby avoiding brain drain. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela considers that cooperation among Member States, whether bilateral, regional or multilateral, is crucial if we are to improve our management of the phenomenon of international migration. As regards the Secretary-General’s proposal to set up an intergovernmental consultative forum, Venezuela considers that that suggestion would mean creating a mechanism for far-reaching reflection on migration issues, but without binding decisions, which would enable our countries to engage in a dynamic and fruitful exchange of experience. At the same time, we have to join forces to enhance the work that several bodies dealing with the subject of migration have been carrying out in recent years, and thus arrive at a more coherent approach. Finally, we would like the conclusions of the High-level Dialogue to take into consideration progress achieved in migration issues in the South American area. We hope that the outcome of this Dialogue will truly be implemented to benefit migrants themselves.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Madhu Raman Acharya, chairman of the delegation of Nepal.

Migration is one of the less understood and little discussed matters among issues associated with globalization. Its potential benefits, including its contribution to development, have yet to be fully understood. Nepal’s national experience also suggests that the impact of migration on development is not yet clear, though there is some positive correlation between the two. For instance, remittances generated by the Nepalese workers abroad now account for 11.7 per cent of gross domestic product, and have thus been among the factors that have contributed to the reduction of extreme poverty and unemployment. International migration occurs because of push factors, such as poverty, and pull factors, such as the attraction to a better and productive life abroad. In other words, underdevelopment produces conditions for migration. If properly managed, migration can become a positive force in the world economy. If no active policy choices are made, it can lead to chaos, confusion and conflicts. Therefore, we must start a dialogue to allow freer access of migrant workers to the economies of developed countries. After all, human labour is just another factor of production and should be allowed to move freely just as capital, goods and services are allowed to do in the context of liberal trade and open economic policies. Despite the positive contribution migrant workers make in the economies of countries of origin and receiving countries, they are mostly discounted as a burden to the economic and social system of receiving countries and a drain on the talent of sending countries. Many migrant workers are exploited by unscrupulous intermediaries or employers. They are sometimes subject to discrimination in host societies, and in some cases, they are denied the rights they are entitled to under international conventions. Thus, there is a need to strengthen the regime for protection of the rights of migrants in all situations. Many developed labour markets seek skilled migrant workers. When the few skilled people available in poorer countries leave for jobs overseas, development falls behind, thus creating conditions for more emigration. Lately, the remittance has emerged as an innovative source of private household financing, but it can in no way be a substitute for official development assistance or for debt relief. The vulnerability of the migrant sector does not allow countries to become dependent on it as a source of revenue. International policies and trade regimes, anti- human trafficking laws, immigration practices and provisions on security and terrorism have overshadowed the potential benefits of migration. We can achieve many of the objectives of these policies through better management of migration without creating hurdles to genuine migrant workers. We need to engage all relevant stakeholders, including migrants themselves, in an international framework of cooperation for achieving the full potential of migration as a driving force for development. Sadly, this global dialogue on migration has been too little too late. It is marred with conflicting interests and interpretations. We need to come up with win-win solutions for both countries of origin and host countries, as well as for migrants themselves. Like most other global issues, utilization of migration for its potential contribution to development requires a shared global responsibility, which has been one of the cardinal principles of cooperation in our times. We should endeavour to develop a global compact for migration and development with shared commitments, specifically for opening up labour markets and adopting target migrant worker quotas, and shared responsibilities between migrants’ countries of origin and countries of destination. Most importantly, we should institute a multilateral mechanism for dialogue to facilitate the better use of migration as a tool for development.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Hjálmar Hannesson, chairman of the delegation of Iceland.

We thank the Secretary General for his comprehensive and enlightening report and the emphasis he has placed on this important and highly relevant matter for the United Nations. We also welcome the organization of this High-level Dialogue and the efforts of the Secretary- General to put the issue of migration on the global agenda. The report highlights the fact that a new era of mass international migration has recently begun. Iceland is acutely aware of this. Only 10 years ago, Iceland was one of the most homogeneous societies in the world. Today, the portion of our labour market occupied by immigrants is higher than that of most of our neighbours. International migration can contribute in a positive manner to development and economic growth, if appropriately regulated and controlled. But if we are to reduce the negative effects on the migrants themselves, we must recognize the need to promote and protect their human rights. Gender equality perspectives are highly important in migration, because gender inequality can be both the cause and the consequence of international migration. Promotion of gender equality will, therefore, help to reduce migration’s negative impact. I would like to highlight the fact mentioned in the report that cross-border movements of persons have become the main vehicle for greater participation by women in the export of services in developing countries, which is a positive side of increased international trade in services. The downside of it, however, is that the flexibility of labour can lead to loss of formal contracts, social security and other social benefits. It is worrying that current trends in women’s employment are headed in the wrong direction, with lower wages and deterioration in the terms and conditions of employment. One of the reasons is that women are more likely to find employment in the informal economy than are men. Another challenge that is closely linked to migration is the rapid growth of human trafficking and smuggling. Attempts have been made to use Iceland as a country of transit on the route over the Atlantic, and my authorities have taken steps accordingly. Trafficking in human beings is a global problem, and as such needs to be dealt with by the international community as well as at the national level. Iceland has signed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and we have emphasized the role of regional institutions in combating trafficking in human beings. We have also contributed actively to the anti-trafficking work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The fight against trafficking in human beings should be a priority for all, as most States are affected, either as countries of origin, countries of transit or countries of destination. It remains one of Iceland’s priorities, and we have put considerable effort into raising public awareness on what such trafficking involves. To conclude, I would like to state that I am certain that this High-level Dialogue will provide us with a better understanding of all aspects of migration and development.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Javad Amin Mansour, chairman of the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

At the outset, allow me to congratulate Ms. Rashed Al-Khalifa on her election as President of the United Nations General Assembly at its sixty-first session, including the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. I am confident that, under her leadership, this gathering will be successful in its deliberations. Before making my remarks, upon instruction from the capital, I have to express my Government’s regrets that the Iranian Minister of the Interior was unable to participate in this High-level Dialogue owing to the failure of the host country to issue an entry visa. Now I will make my statement. Although international migration occurs essentially as a result of decisions taken by individuals and families, it affects the relationship with the States concerned. International migration, due to its ever- increasing growth in terms of scale, scope and complexity, has become a phenomenon with global aspects. It poses new challenges that should be addressed appropriately and holistically. In addition, the undeniable inter-linkage between migration and development highlights the need to address the issue, bearing in mind its undeniable impact on the process of development of all countries of origin, transit and destination. It goes without saying that the ongoing negotiations on migration should be aimed at minimizing its negative consequences and maximizing its benefits for all countries involved, as well as for the migrants themselves. In addressing this issue, a realistic and global vision is needed. One cannot and should not fail to consider the root causes of international migration. Globalization, and its consequent strengthening of communication and increase in public awareness, have inevitably given rise to expectations and movements of people around the globe. Poverty, social exclusion, unemployment, lack of adequate investments, imbalances and inequalities in the international trading system, uncontrolled population growth, violence, discrimination and a wide gap in terms of well-being and development between developed and developing countries are among some of the other factors that affect migration. An increasing number of female migrants and other vulnerable social groups, as well as the high risk inherent in the movement of such groups, add to the already complex aspects and deserve the international community’s further attention. It should be taken into account that almost all countries in the world face migration phenomena and fall in the categories of origin, destination and/or transit. Besides, migration is not just a South-South issue; it also occurs in the countries of the South. It is obvious that individual countries without bilateral, regional or international cooperation will not be able to manage this phenomenon appropriately or move in the right direction. While struggling to address the issue of international migration, in order to minimize the negative consequences and maximize benefits for all, it should also be seen within the context of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In other words, we need to address migration and development with a view to achieving the MDGs. The full participation and engagement of all countries in negotiations, in a transparent and constructive manner, will contribute to the achievement of fruitful results. Another requirement that should be taken into account during the negotiations is the appropriate management of migration at the national, regional and international levels. Building national capacities, particularly in developing countries, by establishing the necessary infrastructures; creating or modifying relevant legal regimes in a coordinated and coherent manner; formulating national strategies on migration; exchanging information, experience and best practices; and allocating adequate resources to such measures will help the international community meet the new challenges posed by migration. Undoubtedly, migrants play an important role in the process of development in all countries. Migrants in general, and skilled and highly educated migrants in particular, contribute effectively to the process of development in destination countries. Likewise, the transfer of technical knowledge and capital to the countries of origin by migrants is effective in the development of those countries. Therefore, the removal of obstacles that migrants face in the transfer of knowledge and expertise in destination countries, facilitating and lowering the cost of remittance transfers, and enhancing their safety are determinant in the process of development. Being of a country of origin, transit and destination, and while suffering greatly from the negative consequences of migration, my Government attaches great importance to the ongoing negotiations and cooperation at all levels. Iran, which is located in a strategic area linking the Persian Gulf to Central Asia and South Asia to Mediterranean countries, can play a key in regional cooperation on migration. I should like to highlight here some measures that my country has resorted to in order to address the question of migration. With the cooperation of the International Organization for Migration, Iran has embarked on enhancing national capacity in dealing with migration. A new law, entitled “Combating human trafficking”, was adopted by the Iranian Parliament in July 2004. A national cooperation mechanism has been set up in the Iranian Interior Ministry, composed of the representatives of all relevant ministries. At the regional level, Iran participated in the quadripartite ministerial meeting on fighting illegal migration and trafficking in persons, held between Greece, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in Athens in December 2005. In conclusion, launching the initiative of a trilateral dialogue on migration management among Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan is another step we have taken in the region for further cooperation among the countries involved. With the implementation of further projects in the region aimed at sharing expertise and know-how and enhancing capacity on migration, countries will be able to improve their understanding of migration and migration management. I reiterate that strengthening regional cooperation is a key to success for international efforts and cooperation.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Aboubacar Diallo, chairman of the delegation of Guinea.

