A/HRC/22/17
D.
Migration
52.
In 2013, the General Assembly will hold a High-level Dialogue on International
Migration and Development, which I view as a key milestone for the issue of migration and
human rights. I hope to use this opportunity to call for greater attention to the human rights
situation of all migrants and to encourage Governments and other stakeholders to prioritize
the rights of migrants when designing, implementing and monitoring migration policy. As
part of its preparations for the High-level Dialogue, OHCHR held an expert workshop in
September 2012 on “An informal conversation on international migration, human rights
and governance” to encourage greater attention to human rights in the field of governance
of migration.
53.
OHCHR increasingly engaged in migration-related human rights work at the country
level through the promotion of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights
of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and other instruments, training
activities, advocacy and technical advice, as well as monitoring and protection activities.
OHCHR provided technical assistance to and cooperated with the European Agency for the
Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of
the European Union (FRONTEX) in the development of human rights training materials for
border guards. The Office initiated a joint project with the National Migration Institute of
Mexico to assess its human rights training programme. It provided practical support for
human rights defenders working to promote migrants’ rights. In West Africa, OHCHR,
together with the Mixed Migration Working Group of the United Nations country team,
carried out a mapping of actors involved in mixed migration in Senegal, and is currently
developing a leaflet for border guards on the rights of migrants.
54.
In March 2012, OHCHR organized an expert meeting on the theme “Human rights
at international borders: exploring gaps in policy and practice”. Participants in the meeting
called on OHCHR to develop guidance on human rights at international borders. In
partnership with the delegation of Mexico, OHCHR held a side event at the sicty-seventh
session of the General Assembly on the theme “Human rights at international borders”.
55.
OHCHR advocated for more attention to the human rights dimension of migration at
the Global Forum on Migration and Development. At the sixth Forum, held in Mauritius in
November 2012, OHCHR participated in round tables on “Improving public perceptions of
migrants and migration” and “Migrant protection as integral to migration management”,
and held a side event on the theme “Public perceptions: migration and human rights”. The
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants attended the Forum in preparation of
his report on migration and global governance, to be submitted to the General Assembly in
2013 .
56.
OHCHR continued to work on the human rights of trafficked persons. As a member
of the Inter-agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons, OHCHR co-drafted
two policy papers on “The intersection between International legal regimes to combat
trafficking” and “Preventing trafficking through addressing demand”. Following requests
by the Human Rights Council to strengthen activities in the area, OHCHR participated in
the launch of the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human
Trafficking in Cameroon, Jordan, Thailand and Tunisia, followed by regional capacity
development events on a rights-based approach to combating trafficking for law
enforcement officials. OHCHR is currently developing a toolkit for practitioners and
stakeholders for the application of the rights-based approach to trafficking, includes a
compilation of good practice, a fact sheet on human rights and human trafficking, and a
compilation of relevant jurisprudence.
57.
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and
Members of Their Families adopted the outline for a general comment on the rights of
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