International Migrants Day

Today is International Migrants Day!

Falling on the 18th of December each year, this day promotes and highlights the protection of migrants, including their basic human rights and freedoms.

In particular, the International Migrants Day recognises the social and economic contribution and improvements made by migrants to both host and home countries. Migration provides global opportunities for co-development of multiple societies around the world. Calling for enhanced cooperation and collective action from various countries, migration draws attention to complex and challenging areas of the world.

With climate change, economic and political instability, aspirations for a better life and more, migration is increasing. The number of people with the desire and capacity to move to other places has enhanced as a result of globalisation and advances in communications and transportation. In 2016, international migrants (those people living in a country different from their or their territory of birth) accounted for 3.3 percent of the world’s total population, being 244 million people.

The United Nations (‘UN’) is actively involved in this area of humanitarian development. The UN General Assembly adopted a set of commitments on 19th September 2016 called the ‘New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (‘NY Declaration’). The NY Declaration represents a commitment by Member States to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect migrants and reinforces the importance of the international protection regime.

A specialised agency of the UN is the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (‘UNFAO’). Focusing upon the international defeat of hunger, the FAO helps developing countries improve agriculture, forestry and fishery practices. The FAO ultimately ensures good nutrition and food security globally.

“I firmly believe that increasing investments in food security, rural development & in adapting agriculture to climate change, will help create the conditions whereby people will no longer be forced to abandon their lands to seek a better life elsewhere #InternationalMigrantsDay” - Graziano da Silva, Director-General of UNFAO

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