It is a great pleasure and privilege for the delegation that I have the honour to lead to take the floor at the High- level Dialogue that brings us together here and the importance of which is clear to us all. I should like in particular to pay tribute to the Secretary-General, whose daily, persistent efforts help us to achieve our common vision of the world. The initiative to organize this meeting and the report which he has submitted demonstrate the far-sightedness and lucidity with which he approaches this critical issue. My delegation fully approves the report’s diagnoses and the proposed measures it contains. My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. In adopting the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations set itself the difficult task of meeting many challenges, the nature and purpose of which require determined efforts on our part to do more to establish the basis for a genuine development cooperation policy. Among those challenges, the problem of international migration and development is undoubtedly a priority. Today more than ever before, the immense opportunities opened by globalization, migration and the growth of information and communication technologies unite hundreds of millions of people throughout the global village in a common fate. Those far-reaching global changes require us to seek together adequate responses to the many challenges we face. We must also bear in mind the no less complex underlying challenges. In that context, it is clear that only active, realistic and pragmatic solidarity that integrates the needs of development, security and international cooperation will furnish a long-term solution to the control and management of migratory flows. We are convinced that, through this High-level Dialogue, we must contribute to establishing, progressively and in the common interests of the countries of origin, transit and destination, an innovative and effective partnership to incorporate the following elements seamlessly into development policies and programmes: enhanced national capacity-building and migration policies; the essential elements for international standards on international migration; the involvement and participation of international organizations, the private sector and civil society in this debate; enhanced cooperation and coordination of efforts between the United Nations, the High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration in order to establish appropriate machinery to improve the coherence and interactivity of international migration and development; and exploring and enhancing the potential for the development of diasporas. Member States must ensure in particular that migration follows a legal path. They must protect the rights of migrants and prevent their exploitation, particularly the vulnerable among them, and counteract crimes related to the illicit trafficking of migrants and the trade in persons. Governments must reassert their commitment to meeting those objectives. In order to do so, they must establish a strategy based on co-development. In that vein, we must explore and develop the potential of national diasporas as engines of and added value for development and cooperation efforts. In many ways, my delegation sees this as an opportunity for innovative thinking and a promising prospect that must be taken into account in poverty reduction strategies and in our countries’ development policies and programmes. Despite the international commitments to increasing the level and quality of official development assistance, it is increasingly clear that it will never be sufficient to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, new mechanisms to mobilize resources for development financing are indispensable to complement official development assistance. In that respect, it is clearer than ever that the resources monopolized by co-development and decentralized cooperation often exceed official development assistance. Given that fact, the Government of Guinea has established innovative financing mechanisms, particularly by mobilizing resources monopolized by co-development and decentralized cooperation and directing them towards finance for development. Clearly, much remains to be done to ensure the integration of international migration into co-development strategies. At the national level, initiatives should enjoy greater coordination and better cohesion between migration policies and development policies. At the international level, a framework structured around co- development objectives should produce innovative initiatives aimed at promoting the benefits of international migration, including through: facilitating remittances, reducing their cost and ensuring that they promote development, and strengthening links between countries of origin and their expatriates in terms of business and investment knowledge. Here, my delegation wishes to recall the political purpose of this debate: to strengthen the institutional framework and enhance the resources of a partnership that we would like to be universal, integrating all the aspects and dimensions of international migration. Moreover, given the temptation on the part of some to seek security through isolationism and the fierce determination of others to profit from the advantages of migration, we must stress that today there is no miracle cure for the phenomenon of migration. However, there are realistic, pragmatic solutions aimed at making migration a very valuable tool to promote cooperation in development. We hope that the international community, by resolutely following the path of appropriate, harmonious and mutually advantageous management of migration, will forcefully reaffirm its will to take resolute action against poverty, persecution, rejection and stigmatization and to promote political, operational and consensual dialogue on international migration. With a long history shaped by a tradition of tolerance, the Republic of Guinea has always been a country of destination, transit and intermingling of peoples, thanks to migration from many lands. That is why the Guinean Government attaches particular importance to the close links between migration and development. In that context, and following this Dialogue, we plan to hold a national forum on co-development and decentralized cooperation in March 2007. The forum will bring together national development actors, technical and financial partners and representatives of the Guinean diaspora. Its objective will be to provide the country with effective policies, strategies and instruments to mobilize the additional financing necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The delegation of Guinea hopes to have the support of the international community to ensure the success of this national initiative. Finally, my delegation reaffirms its full support and full cooperation with regard to the process underway. We are convinced that the scope of the challenges fully justifies such support, so that the issue of migration can be considered in the universal context that it deserves, from the vast perspective afforded to the international community.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Al Araimi, chairman of the delegation of Oman.

Permit me at the outset, on behalf of the Sultanate of Oman, to thank the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for his report on international migration and development (A/60/871), which serves as an important working paper for this High-level Dialogue. It raises a number of issues and sets out guidelines on migration and its impact on social and economic development in countries of origin and countries of destination. The report also emphasizes the protection of the rights of migrants and the importance of international and regional cooperation aimed at ensuring collective action on the phenomenon of migration so as to maximize its benefits and promote development at the national, regional and international levels. My country wishes to emphasize the following points. First, every State has the sovereign right to regulate the entry and exit of workers from and into its territory, to determine who can enter the country and to devise policies and mechanisms regulating the residence of those workers in accordance with its own laws and regulations. Secondly, countries of origin must cooperate with countries of destination to facilitate legal migration and combat illegal migration. Thirdly, a country of destination has the right to control its labour market so that its own unemployed citizens can find appropriate employment without competition from migrant workers who have entered the country illegally. Likewise, migration should not increase the unemployment rate in countries of destination. That means, of course, that if we are to benefit from migration, we must regulate it. Fourthly, migrant workers enjoy higher wages in countries of destination. However, such countries can also help to increase workers’ professional skills in the private sector through training, especially for those of limited skills. Thus, they can improve their skills and develop their own productive capacities. Fifthly, in the Sultanate of Oman there are many immigrants who have come to work but not to establish permanent or long-term residency. That contributes to the long-term development and benefit of our country and of the countries of origin, and to the workers and to their families as well. Finally, the Sultanate of Oman believes that countries of origin must increase the awareness of their emigrants so that they understand the laws and values of the country of destination. Countries of destination must also respect immigrants’ social and cultural diversity and combat the illicit trading in humans. Furthermore, countries of origin and countries of destination must cooperate to control migration, since that is in the interests of both parties. It is the responsibility of the United Nations, international organizations and specialized agencies to coordinate the positions of various countries on migration in order to make it an essential and positive factor in sustainable development at the international, regional and national levels.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, chairman of the delegation of the Sudan.

