A/HRC/13/38 among the first to be laid off.13 Such worrisome signs are likely to result in serious setbacks to the realization of gender equality and the elimination of violence against women. The Special Rapporteur further highlighted the experience from past crises, for example the impact of the Asian financial crisis (1997–1998) on women and girls which in some countries strained intra-household relationships, boosted suicides, domestic violence and abandonment, and provoked a private and public backlash against women’s rights. 16. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) noted that the full impact on children is yet to be felt. In previous financial and economic crises, child mortality has risen and school enrolment dropped, and there are already indications that this crisis — compounded by recent food and fuel price instability — is causing increases in poverty and malnutrition. Furthermore, many impacts of the crisis in developing countries, such as slowing growth, reduced demand and employment, and declining budgets are only now beginning to unfold, severely threatening progress on health, education and child protection, and leaving children with the long-term mental and physical repercussions of malnutrition. D. Rights of migrants 17. In addition to the impact of the crisis on remittance flow, several human rights experts expressed concerns about the increased vulnerability of migrants, migrant workers and their families, as a result of the crisis and economic downturn. In his report to the eleventh session of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants highlighted the fact that child migration, as well as adult migration, is influenced by new global phenomena such as climate change, the food crisis and the financial and economic crisis.14 The independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty also indicated in her report to the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly that, in times of recession, the lack of work opportunities and increased discrimination and xenophobia deeply affect migrants’ enjoyment of their human rights.15 IV. United Nations response to the crisis 18. At the United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development in June 2009, world leaders pledged their commitment to continue to work in solidarity on a vigorous, coordinated and comprehensive global response to the crisis, in accordance with their respective abilities and responsibilities. Proclaiming that “we are all in this crisis together”, they pledged to combine their shortterm responses to meet the immediate impact of the financial and economic crisis, particularly on the most vulnerable countries, with medium- and long-term responses that necessarily involve the pursuit of development and the review of the global economic system. They also requested the Economic and Social Council to coordinate system-wide follow-up to the recommendations in the outcome document, and consider setting up an ad hoc panel of experts on the crisis and its impact on development. In the annex to General Assembly resolution 63/303 on the outcome of the Conference, the Heads of State and Government stressed that developing countries had not caused the crisis, but were nevertheless being affected by it, and stated that their endeavours must be guided by the need to address the human costs: an increase in the already unacceptable number of poor 13 14 15 8 A/HRC/11/6, paras. 25, 26 and 71. A/HRC/11/7, para. 21. A/64/279, para. 43. GE.10-10930