Joint Statement on 20th Anniversary Migrant Workers Convention

The following joint statement was issued today in Brussels by the Regional Representatives for Europe of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; the International Organization for Migration and the International Labour Office and the Representative of December 18 on the occasion of the forthcoming commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Brussels, 8 December 2010. We commemorate today in Brussels, in the European Parliament, the 20^th anniversary of a milestone in our collective endeavors toward realizing the universal, inalienable and indivisible human rights of all - the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly, 20 years ago, on 18 December 1990, of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The adoption of this Convention, one of the nine core international human rights treaties, was a major accomplishment for human rights, extending protection to one of the most disadvantaged groups found anywhere, including the territory of the European Union. It promotes decent working and living conditions for migrant workers, lays down the rights of their often neglected accompanying family members, and encourages states to work together throughout the migration cycle.

Fifty-nine countries have signed or acceded to this instrument globally. However, despite some encouraging developments of migration legislation and policies at EU level as well as in individual Member States, no EU Member State has so far ratified this important instrument. In his recent speech to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his disappointment at the lack of ratifications in Europe in “some of the world’s most advanced democracies, among nations that take just pride in their long history of social progressiveness”. On this important occasion, we renew our hope that Member States of the EU will set an example for others to follow, as migration touches nearly all countries of the region, whether as countries of origin, transit or destination, or increasingly as all three.

As shown by analysis of recent developments, many EU Member States already implement at the national level, in practice and by law, a wide range of the rights that are protected under the convention. Yet, while national and EU measures will always be necessary, the global and increasing phenomenon of migration requires a global response. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity, as members of the International Steering Committee for the Ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, to call on the EU institutions and the EU Member States to adopt  measures, taking into account their respective competences, guaranteeing the effective protection of migrant rights and to take the necessary steps towards the ratification of the Convention.