We are extremely pleased to see you, Madam, a distinguished diplomat from the sisterly country of Bahrain, presiding over the General Assembly at this important session. Your election to that post is an honour for you and your country, which continues to be a pioneer in the Arab Gulf, in the rest of the Arab world and in the international arena. Your country and the other Arab Gulf States are safe havens for immigrants from many other countries — including my own — and have become a second home for them. I should like to thank the United Nations, in particular the Secretariat, for this important initiative on international immigration and development, which has made that issue one of the concerns and focuses of the international community. This initiative is very important because it deepens global understanding of the issues related to migration, which is one of the oldest human activities, and of the important role played by many human migrations in shaping history, economic life and the common human heritage. In this respect, we would like to align ourselves with the statement made by the Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Throughout its history, our country’s particular geographical position has given rise to considerable migration, and the Sudan has long been a country of origin, destination and transit. We are proud of the children of the Sudan who have contributed to the construction and development of many brotherly and friendly countries. At the same time, we are proud of those who have come to our country, either on their way to the Holy Land or as residents who have become part of our social fabric. This has given our country its unity in diversity and the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. At this High-level Dialogue undertaken on International Migration and Development, the issue of migration goes beyond development. Economic indicators indeed show that migration is linked with development. But it is more: migration is an important and versatile tool to increase interaction between members of the international human community and to bring States, peoples and cultures together. Thus, our view of migration should not be limited to development. The migrant is not just a milch cow sending remittances or an engine to drive the economy. Migrants are human beings whose aspirations and ambitions weave a network of human and cultural interactions. We believe that development should be only one aspect of migration. Our consideration of migration should also address the individual’s moral and material concerns. A joint effort among countries of origin, receiving countries and the international community is needed for successful migration that benefits everybody. Migrants have economic and social rights, such as the right to educate their children, to maintain links with their homelands and to carry out unhindered the various transactions they need to undertake. In exchange, migrants are obliged to respect the rules and laws of the host country. Although migration is a personal choice, the international community must nonetheless address its root causes. This puts the role of the United Nations at the forefront in tackling poverty, in providing resources for development, in addressing the problem of indebtness, in promoting cooperation in the management of disasters and crises and in engaging in rehabilitation and reconstruction in countries and societies that have emerged from struggles, conflicts and wars. In this context, we believe there is a potential for bilateral cooperation through the signing of protocols and labour agreements to deal with migration issues. We would like to commend regional cooperation organizations for their cooperation on migration issues. The African Union has integrated this topic into its programmes to buttress the work of African economic bodies and continental economic integration mechanisms. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) also reflects an interest in the African diaspora. At the same time, we are concerned that, alongside the international focus on migration issues, xenophobia and violence against foreigners exist. We also see a lack of political will on many migratory issues, as well as the application of double standards. At a time when international trade agreements call for freedom of movement for goods and persons, some countries are becoming more restrictive, especially towards those seeking asylum. We believe that this High-level Dialogue will strengthen international efforts to deal with complex issues in a comprehensive way in order to yield benefits for all and to serve everybody’s interests. My country, with its vast experience of migration as a country of origin, destination and transit, has addressed the issue through carefully considered institutional measures. Government bodies are working harder to facilitate employment for migrants, and we have established a high-level body to service Sudanese in the diaspora, help resolve the problems they encounter and link them with their homeland. An international conference was held in Khartoum last month for Sudanese working abroad in the mass media and as creative writers. To conclude, we want to emphasize our appreciation for the holding of this important Dialogue, which establishes joint responsibility to formulate solutions that will promote sustainable development and facilitate the movement of persons, legal migration and respect for the rights and dignity of migrants. Beyond efforts to emphasize institutional frameworks to address migration issues, we believe that the United Nations has the potential to work towards launching an international decade to strengthen cooperation on migration and to declare an international day of migrants in appreciation for the great national, regional and international efforts that have been made on migration issues. We hope that our deliberations here will have a successful outcome.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Atoki Ileka, chairman of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Madam President, the head of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the sixty-first session of the General Assembly will soon have the opportunity to convey to you our Republic’s warm congratulations on your election to the presidency of the Assembly. Speaking in the context of the 2005 World Summit and the recent Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development held in mid-July in Rabat, this High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development underlines once again how helpless nations are if they try to act alone and how important it is to seek solutions together to important problems with transnational implications. Today we must note that migration has become a global problem. We therefore need a global approach that integrates the security, economic, cultural and financial and legislative aspects, because migration spares no country. My country can, therefore, only be gratified to see the United Nations so clearly spell out the relationship between international migration and development. Our country, long a country of immigration because of the potential of its land and what lies beneath, regularly sees its mining areas invaded by clandestine workers from all over. Conversely, it is not only young people without qualifications who are leaving our country in search of better horizons; we also note a brain drain. Our doctors, engineers and teachers go into voluntary exile to seek a life abroad. Given that situation, we can see how complex migratory flows are. But certain unchanging lessons can be learned. First of all, we need to raise awareness and educate people to keep some potential migrants in their own lands, because the disappointments they encounter abroad are so great. Secondly, our struggle to stop migratory flows is doomed to failure without measures to repair dysfunctional labour markets and create conditions for development that will convince people — young people in particular — to remain at home. Thirdly, uncontrolled migration has a negative impact on countries of destination. An illegal migrant encountering obstacles to social integration can spiral into criminality and delinquency when faced with precarious conditions. Finally, migration is a factor of destabilization, not only for the transit or destination countries, but also for the countries of origin, in particular because of the brain drain it entails. For countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, precarious conditions, poverty, unemployment among young graduates, underdevelopment and a need for material success all constitute the fundamental reasons for migration. Despite the negative aspects mentioned, migration can provide added value that we would be wrong not to take advantage of. For example, it is evident that in some countries of destination, the contribution made by migrant doctors, engineers, professors and other qualified workers makes it possible to solve a number of problems. At the same time, the remittances sent back to their country of origin are a non-negligible source of financial assistance to those countries. One could, therefore, consider this economic fact to be a positive element of immigration and one that should be optimized. In the context mainly of our relations with the West, the equation of migration and development brings out the need for consensual and collective management of immigration, in harmony with the need for a significant effort to achieve economic development in the countries of origin, in cooperation with the countries of destination and transit and with all due regard for the interests of all concerned. Over and above security concerns regarding the protection of the borders of countries of destination, the remedy to uncontrolled migration lies in the promotion of development within the countries of origin. We should invest in co-development projects and support for developmental non-governmental organizations and small enterprises in order to stop immigration flows at the source. The Congolese Government is happy to participate in this High-level Dialogue in order to find realistic and lasting solutions to the major problems caused in the world by migratory flows and in particular by illegal immigration. We must act on the causes and the catalysts of migration. The limits of arguments based on a desire to clamp down are becoming increasingly evident. The preference of the Democratic Republic of the Congo accordingly goes to efforts to convince potential immigrants to stay at home. We support the idea that economic and political stabilization in our countries constitute a structural response to the migration problems in Africa. It is indispensable for States to continue to explore ways and means of strengthening the link between migration and development, so that properly managed migration can help us attain the Millennium Development Goals, in particular by improving dialogue between the Government, the migrants and their families. In thanking the Secretary-General for his report (A/60/871), my delegation therefore welcomes his proposal to set up a standing forum on migration issues that could serve as a framework within which to pursue the debate, exchange ideas and experiences and enable Governments to study relevant policies and their impact on development. The Democratic Republic of the Congo fully supports this proposal and welcomes the offer made by the Kingdom of Belgium to host the first meeting of the forum next year in Brussels.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ibrahim Sesay, chairman of the delegation of Sierra Leone.

The delegation of the Republic of Sierra Leone wishes to commend the report of the Secretary-General (A/60/871), which highlights the complexity, new dimension and paradigm shift on migration issues. We want to thank the organizers of this conference, which we find to be very timely and extremely important. Please accept our gratitude, Madam President, for the excellent manner in which you are conducting the affairs of this session. My delegation fully aligns itself with the statement made by the Minister of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. International migration is an age-old phenomenon. It supported industrialization, modernization and demographic transition in Europe. Today, it is a paradox that strict visa requirements and xenophobia exist in many countries, when former destination areas of the world are trying to industrialize and modernize. Yet, it is in those same nations that most of the demographic growth dynamics shaping the world population are taking place. Forty per cent of the population of Sierra Leone is under 15 years of age. Unemployment is widespread, and the situation may be worse for young women. Their contributions are not sufficiently remunerated even though they work for longer hours, taking care of the home, the elderly and the sick, while undertaking farm work. From the perspective of the individual young person and his family, immigration has been seen as an escape from deprivation and poverty. Migrant remittances have been used to pay bills for immediate household consumption needs and, in a few instances, investments like small businesses or construction of family dwellings. But the volume of remittances from the Sierra Leonean diaspora is certainly far below those reported in Asian countries or other parts of sub- Saharan Africa. Sierra Leone now stands at the crossroads of a major phase of reconstruction and development. As the country implements its first-ever Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, it does not have the number of doctors, nurses, engineers, scientists, lecturers and other professionals and skilled personnel required in the process. The limited numbers available continue to migrate to countries of the North in search of a better life. To ameliorate this situation, the Government has put together a Senior Executive Service scheme that aims to attract highly qualified manpower to all ministries, departments and agencies. In the interim, a stopgap transitional measure has been worked out with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration. Nationals from Sierra Leone with relevant expertise in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are being encouraged to return and render services for up to 30 months, without losing any status or benefits in their countries of residence. Other, similar initiatives are being developed, and we call on the countries of the North especially to participate in them. It is hoped that during their sojourn, the members of the Sierra Leonean diaspora may become interested in returning and further contributing to the ensuing development work in the country. In closing, I would stress that this is the time for real action. Initiatives like these and regional consultative processes between sending and receiving countries are some of the best practices that an increasingly globalizing world should adopt — if only to make international migration a win-win game. In addition, unless the poverty situations in our countries are solved and the gap between rich and poor countries minimized, it will be difficult to make any meaningful impression on the global South-North migration trend. Meeting the Millennium Development Goals will also be difficult in many of our countries, because even the requisite human resource base is eroded and development planning and the implementation of plans are a problem because of lack of capacity.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Pascal Gayama, chairman of the delegation of Congo.

Madam President, although I am very strongly tempted to congratulate you, I will leave that honour to my head of State or Minister for Foreign Affairs, who will be attending this meeting of the General Assembly. I am sure that it will be done eloquently. Our debate concerns a burning issue whose tragic consequences are witnessed daily in the media. However, historians will confirm that migration is as old as the world itself — hence the role and status of the International Organization for Migration. We wish to commend it for the work it has done in preparation for today’s debate. Similarly, we would like to reaffirm the conclusions of the meetings held at Rabat and Algiers, particularly the Common African Position emanating from the Banjul Summit of the African Union (AU) last July, which dealt with the issue in all its aspects and made a decisive contribution with regard to the measures that need to be undertaken to face this major challenge to the international community. It is a fact that no one can stop migration, particularly through current palliative measures. Even within each of our States, we witness the unstoppable and unending movement of peoples seeking happiness. Rural exodus cannot be stopped until cities lose their attraction for village dwellers. It is the same at the international level, as shown clearly by the example of the American continent, which in the past has received migrants from all continents. Indeed, the case of America is a positive example — that of a strong State that is the result of immigration, a new world that has attracted migrants seeking wealth and well-being. Today the problem of migration brings us back to the same concerns which underpinned the elaboration of the Millennium Development Goals, including the creation of a new world. Achieving those Goals is, we believe, the best guarantee for putting an end to the tragic situation prevailing on the border between Africa and its neighbour, Europe, and between Latin America and its neighbour, North America, with continents pitted one against the other. This brings to mind the old saying, “If the mountain will not go to the man, then the man must go to the mountain”. The conclusions that we drew last year with respect to the review of the implementation of the Millennium Declaration are, we believe, still very topical. We must fully understand the need for co- development. The facts on the ground make it clear that, for those who would emigrate, it is a question of survival, and that will be the case so as long as inequalities and gaps exist between rich and poor countries and between rich and poor individuals. The consequences, as we all can see, is a desperate quest for real or imagined happiness, obtained through a potential visa or through an illegal network that benefits organized crime. The world needs peace. As long as hotbeds of tension remain, and as long as peace is threatened in any country or region, there will continue to be strong pressure for migration. The Common African Position adopted by our Governments in the light of this High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development reflects the concerns expressed at Banjul, the Gambia, last July, by the African Union Summit, on a problem that will continue to grow in the coming years. Indeed, we must better address a phenomenon that is becoming a new, global twenty-first-century version of the migrations that took place from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, as was said earlier. Greater integration of migration into development policies and programmes is therefore an absolute necessity, so that African countries do not suffer from a brain drain or from a lack of expertise in domains that are essential to its development. Africa does appreciate, however, the contributions of expatriates, who send resources that contribute to the social investments that need to be made for the benefit of its peoples. Thus the Secretary- General rightly stressed in his report on the work of the Organization the fact that “remittances from Africans working abroad had overtaken foreign direct investment in the period 2000-2003.” (A/61/1, para. 49) For the pan-African movement, which has already made the African diaspora the “sixth region” of Africa, it is an issue of creating a dynamic that includes States, the private sector and civil society that can promote the transfer of technology and know-how at the levels needed to ensure sustainable development. The Congolese delegation would like here to pay tribute to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the work it is doing to support Africa in the quest to more effectively and productively address the phenomenon of migration. The African Union should step up its cooperation with that organization in order to translate into reality the idea of an international decade for migration and development, an idea which has previously been referred to in a number of forums. In that respect, my country would like to discuss with the IOM the possibility of convening, in Brazzaville, Congo, an initial series of international meetings to consider what such a decade would involve. As concerns our views on other aspects of the issue, we associate ourselves with the statements made from this very rostrum, inter alia by South Africa’s Minister of the Interior on behalf of the Group of 77, whose views we concur with as concerns migration and development. We also take note of the report provided us by the Secretary-General.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. George Olago Owuor, chairman of the delegation of Kenya.

