Deadliest Year for Migrants Spurs New UN Recommendations to Protect Lives and Rights
GENEVA, Switzerland, 6 December 2024 – /Africa Media Agency (AMA)/ – A report released today by the United Nations Secretary-General in New York recommends concrete measures to reduce the risk of migrants dying or disappearing, including the need to provide access to humanitarian actors , provide assistance to people in distress and improve data collection on missing persons.
The recommendations are included in the 2024 report on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Published every two years, the report highlights progress, gaps and opportunities, and provides concrete recommendations for advancing GCM commitments and improving migration governance.
Nearly 70,000 migrants have died and gone missing since 2014, and 2023 was the deadliest year on record with nearly 8,600 deaths.
“Every death is a preventable tragedy,” said Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration and Coordinator of the United Nations Migration Network. “This GCM report sets out concrete and urgent steps to save lives and protect migrants’ rights. steps.”
In accordance with the request of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General’s third report on the implementation of the global coordination mechanism puts forward important recommendations on providing humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress and strengthening cooperation on missing migrants, including preventing the death or disappearance of migrants, strengthening searches and disappearances, etc. specific suggestions. Identify efforts to support affected families, provide justice, accountability and redress, collect data on migrant deaths and disappearances, and share migration forecast data to optimize humanitarian assistance.
The report acknowledges significant progress in recent years, such as integrating migration into national development plans and expanding safe and regular migration pathways. However, it highlights ongoing and serious challenges that require urgent attention. Irregular migration routes continue to expose migrants to serious risks, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation, abuse or life-threatening consequences. Many immigrants face barriers to accessing basic services such as health care and education. Harmful narratives and stereotypes about migration and immigrants undermine efforts to protect their dignity and rights.
To support Member States in overcoming these challenges, the report introduces a new voluntary indicator framework. The framework provides a roadmap for assessing GCM implementation, aligning migration policy with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and improving migration data. Member States are urged to adopt these indicators in their national global climate monitoring reviews, implement actionable recommendations outlined in the report to save lives and enhance humanitarian assistance, and actively participate in regional reviews to share best practices and strengthen multilateral cooperation.
Editor’s Note
***
For more information please contact:
United Nations Migration Network Secretariat: Florence Kim, fkim@iom.int
Distributor African Media Agency (AMA) On behalf of the International Organization for Migration.
Post Worst year for migrants prompts new UN recommendations to protect lives, rightsfirst appeared in african media agency.
