In December, 2000, the UN General Assembly designated December 18 International Migrants Day to spread the message of the “International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families”, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1990.

Grey picture of migration

In the “World Migration Report 2024” released in July, 2024, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said there are estimated 281 million people living in a country other than their country of birth in 2020, 128 million more than in 1990, and more than three times a 1970 estimate. Migration is a growing trend, with migrants accounting for 3.6% of the world’s population in 2020.

According to the IOM, migration is a natural flow in line with the socio-economic needs of countries and communities. Migration has always been an important driver of economic development. But instability and conflicts in many parts of the world are causing forced migration, illegal migration, and an alarming increase in migrant deaths. Conflicts in Sudan, the Gaza Strip, and Ukraine, prolonged political instability in the Middle East and North Africa, and economic crises in South America are causing the largest waves of migration and asylum-seeking since the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: “There are today 123 million displaced people in the world. People who have had to flee violence conflicts like the one in Lebanon, where the devastation is catastrophic, and like in Gaza, a desperately needed ceasefire does not materialize.”

Forced migration, which is often carried out on illegal routes, puts the safety and even the lives of migrants at risk. According to the World Health Organization, at least 8,500 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2023, making it the deadliest year on record. Migration routes from North Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, from France to the UK across the English Channel, and from South America to Central America across the Darien Gap all recorded the highest number of migrant deaths in many years.

There are some positive signs, however. Since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar Al-Assad’s government and took power in Syria, a major source of migrants and asylum-seekers over the past decade, a large number of Syrian refugees have started to return home. Rema Jamous Imseis, Director of the UN Refugee Agency in charge of the Middle East and North Africa, said about 1 million Syrians will return in the next six months, significantly reducing pressure on countries like Turkey, where some 3 million Syrians have sheltered since 2011.

Honoring migrants for their contributions

After pointing to the humanitarian problems migration has created, the IOM also emphasized the economic contributions made by migrants. Remittances sent home by migrants have increased sevenfold over the past two decades – from 128 billion USD in 2000 to 831 billion USD in 2022. Remittances have contributed greatly to the economic growth of India (111 billion USD), Mexico (61 billion USD) and the Philippines (38 billion USD).

Ugochi Daniels, IOM’s Deputy Director General for Operations, said: “In a world where we are witnessing never-ending crises, IOM firmly believes that wise management of migration is fundamental to the sustainable development and prosperity of all countries.”

To protect the rights of migrants and help countries make the most of the migrants’ contributions to their economy, IOM is launching Global Appeal 2025 to mobilize financial contributions to action plans in 170 countries and territories that will help 100 million migrants.

On December 15 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on countries to honor their commitments under the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCSORM), adopted by the UN six years ago. Guterres said the agreement provides specific solutions to protect the lives and rights of migrants and a solid legal framework for mobilizing contributions to the economic development of each host country.