Petition Asking EU Member States to Ratify the Migrant Workers Convention

The petition campaign calling on the EU member states to ratify the UN Migrant Workers Convention was a big success. A list with more than 6000 signatures and an Open Letter was delivered to the office of the Belgian Prime Minister by a small delegation of international, European and Belgian civil society representatives. The group also issued a joint statement.

A similar event took place in Budapest, thanks to the efforts from our friends at Menedek. They delivered the signatures to the Hungarian government, in its capacity as the incoming EU presidency.

One of the remarkable results of the petition is the support we received from Members of the European Parliament. A total of 71 MEPs from 25 EU Member States and six different parliamentary groups signed the petition, providing us all with the opportunity for continued advocacy in the years to come. Equally important is the support from a whole range of major European civil society networks and trade unions.

Parallel activities helped to raise awareness about the Convention, such as the event co-organized with the OHCHR Regional Office for Europe and the Written Declaration submitted by a number of MEPs.

Achieving ratification of the Migrant Workers Convention in the European Union will remain a big challenge. Just have a look at the new survey (English version only) which December 18 published on the occasion of International Migrants Day. This clearly shows that a coordinated and sustained campaign is necessary, involving local, national, European and international actors.

Finally, the petition campaign would not have been successful without the support we received from the many groups and individuals who helped spreading the message.

And of course, a big thank you to the many volunteers and interns who made this all possible.

The December 18 Team - Brussels, 18 December 2010

A big thank you also to Oxfam Novib for its financial support

The period for signing this petition is now over.