Declaration of the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 21e International migration and development, published in 2013.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 5	Population	30
	Subprogramme 6	Social development	47

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 5	Population	30	—
	Subprogramme 6	Social development	47	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Data Analysis Declarations (Text)Development Human Rights International Labour Standards International Migration Women Migrants

What’s in this document?

35 operative paragraphs

Adopts the following declaration:

Declaration of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development

We, representatives of States and Governments, gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 3 and 4 October 2013 on the occasion of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development,

Recognize that international migration is a multidimensional reality of major relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination, and in this regard recognize that international migration is a cross-cutting phenomenon that should be addressed in a coherent, comprehensive and balanced manner, integrating development with due regard for social, economic and environmental dimensions and respecting human rights;

Acknowledge the important contribution made by migrants and migration to development in countries of origin, transit and destination, as well as the complex interrelationship between migration and development;

Decide to work towards an effective and inclusive agenda on international migration that integrates development and respects human rights by improving the performance of existing institutions and frameworks, as well as partnering more effectively with all stakeholders involved in international migration and development at the regional and global levels;

Reaffirm our commitment to address the opportunities and the challenges that international migration presents to countries of origin, transit and destination;

Recognize the need for international cooperation to address, in a holistic and comprehensive manner, the challenges of irregular migration to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration, with full respect for human rights;

Recognize the need to strengthen synergies between international migration and development at the global, regional and national levels;

Recognize the efforts made by the international community in addressing relevant aspects of international migration and development, through different initiatives, both within the United Nations system and in other processes, particularly the Global Forum on Migration and Development and regional processes, as well as in drawing on the expertise of the International Organization for Migration and other member agencies of the Global Migration Group;

Acknowledge the important contribution of migration in realizing the Millennium Development Goals, and recognize that human mobility is a key factor for sustainable development which should be adequately considered in the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda;

Acknowledge the important role that migrants play as partners in the development of countries of origin, transit and destination and recognize the need to improve public perceptions of migrants and migration;

Reaffirm the need to promote and protect effectively the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their migration status, especially those of women and children, and to address international migration through international, regional or bilateral cooperation and dialogue and through a comprehensive and balanced approach, recognizing the roles and responsibilities of countries of origin, transit and destination in promoting and protecting the human rights of all migrants, and avoiding approaches that might aggravate their vulnerability;

Recognize that women and girls account for almost half of all international migrants at the global level, and the need to address the special situation and vulnerability of migrant women and girls by, inter alia, incorporating a gender perspective into policies and strengthening national laws, institutions and programmes to combat gender-based violence, including trafficking in persons and discrimination against women and girls;

Emphasize in this regard the need to establish appropriate measures for the protection of women migrant workers in all sectors, including those involved in domestic work;

Express the commitment to protect the human rights of migrant children, given their vulnerability, particularly unaccompanied migrant children, and to provide for their health, education and psychosocial development, ensuring that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration in policies of integration, return and family reunification;

Emphasize the need to respect and promote international labour standards as appropriate, and respect the rights of migrants in their workplaces;

Note the contribution of applicable international conventions, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,² to the international system for the protection of migrants;

²United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2220, No. 39481.

Strongly condemn the acts, manifestations and expressions of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance against migrants and the stereotypes often applied to them, including on the basis of religion or belief, and urge States to apply and, where needed, reinforce the existing laws when xenophobic or intolerant acts, manifestations or expressions against migrants occur, in order to eradicate impunity for those who commit those acts;

Reiterate our commitment to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, protect victims of trafficking, prevent and combat migrant smuggling and protect migrants from exploitation and other abuses, stress the need to establish or upgrade, as appropriate, national and regional anti-human trafficking policies and to reinforce cooperation on prevention, the prosecution of traffickers and the protection of victims of trafficking, and encourage Member States to ratify, accede to and implement relevant international instruments on preventing and combating trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants;

Encourage Member States to cooperate on mobility programmes that facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration, including through labour mobility;

Recognize the particular vulnerabilities, circumstances and needs of adolescents and young migrants, as well as their potential to build social, economic and cultural bridges of cooperation and understanding across societies;

Recognize also all efforts made by Governments, all relevant bodies, agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, other relevant intergovernmental, regional and subregional organizations, including the International Organization for Migration and other organizations within the Global Migration Group, and non-governmental stakeholders, including the private sector, in addressing international migration and development for the benefit of both migrants and societies; and bearing this goal in mind, further emphasize the need to strengthen partnerships among all relevant stakeholders;

Stress the need to deepen the interaction between Governments and civil society to find responses to the challenges and the opportunities posed by international migration, and recognize the contribution of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to promoting the well-being of migrants and their integration into societies, especially at times of extreme vulnerable conditions, and the support of the international community to the efforts of such organizations;

Acknowledge the complexity of migratory flows and that international migration movements also occur within the same geographical regions, and in this context call for a better understanding of migration patterns across and within regions;

Recognize the importance of coordinated efforts of the international community to assist and support migrants stranded in vulnerable situations and facilitate, and cooperate on when appropriate, their voluntary return to their country of origin, and call for practical and action-oriented initiatives aimed at identifying and closing protection gaps;

Underline the right of migrants to return to their country of citizenship, and recall that States must ensure that their returning nationals are duly received;

Recognize the need to consider the role that environmental factors may play in migration;

Recognize the necessity to consider how the migration of highly skilled persons, especially in the health, social and engineering sectors, affects the development efforts of developing countries, and emphasize the need to consider circular migration;

Recognize that remittances constitute an important source of private capital, and reaffirm the need to promote conditions for cheaper, faster and safer transfers of remittances in both source and recipient countries;

Emphasize the need for reliable statistical data on international migration, including, when possible, on the contributions of migrants to development in both countries of origin and countries of destination; this data could facilitate the design of evidence-based policy- and decision-making in all relevant aspects of sustainable development;

Acknowledge that the Global Forum on Migration and Development has proved to be a valuable forum for holding frank and open discussions and that it has helped to build trust among participating stakeholders through the exchange of experiences and good practices and by virtue of its voluntary, informal State-led character;

Acknowledge that the United Nations system can benefit from the discussions and outcomes of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, in order to maximize the benefits of international migration for development;

Call upon all relevant bodies, agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, other relevant intergovernmental, regional and subregional organizations, including the International Organization for Migration and other Global Migration Group members, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on International Migration and Development, within their respective mandates, to strengthen their collaboration and cooperation to better and fully address the issue of international migration and development, in order to adopt a coherent, comprehensive and coordinated approach, and to consider migration issues in their contributions to the preparatory process that will establish the post-2015 development agenda;

Welcome the recent efforts made by the Global Migration Group to take measures to enhance its functioning and to promote coherence and coordination among its member organizations, and in this regard stress the importance of regular interaction between the Group and Member States;

Request the Secretary-General to continue his substantive work on international migration and development and, in collaboration with the United Nations system and relevant organizations, including the International Organization for Migration, to continue to assess the progress made in the field of migration and development;

Also request the Secretary-General, in the elaboration of his report on international migration and development to be submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, to give due consideration to the results and deliberations of this High-level Dialogue.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Declaration of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?