18 December 2015: On International Migrants Day, representatives of the UN, international organizations, civil society and academia discussed root causes, challenges, opportunities and policies related to migration, calling to change the negative narrative around migrants and refugees into a positive one, rooted in international interdependence and the positive contributions that migrants and refugees bring to their new communities and economies.

The side event organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) took place on 18 December 2015, in New York, US.

In opening remarks, William Lacy Swing, IOM Director-General, identified as root causes of migration the demographic deficit in developed countries, demand for labor, the digital revolution, and a series of unbroken conflicts and simultaneous protracted humanitarian emergencies, among others. Underlining that anti-migrant policies and sentiments are widespread and growing, he cautioned that walls, fences and stricter visa policies will not stop the phenomena, and will indirectly subsidize criminality. Welcoming migration’s inclusion in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Swing stressed the need to focus less on identity and more on shared common interests and common values, saying “human migration is not a problem to be solved but a contemporary human reality that needs to be managed.”

Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said negative narratives, driven by the fear of change and of the unknown, need to become a positive narrative driven by the idea of global interdependence. He highlighted that the 2030 Agenda acknowledges cross-border mobility as a feature of sustainable development. Eliasson also underlined the need to fight human smuggling and trafficking, and he called for a global compact on human mobility, based on coherent, comprehensive and rights-based responses, and featuring cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination.

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), cited studies on migrants’ economic contributions, and said the public needs to hear more about their positive contributions to the fabric of communities. He invited participants to join UNAOC’s initiative addressing hate speech against migrants in the media, using the Twitter hashtag #spreadnohate.

Emeka Obiezu, NGO Committee on Migration, called for achieving all international targets on migrants and for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so that no one is left behind, including migrants. Steven Choi, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition, stressed the need to advance policies that ensure that destination societies have healthy, educated migrant children, and expressed concern about US hate speech towards migrants and refugees. He said the US is accepting only 10,000 refugees, while Germany and others will host 1 million.

Solome Lemma, Executive Director, Africans in the Diaspora, highlighted the role of diaspora in development, and presented Africans in the Diaspora, a platform that recognizes and promotes the intellectual and financial support of migrants to their communities. Daniel Truque, Market Realist Inc., noted that when companies face economic crunches they open up to the idea of new talent and skills provided by migrants and get involved in migrant policies. [IISD RS Sources] [UN Web TV] [UN Webpage on International Migrants Day] [UN Women Statement] [IOM Statement and Video]