Madam President, the Kenyan delegation congratulates you on your election and on your assumption of the responsibilities of President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. The Kenyan delegation wishes also to align itself with the statement delivered by South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We thank the Secretary-General for his useful and enlightening report on this subject. Kenya underscores the close link between international migration and development. International migration is not new. However, there have been drastic changes in the direction, numbers and push-and-pull factors in the countries of origin, transit and destination. These have been caused by improvements in information and communication technologies and by personal desires for exposure and development. Equally important is the attention given and value attached to international migration by individuals and nation-States, motivated by the inherent potential and threats associated with international migration. It is our hope that the interaction in this High-level Dialogue will shed some light on these issues and demystify some of the perceptions and misunderstandings associated with international migration. International migration has more closely been associated with globalization and liberalization. It has been observed that globalization has not benefited all countries equally, neither has international migration. Hence, one crucial question we should ask ourselves is, “how can benefits of international migration be equally shared between the parties involved?” Quite often the world has looked at the benefits of migration purely from the monetary perspective. While remittances may constitute one of the important benefits, they may not give the full picture. The nature and magnitude of remittances, especially those going to the developing countries, are not known, because many countries do not have either the capacity or mechanisms to capture the flow of remittances. Other benefits of international migration to the countries of origin may include the transfer of technology, exposure to other cultures and opportunities, and the acquisition of knowledge, talent and skills, among other things. The benefit ultimately depends on whether the immigrants maintain links with their countries of origin and whether they are facilitated adequately to interact and remit some of their acquisitions. Immigrants participate in the development of receiving countries in various ways. They provide a labour force, a demand for consumer goods and services and much more. However, there are numerous negative aspects associated with international migration that need attention. In some cases, international migration has been associated with insecurity and many forms of illegal activity. Environmental degradation and the strain on economic, social and cultural traits and infrastructure have been seen as some of the negative aspects. We are encouraged by the proposal to have an international forum on this issue. The envisaged forum on migration must be institutionalized within the United Nations and other regional and international forums. The key issues that need detailed examination in such a forum include human rights, gender aspects of international migration, security, the link between refugees and migration, sociocultural aspects of international migration and regional and international aspects of international migration. The Kenya delegation believes that this High- level Dialogue will pave the way for enhanced collaboration, cooperation and future interaction at the regional and international levels on this very important subject. We remain committed and ready to engage in this debate for the benefit of all peoples and nations concerned.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Paul Badji, chairman of the delegation of Senegal.

Senegal welcomes the General Assembly’s clear and timely decision to place such a relevant issue as international migration and development on the agenda of the sixty- first session. This is recognition of the invaluable contribution of migrants to development to their societies, both in the host countries and origin countries, even if it turns out that migration is also a source of concern. This meeting should enable us to set out important markers for more concerted and more fruitful international cooperation with regard to the management of migration. Here, as elsewhere, unilateralism can only bring tension. If the main reason that leads those considering emigration is to seek better social well-being, it is also the case that the effects of globalization and economic liberalization have accentuated that fact and have led to unprecedented movements of populations. In Senegal, sectors such as fisheries, agriculture and food-processing industries that provided employment in the past are now facing the repercussions of that liberalization and the distortions of the global market. In consequence, those sectors are being deserted, which means growing unemployment and declining productivity and income. In that context, any efforts to stem the movement of populations — particularly of young graduates and workers, whether they be skilled or unemployed — towards regions more favourable to their development could be ineffective. The financial windfall that comes from the savings that migrants inject into their countries of origin is not a panacea for development, because in most cases it does not lead to productive investment. It can even have negative effects by placing countries that enjoy these remittances in a situation of dependence. The impact of the remittances on economic progress is minimal compared with the losses caused by the brain drain, in terms of insufficient human and intellectual resources and skilled labour. It also means that there is less investment in developing such resources. To this must be added the frustration experienced by those people who are deprived of their fundamental rights to health, education and development by health and school systems and an economy that cannot meet their needs. Thus the relationship between development and the availability of human resources puts the brain drain at the heart of the problem of migration and development. In a word, it is the very concept of sustainable development that needs to be re-examined through the prism of the movements of individuals in a globalized world, in the same way as the movements of goods, services and capital. In this process Senegal has set up a project called “Return to Agriculture (REVA)”, it was recently launched by President Abdoulaye Wade to encourage integrated development, particularly in those zones that are sources of migration. Other initiatives have been taken, such as promoting access to microfinance, the creation of a fund for the promotion of the youth and an agency for development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Documentation on REVA is available in this Hall. Part of the aforementioned project includes Project Tokten. This project has been defined with the United Nations Development Programme to involve skills of our expatriates in the national development process. Also, in 2001, an action plan was adopted for the return of emigrants and their reinsertion in the economic life of the country. In the context of the crucial and paramount role of national efforts, I would also like to highlight the importance of international partnerships, which are becoming all the more essential as we witness the resurgence of illegal migration, an increasingly tragic human reality. Working within its own resource constraints to contain this phenomenon, which is now of unprecedented proportions, Senegal has launched a joint operation with the countries of the European Union (EU), in the context of the EU Agency for border cooperation, known as Frontex. In this connection, in August an agreement was signed with Spain that provides for the surveillance of the coast by sea, air and land; these operations are beginning to bear fruit. Furthermore, a framework convention is being negotiated with France to ensure joint management of migratory flows between our two countries. However, we stress that the management of international migration must not, and cannot, be limited to security measures. We cannot hold back the ocean with our arms. Thus the “Rabat spirit” was born, following the Euro-African conference that took place in that city on 10 and 11 July, at which a Declaration and Action Plan were adopted with a view to providing African and European countries with the means to better understand and control the phenomenon of migration. We must acknowledge that no policy of prevention is likely to succeed if the necessary conditions are not in place to ensure that potential emigrants stay in their own countries. We must synergize our efforts to combat poverty and unemployment, which are growing exponentially in many sectors. Senegal is convinced that any initiative aimed at ensuring that migration serves development must be based on the principles of shared responsibility, common interests and co-development. It must also take account of the following requirements. First, we must combat illegal emigration, because it leads to trafficking and other abuses and can give rise to insecurity and tension. We must enhance operational and logistical cooperation so as to improve border controls and reduce the massive flows of irregular migrants, which have recently provoked a xenophobic reaction in host countries. For its part, Senegal has chosen to take a zero-tolerance approach to illegal emigration. Secondly, we must promote legal migration and stabilize migratory flows, particularly through concerted information and communication campaigns. This is the best way to eliminate negative effects. It should be said that the systematic refusal to issue visas, which causes certain people to feel that there is no way for them to visit other countries to undertake normal professional activities or to learn about other cultures, can prompt some of them to view themselves as victims, to consider desperate measures and to take regrettable steps. Mafia-like gangs operating in both countries of origin and countries of destination exploit those feelings, and they must be combated vigorously. Thirdly, we must fully accept and respect the rights and dignity of migrants and their families so as to strengthen and make credible the process of jointly managing migration. The idea of co-development will be meaningless if migrants cannot enjoy their rights or do not have an opportunity to fulfil their responsibilities through the effective respect by all States of relevant international norms. These include the right to health and education, as well as to protection for vulnerable social groups, in particular women and young people. In conclusion, I would like to welcome the Secretary-General’s significant proposals. My country fully supports them, particularly those relating to the establishment of a standing global consultative forum to follow up this process. If that recommendation is implemented, the forum would be a useful complement to the exchange and cooperation mechanisms at the bilateral and interregional levels that already exist.

