A/HRC/45/30 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 74/148 on the protection of migrants, in which the Secretary-General was requested to submit to the Assembly and the Human Rights Council a comprehensive report entitled “Human rights of migrants”, covering all aspects of the implementation of the resolution. 2. Thirty-seven written submissions were received from Member States and from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in response to a note verbale, sent in April 2020 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on behalf of the Secretary-General, requesting information on the implementation of resolution 74/148.1 3. The report explores thematic issues related to the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants addressed by the General Assembly in resolution 74/148, specifically protecting the human rights of migrants in vulnerable situations, including migrants impacted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and missing migrants, and implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The report summarizes information received from Governments regarding the implementation of the resolution and presents conclusions and recommendations on respecting, protecting and fulfilling the human rights of migrants. II. Promoting and protecting the human rights of migrants 4. The number of international migrants worldwide reached 272 million in 2019, continuing an upward trend in all regions.2 Globally, migrants comprise only 3.5 per cent of the global population but make important contributions to societies of origin, transit and destination. The population of international migrants globally is fairly gender balanced, with women and men moving in equal numbers. 3 An increasing number of migrants, 33 million in 2019, are below the age of 18.4 5. As recognized by the General Assembly in its resolution 74/148, as well as in the Global Compact for Migration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that requires coherent and comprehensive responses and international cooperation involving respect for the human rights of all migrants regardless of their migration status. 6. In its resolution 74/148, the General Assembly reaffirmed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out therein, and recalled all relevant international instruments, including the core international human rights treaties. In the same resolution, the Assembly called upon States to promote and protect effectively the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their migration status, and to address international migration through cooperation and dialogue and a comprehensive and balanced approach, recognizing the roles and responsibilities of countries of origin, transit and destination in promoting and protecting the human rights of all migrants and avoiding approaches that might aggravate their vulnerability. 7. Yet, migrants continue to face substantial gaps in the protection of their human rights. The absence of sufficient, safe and regular pathways for migration exposes migrants to increasingly precarious and irregular migration options, which fuels abuse, exploitation and 1 2 3 4 2 The full texts of most submissions are available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Migration/Pages/ReportGA76.aspx Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, International Migration Report 2019: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/439), pp. 1–2. Ibid. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Child migration (https://data.unicef.org/topic/ childmigration-and-displacement/migration/).