Sign the Petition calling upon EU Member States to Ratify the Migrant Workers Convention

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary year of the UN Migrant Workers Convention, D18 together with the European Platform for Migrant Workers Rights, launches the petition campaign: “Europe it’s Time to Ratify the Migrant Workers Convention,” demanding the European Union to live up to its core values, all 27 Member States of the EU are asked to ratify this core international human rights instrument.

The campaign is launched on June 18, six months before the official anniversary of the Convention on the18th of December, which is also known as International Migrants Day. Over the coming six months the campaign aims to gather as many signatories as possible, both from within the European Union and from across the world.

It is striking that not a single EU Member State has signed or ratified this UN treaty which is one of the nine core UN human rights treaties. At the start of the Belgian Presidency, December18 together with 42 personalities from international civil society, officially launches this petition campaign.

Amongst the 42 people [this is the number of countries that have ratified the Convention] we have known artists like Jane Birkin, who is also a patron of the FIDH [Fédération International des Ligues de Droits de l’Homme], as well as the General Secretary of the ITUC, Guy Ryder, and the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, John Monks. A group of 12 MEPs – representing 7 EU Member States and coming from four different political groups – as well as Mario Sepi, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, support this initiative.

One of the initial signatories is Abdelhamid El Jamri, Chair of UN Committee on Migrant Workers, the UN body that oversees the implementation of the Migrant Workers Convention. Further important support comes from the National Secretary of Migration of the Ecuadorian Government, Lorena Escudero, demonstrating the expectations which States that already ratified the Convention have from the EU Member States.

A wide range of NGOs and faith-based organisations are already supporting the launch of this petition, including Amnesty International and the Churches Commission on Migrants in Europe.

In his message of support Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe says: “I find it worrying that democratic countries governed by the rule of law, with significant numbers of migrants living in their societies, are hesitant to become a party to this core UN human rights treaty, and commit themselves to guaranteeing migrant workers fundamental rights.”

Sign the petition by clicking here: www.migrantsconvention.eu