I give the floor to His Excellency Bishop Nicholas Di Marzio, chairman of the observer delegation of the Observer State of the Holy See. Bishop Di Marzio (Holy See): It is clear from our discussions over the past two days that migration is an essential element of interdependence and exchange among nations and forms part of the phenomenon of globalization. It places people in a global dimension and in new relationships of interdependence, while the growth of the global economy depends more and more on international migration. But migration is also a great source of human concern, since it involves the lives and the dignity of so many hundreds of millions of people. One of the most controversial elements of this topic is irregular migration. The Holy See recognizes the sovereign right of nations to determine who may enter and who may remain in a given State. At the same time, States have a grave duty to protect the rights of all persons, be they regular or irregular migrants, and to cooperate in readmitting those who are obliged to or wish to return — whether voluntarily or involuntarily — to their home countries. A migrant’s legal status is quite separate from his or her human dignity, since all, without exception, are endowed with inalienable rights, which can be neither violated nor ignored. Both sending and receiving States have a responsibility to respect and implement commitments to international human rights law to ensure the protection of all migrants. It falls to States to guarantee the rights of individuals; the issue, however, tends not to be a lack of law, but rather a lack of implementation. As for authorized and long-term migrants, their full integration is required in order to enhance social harmony and cohesion and to maximize the contributions that migrants make to their new societies. Migrants should respect the cultural and religious identities of the host nations and the rights and duties conferred by citizenship. They should be encouraged to integrate socially into, as well as to contribute economically to, the receiving countries. The public perception of migrants also needs to be improved through courageous political leadership and much more informed and dispassionate media coverage. One particular concern of the Holy See is the situation of migrants who are forced to migrate against their will — not only refugees, but also those who are trafficked, many times for immoral purposes and human slavery. Of all the issues before States at this High-level Dialogue, perhaps the most difficult is that of the governance of migration. Important national, regional and international decisions in areas such as development, trade and labour markets are rarely considered in terms of their impact on migration. More effective consultation between Governments and other stakeholders is required if coherent practices are to be developed. In this regard, it is our belief that, if States were to cooperate more broadly with one another, they would be exercising rather than diminishing their sovereignty. So far, progress has been made in developing informal consultative processes among Governments at the regional level, but my delegation agrees with those who believe that the time is ripe to consider developing a global consultative process that would allow Governments that wish to do so to forge constructive approaches to transform the positive potential of international migration for development into a reality. This global process would build on regional processes and serve as the link between Governments and the Global Migration Group, in order to ensure that the activities of the United Nations, together with those of the International Organization for Migration, are mutually reinforcing and add up to a sum greater than all of their parts. It would be a standing body, involving Governments with first-hand experience in addressing migration challenges. In order to accommodate concerns, we believe that such a forum should be States-driven, voluntary and non-binding in its consultations. In this context, we welcome the offer to hold a meeting next year in Belgium and look forward to this initiative. To sum up, root causes must be tackled so that people are not obliged to leave home in order to find decent work; migrant protection, especially of refugees and those who are trafficked or smuggled, must be better addressed; and regularization is needed for those who deserve it or who give their contribution to the host society, even if they have arrived in an undocumented or unauthorized manner, in order to foster an environment capable of overcoming the persistent phenomena of discrimination, violence, human trafficking and xenophobia. Only through international collaboration and an honest assessment at home of the benefits of migration, will this phenomenon be addressed in a way that is decent and humane.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Luca Dall’Oglio, chairman of the delegation of the International Organization for Migration.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Florence Mugasha, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Commonwealth is delighted to take part in the first- ever High-level Dialogue on migration and development. We are 53 countries on five continents; we account for one third of the world’s population, one quarter of its countries and one fifth of its trade. We are rich and poor, of every colour and creed. Our Commonwealth map is lined with the movements of people who left their homes for new opportunities in education and in employment. In a fast-globalizing world, these movements have continued on a large scale. In the Commonwealth, we are fully cognizant of the fact that on one hand, migrants are agents of devotement. They provide benefits to their countries of destination and their countries of origin. Yet, on the other hand, we know that the challenge is to manage migration and to ensure that the needs of the international labour market are fully met. Managing migration means incorporating it into national poverty- reduction strategies and into the ways in which we commit ourselves to meeting the global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We need to appreciate that migration and education, migration and human rights, migration and health and migration and business are all linked. It is hard to quantify some of the other benefits of international migration, but they are by no means less important. These include the growth in skills through the movement of labour and management, the promotion of political, economic and social values and increases in foreign direct investment. For every positive statistic about migration, there is also a negative side. The challenge, therefore, is for us to establish a workable equilibrium. We cannot be complacent, because the countries which lose professional migrants and the countries which receive them both have responsibilities. The Commonwealth’s unique contribution to the migration debate has codified these responsibilities. In 2003, we developed a Commonwealth Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health Workers for use by its members. There are examples of developed and developing countries using it together, such as the United Kingdom and South Africa, and of developing countries entering into agreements together, such as Kenya and Namibia. The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently developing its own code, drawing a great deal of inspiration from the Commonwealth model. This was followed in 2004 by the Commonwealth Protocol for the Recruitment of Teachers, which sought to balance the right of teachers to migrate internationally against the need to protect the integrity of national education systems and to prevent the exploitation of the scarce human resources of poor countries. The Protocol is being discussed by regional organizations such as the Organization of American States, and it has also been recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Labour Organization. Indeed, the Protocol has become a reference framework for countries beyond the Commonwealth. We are proud of the fact that we have been able to introduce models of good practice. I would encourage all participants here to study the Commonwealth models with a view to adapting them to their needs. At their most recent meeting, held in Valletta, Malta, in 2005, Commonwealth leaders urged countries to participate actively in this High-level Dialogue. They reaffirmed their resolve to ensure the protection of the human rights of migrants and of their families. They addressed the worst form of migration — trafficking in human beings, especially in women and children, and called for strengthened policy responses in view of their own Commonwealth best practices, published in 2003. One thing is evident in the document: the affirmation of the leaders’ practical commitment to the establishment of a true culture of democracy — a culture that promotes economic development, which best guarantees that migrants leave countries for the right reasons and that, when they arrive in new countries, they reap benefits for themselves as well as for the places to which they move.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Raymond Forde, Vice-President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), representing the richness and diversity of the world’s communities under the umbrella of one set of fundamental principles, recognizes that globalization makes migration an inevitable fact of life for all countries. Our position has developed from our grass-roots membership, and our first message in this dialogue is that more attention should be paid to the vulnerabilities and needs of migrants, regardless of their status, and that the dignity and rights of the migrants should be at the centre of States’ actions and policy reforms. It is important for States to acknowledge that migrants, whether regular or irregular, are entitled to their universal human rights. National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies assist migrants in a multitude of ways based on their needs and vulnerabilities. Our second key message is that States need to rethink migration policies and regulations controlling entry and exit to and from their territories, with the recognition that the labour movement is part of a global economy. The IFRC argues for action by Governments at the national level, but urges that such action be within agreed international standards. An important tool in this respect is the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Our third message is born out of this context. It is important that all States — especially in countries with a major influx of migrants — ratify and promote the implementation of the Convention. Our experience in the IFRC leads us to conclude that Governments should share our deep concerns about the exclusion and stigmatization many migrants face in their host countries. Therefore, in our fourth message, we encourage Governments to support ways of fighting discrimination. Integration and non- discrimination are factors that can enable migrant populations to maximize their contributions to the host country and reduce the risk of disaffection and turbulence. This highlights our last key message. Governments must form alliances with civil society, the private sector, opinion leaders and their respective Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to force these issues to the top of their national agendas and to work hard for real results. Time does not allow an exhaustive examination of what the international community and the United Nations itself could usefully do to support these processes. We are pleased that the issue of migration has been accorded such importance in the General Assembly, for it will assuredly be a major issue at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which all Governments and National Societies are expected to attend in November 2007, in Geneva. We further recommend that the issue be taken up by the Economic and Social Council and discussed at the regional level, led by the regional Economic and Social Commissions. The aim should be to return to the General Assembly in two years with a programme that supports the development of coherent policy approaches to migration by all Governments.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Robert Shafer, chairman of the observer delegation of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Allow me, Madam President, to congratulate you on your recent election and to wish you every success in carrying out your responsibilities. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta commends the work of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. As shown in the report of the Secretary-General issued last May, there are now almost 200 million persons who have migrated from their home countries to other countries, most seeking, of course, a better life for themselves and for their families. As the Secretary-General also notes, however, the migration of such vast numbers of persons also presents correspondingly large challenges in protecting the human rights of migrants. We must never let their staggeringly high number — 200 million — blind us to the reality that each of those millions of men, women and children is an individual human being. These are issues of profound historical and continuing concern to the Order of Malta. When the Order of Malta was created over 900 years ago, our mission was to protect and care for persons in need, particularly the poor and those travelling far from home. We follow this mission today. As part of this worldwide programme of aiding the poor, we have found that migrants often are among the most vulnerable and the most defenceless. Too often they are invisible, or worse. In particular, I note the often abusive treatment that migrants receive under what are euphemistically called “guest worker” programmes. These persons too often receive substandard wages — wages that frequently are offset by the exorbitant charges they are forced to pay to their employers for food and lodging. Similarly, the so-called “brokers” who recruit these migrants in their home countries and ship them like chattel to other countries often hold them bound to such inflated fees that migrant workers may remain perpetually in bondage, unable to pay off their supposed debts or to provide the amount of earnings to their families that originally stoked the migratory dream in the first instance. Such schemes often involve the misuse of Government-issued travel documents. Abuses like these afflict millions of migrant men, women and children. Governments can provide real relief. There are some short-term economic advantages to States that it may be hard for Governments to ignore. Some countries may be content to export their citizens so that they can generate remittances that may alleviate local poverty or fuel local investment. Some receiving countries, developing and developed alike, may see an economic benefit to using low-cost suppliers of goods, ignoring the high price paid only by the labourer. That is why it is absolutely vital that the High- level Dialogue and all subsequent discussions of migration and development pay careful attention to the obligations of all affected States to protect the human rights of migrants. The Military Order of Malta appreciates the opportunity to present its views on these important issues and encourages continuing discussion beyond the forum of this Dialogue.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Luis Da Fonseca, Executive Secretary of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries.

