The Secretary-General
Message on International Migrants Day
18 December 2019
Migrants are integral members of society, contributing to mutual understanding and sustainable development in communities of both origin and destination.
Safe, orderly and regular migration is in the interest of all. And national priorities on migration are best achieved through international cooperation.
All migrants are entitled to equal protection of all their human rights.
These principles are enshrined in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
Yet, we often hear narratives around migrants that are harmful and false.
And we often witness migrants facing unspeakable hardship as a result of policies shaped more by fear than by fact.
On this International Day, I urge leaders and people everywhere to bring the Global Compact to life, so that migration works for all.