A/HRC/37/34 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 3 January 2018 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-seventh session 26 February–23 March 2018 Agenda items 2 and 3 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Principles and practical guidance on the protection of the human rights of migrants in vulnerable situations Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Summary The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 35/17, in which the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to submit, as co-Chair of the Global Migration Group Working Group on Migration, Human Rights and Gender, principles and practical guidance on the protection of the human rights of migrants in vulnerable situations, on the basis of existing legal norms, and to report thereon to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-seventh session. While migration can be a positive and empowering experience for individuals and communities and can benefit countries of origin, transit and destination, it is clear that movement that places people in precarious situations is a serious human rights concern. Where migrants fall outside the specific legal category of refugee, it may be particularly important to ensure that their human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. Some migrants will need specific protection because of the situations they left behind, the circumstances in which they travel or the conditions they face on arrival, or because of personal characteristics such as their age, gender identity, disability or health status. The principles and guidelines, contained in an addendum to the present report, focus on the human rights situation of those migrants who may not qualify as refugees under the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, yet who are in vulnerable situations and thus in need of, and entitled to, the protection of the international human rights framework. The principles are drawn directly from international human rights law and related international standards. The guidelines that follow each principle elaborate international best practice and are designed to assist States (and other stakeholders where relevant) to develop, strengthen, implement and monitor measures to protect and promote the human rights of migrants in vulnerable situations. They are derived from the instruments themselves and from authoritative interpretations or recommendations by international human rights treaty bodies and special procedure mandate holders of the Human Rights Council, as well as other expert sources. GE.17-23491(E) 