Let me start by congratulating you, Madam, on your election as President of the General Assembly, as well as on the excellent manner in which you have been conducting the proceedings of this important and unprecedented High-level Dialogue. I would also like to convey our appreciation to the Secretary-General for the high quality of his report (A/60/871) on international migration, which constitutes a very valuable contribution on how to further enhance the development impact of international migration. The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) is an intergovernmental organization with eight economically diverse member States spanning four continents. Our countries share a common language and a rich cultural heritage resulting from long periods of historical contact, generating cultural connections that helped to build bridges and facilitated further contacts. Migration is a phenomenon that concerns all members of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries as source, transit and destination countries. Portugal — a former source country itself — is now the preferred destination of a considerable number of lusophone and other migrants. But migration flows in our space are multidirectional: while most Portuguese-speaking migrants have chosen Portugal as their destination, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde and Mozambique have also become destination and transit countries, not only for the Community’s citizens but also for those from elsewhere. The impact of migration on our societies is becoming increasingly apparent in terms of its economic, social, cultural and political aspects. For this reason, we welcome this comprehensive debate. The CPLP joins the consensus that seems to be emerging within the international community on the positive contributions of migration to development and on the need to take effective measures to protect the rights of migrants and combat discrimination against them, as well as to combat the transnational traffic in people, which targets mainly women and children, and other human rights violations. In fact, the CPLP concurs with the Secretary- General that international migration is intrinsically linked to the development of both receiving and sending countries. Nevertheless, we believe that, if co- development is to work, it is imperative that two conditions be met. International guidelines to improve the governance of migration need to be established and, at the national level, migration policymaking needs to be closely coordinated with development policies. Those were some of the outcomes that emerged from a seminar on migration and development within the CPLP framework held in Lisbon in June. During the seminar, participants agreed that if appropriate policies are implemented, migrants will be able to simultaneously contribute to the development both of their country of origin and of the receiving country. We view this as one of the most promising opportunities offered by twenty-first-century migration. The fact is that know-how can now be easily transferred, making it possible to convert brain drain into brain gain. In this respect, however, it is important to, among other measures, promote the economic, social and political integration of migrants in the host country; ease the red tape involved at various levels in the relationship between migrants and public administration; reduce the cost of remittance transfers; and raise awareness regarding the active role that migrants can play in development. Even though economic migration can make a positive contribution, we cannot ignore the fact that it is generally motivated by poverty in the source countries. Conditions should therefore be put in place to improve people’s living standards, so as to ensure that migration, if undertaken, is not a result of the failure of the development process. Governments, the private sector and civil society should work together to create conditions that allow citizens’ needs to be met in their country of choice, including their birthplace. When it comes to facilitating development through migration, regional and other intergovernmental organizations, such as the CPLP, should participate actively at the regional level, by promoting greater coordination among States, and, at the global level, by fostering cooperation between international organizations and by sharing positive experiences and best practices. It was with this in mind that the CPLP, at its most recent summit meeting, held in July 2006 in Guinea- Bissau, adopted a resolution on the importance of involving the diaspora in the development process. In addition, a total of five circulation agreements were adopted in 2002, aimed essentially at facilitating the circulation of CPLP citizens within the Community. An Observatory of Migration Flows has also been created to compile and share accurate and up-to-date statistical data on the flow of migrants within the CPLP. These are measures that will hopefully bear fruit and promote the full integration of CPLP migrants, granting them the necessary support to effectively act as development agents, while at the same time preventing illegal migration. The linkage between migration and development is gradually being acknowledged by the international community, making it possible for international migration issues to be systematically incorporated into national, regional and global development strategies in both the developing and the developed world. In this context, we strongly support the Secretary-General’s proposal on the setting up of a global forum on migration and development. We believe that the holding of this High-level Dialogue is an important first step in that direction.

I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Fernando Valenzuela, chairman of the observer delegation of the European Community.

I welcome the organization of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. The debates during these two days have shown that these issues are of great interest. The European Union is particularly interested in these questions, as is reflected in the statements of the Finnish presidency and other member States of the European Union. When speaking of migration, we think of the South-North movement of poor people from poor countries who undertake long and often dangerous journeys to work in wealthier countries. The reality of our globalized world is, however, much more complex and changing. The political debate should turn around a broader concept than that of migration and look at the idea of mobility. From that point of view, the experience of the European Union has much to teach us; the free circulation of persons is now a reality within the European Union. At the international level, the free circulation of persons is an unrealistic prospect. However, it is possible and desirable to facilitate regular movements of persons. In addition, the European Union supports efforts towards regional integration, convinced as it is that they can contribute to making the free circulation of persons a reality within the regions concerned. The progressive implementation of a European migration and asylum policy goes hand in hand with notable efforts to ensure coherence between those policies and the contribution of the European Union to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. For the European Commission, the main issue of this Dialogue is the link between migratory phenomena and development in the countries of origin. Allow me to give some examples of the efforts being made by the European Commission along those lines. In addition to the very substantial development assistance provided by the European Union, the Commission is considering various initiatives to help immigrants make a contribution to the development of their countries of origin, whether in terms of remittances or through the promotion of circular and return migration. At the same time, the Commission is studying with its partners, especially in Africa, measures to attenuate the adverse effects of the emigration of specialized workers, often referred to as brain drain. Likewise, the Commission is prepared to work with its partners to develop their capacity to limit irregular, clandestine migration and promote legal migration. The European Commission is also ready to help those countries interested in carrying out detailed studies that should help them to establish coherent migration policies and that will allow donors to determine the best possible use of their assistance. Those are the main areas of cooperation that the European Union is endeavouring to develop with the countries of origin and transit in a spirit of shared responsibility in the face of what we consider to be a joint challenge. These are also questions that in our opinion should be included in the exchange of experiences and good practices that could be developed within the framework of the international consultative forum mentioned yesterday by the Secretary-General. The European Commission feels that the future work of the forum and the efforts of Mr. Peter Southerland, the extension of whose term of office we welcome, could contribute usefully to furthering the debate at the international level concerning the links between migration and development, especially in countries of origin.

I now give the floor to Ms. Halima Kassim, Deputy Programme Manager for Gender Affairs and Caribbean Community Development of the Caribbean Community.

