migrants

IRIN/David Swanson

On International Day, UN chief urges greater attention to 'precarious' situation of migrants

18 December 2014
Far too many migrants still live and work in precarious and unjust conditions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has said today in a message to mark International Migrants Day.
UNHCR/M. Edström

‘Things are about to change,’ UN expert urges Malta to prepare for migrants

10 December 2014
Malta, a key entry point into Europe, needs to step up its preparation for migrants and asylum-seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea and arriving at its external borders, United Nations human rights expert François Crépeau warned today.
UNHCR/A. D’Amato

As number of seafaring migrants surges, UN calls for better global protection efforts

10 December 2014
Amid record high numbers of global migrant arrivals by sea, the international community is steadily losing focus on saving lives and intensifying its efforts to deny foreigners access to asylum, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned ahead of a Geneva-based forum devoted to protecting sea-bound migrants.
UNHCR/F. Noy

UN rights expert urges reversal of UK decision to halt Mediterranean migrant rescues

30 October 2014
The United Nations human rights expert on migrants today urged British authorities to reconsider a decision not to support search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, saying allowing people to die at Europe’s borders just because of their administrative status “is appalling.”
World Bank/Curt Carnemark

More respect, less criminalization for migrant workers, UN rights expert urges

24 October 2014
The lack of political will to stand up for migrant workers’ rights remains the greatest challenge to the protection of this “very vulnerable” group of human beings, an independent United Nations expert affirmed today.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

UN expert urges European nations to rethink policies as migration-related deaths rise

29 September 2014
In attempting to seal their borders, European nations are facing an “impossible” task, the United Nations independent expert on the human rights of migrants said today, as he encouraged the European Union (EU) to identify new legal channels of migration in an effort to save lives.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

UN expert urges better protections for Sri Lankans migrating abroad for work

27 May 2014
A United Nations human rights expert called today on the Government of Sri Lanka to increase its attention and efforts to prevent exploitation of its nationals working abroad, including by shoring up protections at all levels.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

In Stockholm, Ban calls for optimizing benefits of ‘journey of hope’ for migrants, society as a whole

14 May 2014
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on all countries to rally around the common goal of creating regular, safe and orderly channels of migration and to optimize the benefits of this phenomenon – for those people crossing borders and for society as a whole.
World Bank/Curt Carnemark

As ratifications lag, UN experts renew call for States to sign treaty on migrant workers’ rights

7 April 2014
The expert members of the United Nations panel dealing with the rights of migrant workers and their families renewed today their appeal to all countries to sign the international treaty on the rights of those workers, which went into effect almost 11 years ago.