• Migration is a global phenomenon driven by many forces. These start with aspirations for dignity, safety and peace. The decision to leave home is always extreme, and, too often, the beginning of a dangerous, sometimes fatal journey.

• On December 4,  2000, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed December 18 as International Migrants Day. It also commemorates the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families by the General Assembly in 1990. 

2020 theme: Reimagining Human Mobility

• This year, the theme is ‘Reimagining Human Mobility’. During the past months, migrants have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 through job losses, evictions and discrimination. Millions of migrants are stranded, often without income or shelter, unable to return home due to COVID-19 mobility restrictions, and they also face increased risks of trafficking and exploitation.

Who is a migrant?

• Since the earliest times, humanity has been on the move. Some people move in search of work or economic opportunities, to join family, or to study. Others move to escape conflict, persecution, terrorism, or human rights violations. Still others move in response to the adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters, or other environmental factors.

• The UN Migration Agency — International Organisation for Migration — defines a migrant as any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of:

1) the person’s legal status

2) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary

3) what the causes for the movement are

4) what the length of the stay is.

• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises the contribution of migration to sustainable development. Eleven out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain targets and indicators relevant to migration or mobility. The Agenda’s core principle is to “leave no one behind,” not even migrants.

Rise in number of migrants

• Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one in which they were born. In 2019, the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million, which is 51 million more than in 2010. International migrants comprise 3.5 per cent of the global population. Compared to 2.8 per cent in 2000 and 2.3 per cent in 1980, the proportion of international migrants in the world population has also risen.

• Female migrants constituted 48 per cent of these international migrants. There are an estimated 38 million migrant children, three out of four international migrants are of working age, meaning between 20 and 64 years old. As many as 164 million are migrant workers. Approximately 31 per cent of the international migrants worldwide reside in Asia, 30 per cent in Europe, 26 per cent in the Americas, 10 per cent in Africa and 3 per cent in Oceania.

• While many individuals migrate out of choice, many others migrate out of necessity. The number of globally forcibly displaced people topped 70 million for the first time in UNHCR’s (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) almost 70 year history at the end of 2018. This number includes almost 26 million refugees, 3.5 million asylum seekers, and over 41 million internally displaced persons.

Key points from World Migration Report 2020

• 52 per cent of international migrants were male, 48 per cent were female.

• 74 per cent of all international migrants were of working age (20–64 years).

• More than half of all international migrants (141 million) lived in Europe and Northern America.

• India continued to be the largest country of origin of international migrants. India had the largest number of migrants living abroad (17.5 million), followed by Mexico and

China (11.8 million and 10.7 million respectively).

• The top destination country remained the United States (50.7 million international migrants).

Global action

• Large-scale movements of refugees and migrants affect all UN Member States and they require closer cooperation and responsibility-sharing. In 2016, the UN General Assembly convened a high-level plenary meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants. 

• On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which recognises the need for a comprehensive approach to migration. The New York Declaration acknowledges the positive contribution of migrants to sustainable and inclusive development, and commits to protecting the safety, dignity and human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their migratory status.

• As a result of the New York Declaration, UN Member States agreed to work together to develop the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted at an intergovernmental conference on international migration in December 2018 in Morocco.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

• Established in 1951, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is the leading inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration. IOM works to ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. In 2016, IOM entered into an agreement with the United Nations, becoming one of its specialised agencies.

• With 173 Member States and 9 States holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. 

• The IOM Constitution recognises the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as to the right of freedom of movement.

IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management:

1) Migration and development

2) Facilitating migration

3) Regulating migration

4) Forced migration.

• IOM activities, that cut across these areas, include the promotion of international migration law, policy debate and guidance, protection of migrants’ rights, migration health and the gender dimension of migration.

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