I bring greetings from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and in particular from the Secretary-General, Mr. Edwin Carrington, who regrettably could not be here. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you, Madam, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. CARICOM is made up of 15 member States and five associate members, and we support the statements made by those States. Recognizing the impact of migration on the development of the Community, the matter was discussed at the level of the highest decision-making body of CARICOM, which welcomes this High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development and hopes that it will contribute to an exchange of best practices on migration and development and foster cooperation on key migration issues at the bilateral and multilateral levels. Migration is an expression of an individual’s will for an improvement in his or her economic situation and a better quality of life, but it also involves relations between sovereign States. In that regard, there is a need for strengthening the governance of migration at the national, regional and international levels, and CARICOM welcomes the Secretary-General’s suggestion for a global consultative forum on international migration as a mechanism to forge greater cooperation and coherence on this issue. Migration is a complex multidimensional phenomenon, and its impact on development for the region is both positive and negative. It is clear that the pace of sustainable development is influenced by migration flows that further compromise the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. Migration, therefore, cannot be separated from issues of market access, trade imbalances, debt sustainability, unemployment, poverty and inequalities. Our region is impacted to varying degrees by the phenomenon of migration, as countries of origin and destination, through the loss or gain of skilled labour, movement of temporary workers, flows of remittances, human trafficking and returning migrants, whether voluntary or through the forced repatriation of migrants and foreign-born legal residents to the region. It is worth noting that a study is being conducted in Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago on the social implications of the return of nationals who migrated at a young age and return as adults. Demographic trends and economic developments determine in-flows and out-flows of migrants in and outside the region. Within the region, the flows are also associated with various economic activities. It is envisaged that within the foreseeable future the centrifugal forces would continue to favour intraregional migration. More so in the light of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), as provided for under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Safeguarding the rights of migrants and their families is recognized as an important aspect of this development, and the CARICOM Agreement on Social Security must be considered a supportive measure for the free movement of skills. Additionally, the issue of contingent rights is under consideration. As a result of migration from the region, a Caribbean diaspora has evolved, primarily in North America and in the former colonizers, namely, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. The Caribbean diaspora plays a significant role in the region. CARICOM recognizes the importance of its contribution to its development and its role in the strategic positioning of the region and in the implementation of the CSME to maximize the benefits that that could bring to the Caribbean people. In that regard, at the twenty-seventh meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government held in July this year, the proposal was endorsed to convene in June 2007 a conference on the Caribbean, which will seek to deepen the region’s relations with the Caribbean diaspora in the United States of America. CARICOM recognizes the effect of migration on development, as reflected in the attention given to the issue by the heads of Government at the twenty- seventh Conference. The Conference agreed that special attention should be paid to establishing policies in specific areas such as strategies for the retention of skilled labour, establishment of a reliable information system and database to enhance national capacity, the building of social support systems to respond to the requirements of voluntary and involuntary return of migrants and relations with the diaspora. They also agreed on the need to adopt a multilateral approach to the issue of human trafficking and to support a multilateral evaluation mechanism to create an impartial and transparent mechanism for evaluating the progress of countries with respect to human trafficking. They supported a recommendation for the establishment of a technical working group to undertake a policy study and report to heads of Government through the relevant Councils within one year. CARICOM is committed to working towards optimizing the benefits of migration to development.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Sir John Rumet Kaputin, Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. Sir John Rumet Kaputin (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States): It is a great honour and privilege for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States to take the floor at this important High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. The ACP Group of States is the largest organized entity for developing countries, with a membership of 79 covering the African continent and the Caribbean and Pacific regions, and with an estimated population of over 700 million. It has as one of its core objectives the alleviation of poverty. That objective, coupled with the promotion of sustainable development, is also at the heart of our Cotonou Partnership Agreement with the European Union, which interlocks 103 countries and represents the most advanced and innovative North-South formalized development cooperation arrangement. Today, we are gathered here at a time when the global community faces numerous challenges, together with the related effects and transformations at the continental, regional and country levels. In a global partnership centred on human dignity and mutual respect, issues of asylum, migration and mobility are central to the development of our countries and, indeed, are cross-cutting issues to almost all the Millennium Development Goals. In addressing those challenges, the ACP Group would like to ensure that migration positively influences development. The ACP Group of States is considering those issues in a coordinated manner within its institutional framework. In that regard, actions taken and future initiatives of the ACP Group are captured in the ACP position document on international migration and development, which has been distributed. I would like to pose a few questions regarding the mobility of people. How many of us are living outside our countries of birth? How many of us are enticed or forced to migrate and eventually find means of subsistence outside our countries of birth? How many of us are willingly leaving our countries of birth to get a better chance to study, work and settle in new environments? None of those questions should remain unanswered and, to that end, the ACP Group is actively working at defining a common strategy that is people– focused and based on the alleviation of poverty and the eventual promotion of sustainable development. I, too, am a migrant, and so are most of us. Therefore, we should all endeavour to develop policies and programmes that are focused on the well-being of our peoples. That is why the focus of the global debate on migration and development is so important in looking at possible solutions in a new, innovative and overall positive way. The ACP Group is of the view that the United Nations High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development should be not an end in itself, but rather an important juncture of a continuing process. The continuing debate on migration and development should focus on improved integration of migration issues into development policy and planning; capacity-building to develop and manage migration policies; ensuring an inclusive approach to migration, including the involvement of non-State actors, such as non-governmental organizations, business, trade unions and civil society; greater utilization of the development potential of diasporas; the promotion of global dialogue on migration issues, including regional consultations and North-South exchanges; and greater commitment to protecting the basic human rights of migrants, refugees and displaced persons. The ACP Group believes that the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development has steered an important process that involves Governments, institutions, United Nations agencies, and international, regional and local non-governmental organizations, and attracts international attention to migration and development. A global and multidisciplinary approach to migration and development issues is the only way forward to ensure that the positive and development elements stemming from migration can be further enhanced. Successful participation in the global migration forum requires an ongoing exchange of information and best practices among countries of origin, transit and destination, taking into account the ever-changing nature of human migration. In conclusion, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States is committed to addressing the critical issues of migration in relation to sustainable development and, by implication, addressing the Millennium Development Goals. All endeavours to develop migration policies and programmes should be focused on the well-being of our peoples. Let us join hands and together formulate concrete policies and programmes on migration and mobility that are people- focused and, indeed, will complement efforts to effectively address poverty and the challenges of sustainable development. The ACP Group is convinced that its close collaboration with other actors and participation in this important Dialogue will result in policies and programmes that are in the interest of all parties involved and, most importantly, the peoples of ACP States.

I now give the floor to Mr. Enrique Iglesias, Secretary-General of the Ibero- American Conference.

Allow me first, on behalf of the Ibero- American secretariat, to express our thanks for the Secretary-General’s invitation to participate in this event. The countries of our community have been stating their points of view in this important discussion and having been giving their support to the initiative of the Secretary-General. In November, the heads of State or Government of Ibero-America will be meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay, and this subject will be a central topic of discussion. We in the secretariat supported the convening of a seminar in July which was attended by many people, technical and other specialists, and politicians, in order to address this item and start putting together the positions for Heads of State. I would like to mention just five very brief points from that meeting that might interest participants here today. First, Ibero-America is convinced that migrations are an essential and specific component of the Ibero- American space. They always have been so, over many centuries, and we have always derived benefit from them. Today, we are now benefiting other parts of the world with those persons who are migrating there. From the vast experience of Ibero-America, some important pioneering lessons can be drawn — regarding the right of asylum, for instance — to give an idea of the significant progress that we have been able to achieve in many areas. Secondly, there is a consensus in the region that a global and integrated approach to the migration phenomenon is indispensable, as well as an international shared agenda based on knowledge of the problems, both in terms of countries of origin and countries of destination. Further, we consider that any domestic migration policy requires international agreement on the subject, but both should place the migrant at the core of decision-making, taking into consideration the problems for all the States, whether of origin or destination. As we have heard here, a migrant is neither merchandise nor a delinquent. Migrants are men, women and children, looking for better living conditions, looking to offer their work and contribute to the host society. They accordingly deserve to be respected in terms of human and labour rights, access to dignified work, health, education, and security on equal footing with the nationals of receiving countries. That means tackling head-on two phenomena that constitute an attack on individual rights. I am referring to the fight against xenophobia or discrimination at the domestic level and the efforts to combat trafficking in human beings and migrants at the international level. However legitimate the security measures that are taken, they should never infringe on the inalienable human rights of migrants. Fourthly, a special priority should be given in migration policies to indigenous people and women, which we believe have important specific features that need to be promptly addressed. Finally, through suitable policies, we should enhance the benefits of migration and reduce costs. We understand the short-term benefits of remittances while being aware that these cannot be a panacea in the long term. In any case, it is possible to do things which would help to prioritize and enhance their benefits. We are also concerned about brain drain. We have to do everything we can to keep people at home, seek co-development solutions so these contacts are of benefit to those who would otherwise have a brain drain. I think we have to move forward on global agreements and build on what has been achieved in the Ibero-American countries; it is not negligible. I think this meeting will provide important guidelines so that the United Nations can contribute to global solutions to this global problem. I am sure that Ibero-America will contribute greatly to this endeavour.

I now give the floor His Excellency Mr. Gottfried Zürcher, Director- General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development.

Madam President, I want to thank you for organizing this event, which reflects the growing importance of international migration for States around the world. As so many issues surrounding international migration have been taken up in this forum already, I will limit my remarks to three points. First, our experiences have shown that the value of an informal, flexible dialogue on international migration lies primarily in the promotion of a mutual understanding of issues of common concern. Such issues arise predominantly in a regional context where regional consultative processes can serve to identify concrete problems and common interests, and can help in arriving at coordinated policy responses. To give you a concrete example of a well- functioning regional dialogue on migration, I would like to mention the Budapest Process, which is a consultative forum of more than 50 participating States and 10 international organizations. That intergovernmental process was started 15 years ago, in 1991, which makes it one of the oldest regional consultative processes in the world. My own organization, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), based in Vienna, has functioned as the Secretariat of the Budapest Process since 1994. The Budapest Process provides a forum for exchange of experience and information among interested States for the purpose of promoting comprehensive systems for orderly migration in the wider European region. Its longstanding record, as well as the recent extension of the Process to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and the south-east Mediterranean region, testifies to the continuing value of that forum to the participating States. Secondly, let me say a word on the importance of capacity-building. Efficient and accountable institutions for the management of migrations are vital not only for the implementation of sustainable migration policies as such, but also for the holding of any meaningful and mutually beneficial migration dialogue. Thus, the promotion of good governance, capacity-building and training, is often a precondition for a structured migration dialogue, and should have a high priority on the development agenda. Thirdly, based on this experience, we conclude that the optimal level of migration dialogue should correspond to the principle of subsidiarity, or in other words that policy coordination should be made at the lowest level possible and at the highest level necessary. That means that an inter-State dialogue on international migration can and should take place, at the bilateral, regional or global level, according to the issues and interests involved. In that way, even a meaningful dialogue on migration may not prevent new crises from arising, but it can certainly help to manage such crises more efficiently and in a more targeted manner when they arise.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ridha Bouabid, Counsellor of the Delegation for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights of the International Organization of la Francophonie.

The theme that brings us together today is of special concern to the International Organization of la Francophonie in more ways than one, and first, because the French-speaking area is in itself a large area of migration. It is made up of 53 States and Governments spread around the entire globe. The French-speaking world includes both developed and developing countries, countries with a strongly entrenched tradition of migration and host countries — countries with a common language. Moreover, we are aware of the important role of language in determining migration routes, since, in many cases, migrants choose countries whose language they can speak. The problems of international migration — particularly in the current context of globalization — and its undeniable effects on development represent a major challenge for our community as well as the international community. It is a challenge that requires exchanges of ideas and concerted action, which are the only ways to limit — albeit only slightly — migration’s negative effects and to maximize its advantages to benefit migrants themselves, their countries of origin and the countries of destination. That is the context of the discussions that we began in la Francophonie several years ago, including at the international meeting held in Paris in 2001, on the theme “Francophonie and migration”, at the initiative of the High Council of la Francophonie and the Government of Canada in Quebec, with the active participation of the International Organization for Migration. Here, I wish to commend them for their commitment and leadership in placing migration issues at the top of the global agenda and at the centre of the international community’s concerns. Our discussions are based on the values dear to la Francophonie: solidarity, democracy, human rights, cultural diversity and dialogue among civilizations. Aware that migratory movements can be a major asset for development, our community seeks in particular to enhance exchanges and dialogue on how to better highlight cultural diversity in integration policies and to implement genuine co-development initiatives between countries of the North and the South, between countries of origin and countries of destination, with the active participation of migrants themselves. First, we have been considering ways to organize the mobilization of skills in the context of a North- South partnership, enabling the South to benefit from a return on its investment in the qualifications of its diaspora. We have also been assessing the impact of some experiments with decentralized cooperation involving migrants, identifying a number of good practices in that area. Finally, we have been considering in greater depth how to reconcile our aspirations to francophone solidarity with the demands of States in terms of their needs, their interests and even their security. As recently reaffirmed by the ministers for foreign affairs of our member countries at the conference on conflict prevention and human security held in May 2006 at Saint Boniface, Canada, our discussions on the important issue of migration will continue at the regional and international levels, contributing to the ongoing debates being held on these issues by the international community as a whole. That is why our organization has an interest in this High-level Dialogue. We are fully prepared to share our experiences and build on our discussions with all concerned international organizations and partners. The global forum on migration and development that the Secretary-General proposes to establish in the near future would be a special forum for such discussions and consultations on these crucial issues. In that regard, we are pleased that the first meeting of the forum is scheduled to be held next year in Belgium, a country member of la Francophonie. We welcome the opportunity to make our own contribution as appropriate.

