2013•10•02

Spokespersons also referred to the need to avoid seeing migration policy apart from wider questions of societal justice. For example, the East Asia Region representative  emphasized the need to address broader questions of poverty and inequity, to enable migration to be a choice rather than a necessity for survival. Further, the representative from the South America Region noted that when lobbying northern governments for migrant rights, the question should not only be seen as one of the rights of migrants, but of thereby improving the lives of everyone. The West Asian Region representative called for a minute’s silence, and raised particular concern for migrants who are trapped in situations of civil unrest and domestic crisis. She noted the role of the international community in ensuring protection of such individuals.