I shall now call on those representatives who wish to speak in exercise of the right of reply. May I remind members that, in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, statements in exercise of the right of reply are limited to 10 minutes for the first intervention and to five minutes for the second, and should be made by delegations from their seats.

The United States deeply regrets the comments made earlier today by the delegation of Cuba, which were inaccurate, inappropriate and disrespectful to the spirit of constructive dialogue that we have had over the past two days. Those comments serve to reinforce my country’s concerns about the difficulties of advancing productive dialogue on migration at the global level. Political polemics do nothing to advance the migration and development agenda. In response to Cuba’s statement, my delegation would note that the Cuban Government’s refusal to permit the return of its own citizens from foreign countries, as well as its atrocious human rights record, have caused more than 1 million Cubans to leave their country for save haven in other lands and has led the United States to take measures to regularize the status of eligible Cuban migrants who reach the shores of the United States. I would like to emphasize that the United States is committed at all times to safe, legal and orderly migration.

My delegation rejects, one by one, every word said by the representative of the United States. The Government of the United States, which today accuses us and claims to act as the world’s great refuge and defender of human rights, is the same country that encourages illegal migration from my country and human trafficking. It even refuses to cooperate with my Government to ensure legal, safe and orderly migration. The world knows that my country is being subjected to a brutal and criminal blockade by the Government of the United States, which has caused all our people grave and countless suffering. Through that genocidal economic assault, the United States is seeking to overthrow our revolution, seeking to cause pain, hunger and despair among our people. Part of that terrible blockade and of the political manipulation of the migration issue by the United States is the Cuban Adjustment Act — the murderous law, as we call it in Cuba — because of the number of lives that it has cost our country. The Cuban Adjustment Act serves as a true spur to illegal migration and human trafficking, which contradicts the official statement made here in this Hall by the United States delegation. Through that migration policy based on double standards, the United States has sheltered within its territory kidnappers and traffickers who have profited from the smuggling of Cubans from Cuba to the United States. It has also protected notorious terrorists who have committed brutal acts against Cuba. The United States says that Cuba seeks to blame it and to distract attention from the human rights situation in Cuba. By making that statement, the United States is telling a double lie. Cuba does not seek to blame the United States. Actually, the United States blames itself; it does not need our help. Its acts demonstrate that. The blockade persists and becomes more intense every year, despite nearly universal condemnation by the international community. To attempt to justify the blockade as a way to improve human rights in Cuba is silly, incongruous and foolish, because the United States is the country with the least moral authority and credibility to talk about human rights. After its unilateral wars — through which it violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations — the torture committed at the Guantánamo naval base and at Abu Ghraib prison and the massive bombardment of civilian populations, the United States should be silent on the subject of human rights. The primary violator of human rights now points its fingers at us, claiming us to be the worst. The Government that is accusing Cuba continues to protect the main perpetrator of the horrendous crime of downing a Cubana Airlines aircraft, in which 73 people lost their lives. That Government, through its migration laws, is keeping Cuban families apart and preventing their reunification. That very same Government imposes democracy at the point of a gun. Any Government that commits such atrocities, as does that of the United States, truly has no grounds for criticizing Cuba. Many years ago, we in Cuba learned to live at a level of dignity and resolve that can never be overturned. In conclusion, I should like to quote a paragraph from a document, dated 6 April 1960, which was recently declassified by the North American authorities. The document was drafted by Lester D. Mallory, then United States Deputy Under-secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. This statement truly backs up everything we have said. He wrote that the majority of Cubans support Castro and that “there is no effective political opposition”. He added, cynically, that “The only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship … to deny Cuba money and supplies, to diminish [personal] income so as to cause hunger, desperation and the collapse of the government.” I believe that this statement is sufficient to clarify everything we have said.

The ridiculous distortions of the Cuban delegation compel me to respond, but I will be brief. Let us be clear: the migration situation has been created by the Castro regime. Its lack of respect for human rights, its oppressive crackdown on political opposition and dissident activity, its complete intolerance of free expression and its requirement that Cuban citizens obtain exit permits before they can emigrate cause its citizens to take their lives into their own hands and flee the country by raft. Since the United States and Cuba agreed on the migration accords in 1994, the United States has fulfilled its commitment to providing safe, legal and orderly means of immigration from Cuba. Specifically, the United States has approved at least 20,000 migrants for travel to our country each year since the accord has been in place.

I take the floor again to put the lie to the statement made by the representative of the United States to justify the allegation that the United States is the real cause of the migratory situation between the United States and Cuba. It is no secret to anyone that 24-hour-a-day radio broadcasts financed by the United States seek to destabilize our country and encourage illegal immigration. The representative of the United States used the word “dissident”. I should like to refresh her memory and ask whether the word “dissident” means, to her, a person who is working for, receiving direct orders from and paid by a foreign Power? That is the case of the so-called dissidents whom she claims to exist in Cuba. Those people are paid a salary by the United States and are told what to do. My country therefore has a legitimate right to defend itself against any agent of a foreign Government working against our national interests. In her statement, the representative of the United States also referred to a lack of human rights in Cuba. I do not wish to repeat myself, nor is this the appropriate time to do so, but if we wish to discuss a lack of rights and true dictatorship, my delegation and much of the world knows that the only dictatorship is that which the United States is seeking to impose at the global level by force and in disregard for the most fundamental human rights.

We have come to the end of two long but stimulating days, during which we have discussed, for the first time at this High-level Dialogue, the multidimensional aspects of international migration and development. We have heard from over 140 representatives about the opportunities and challenges that international migration poses for development in each of their countries. We have had four round tables that have focused on the impact of international migration on economic and social development, the centrality of human rights to ensuring the development benefits of migration, the importance of remittances, and the crucial role of international cooperation and partnerships in addressing the challenges posed by international migration. Above all, these two days have proven that international migration and development can be debated constructively in the United Nations. This High-level Dialogue has been the culmination of years of preparation. I want first and foremost to express my gratitude to the Secretary- General for his support in preparing and organizing this Dialogue. I also want to thank Member States, the various United Nations agencies, other international organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector for their contributions to making this dialogue a success. On this occasion, I would also like to extend my sincerest appreciation to Mr. Peter Sutherland, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Migration, for his tireless efforts in promoting the messages and recommendations set out in the report of the Secretary-General. We look forward to continued collaboration as our efforts evolve. Lastly, I want to acknowledge the key role of my predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, Foreign Minister of Sweden, in organizing the two panel discussions in New York and Geneva, as well as the interactive hearings with non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector. The High-level Dialogue has affirmed a number of key messages in the report of the Secretary-General: first, that international migration is a growing phenomenon and a key component of development in developing and developed countries alike; secondly, that international migration can be a positive force for development in countries of origin and countries of destination, provided that it is supported by the right set of policies; and thirdly, that it is important to strengthen international cooperation on international migration bilaterally, regionally and globally. The Dialogue has emphasized that respect for human rights is a necessary foundation for migration to benefit development. Many of the participants have noted that some vulnerable groups, such as migrant women and children, need special protection. It was also highlighted that migration is no substitute for development. Too often, migrants are forced to seek employment abroad owing to poverty, conflict and lack of respect for human rights. There has been widespread support for incorporating international migration into the development agenda and for integrating migration issues into national development strategies, including, possibly, poverty reduction strategies. You have all underscored the need to provide decent work and decent working conditions in countries of origin and countries of destination, alike. That would alleviate the negative aspects of migration, including brain drain. Furthermore, participants have noted that remittances are among the most tangible benefits of international migration for development. These remittances improve the lives of millions of migrant families and have a positive effect on the economy at large. Many participants have called for a reduction in the cost of remittances and transfers and for maximizing their development potential. We have now completed the High-level Dialogue. But where do we go from here? During these two days, in plenary statements and remarks at the round tables, nearly all participants have expressed the wish to continue an international dialogue in some form or another. Many participants have embraced the Secretary-General’s proposal for establishing a Global Forum on Migration and Development and the offer made by the Government of Belgium to host the first meeting of the Forum next year. I commend the Assembly’s commitment to advancing this constructive dialogue on this important issue. In closing, let me once more thank all the participants for their active participation in this High- level Dialogue and wish them all the best in their future deliberations on international migration and development. In the coming days, I will make available a President’s Summary and summaries by Chairpersons of the round tables, which will be widely distributed to all Member States, Observers, United Nations agencies and other appropriate organizations. (spoke in English) The General Assembly has thus concluded the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development and this stage of its consideration of sub- item (b) of agenda item 55.