Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday described migration as a most complex human phenomenon, but said migration and migrants are not to be feared or avoided. “Rather we need to see how we can realise the transformative potential of migration by laying appropriate framework for governance of migration,” she told while inaugurating the ninth summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital. Delegates from about 125 countries and over 30 UN agencies, international organisations, global civil society and businesses are taking part in the three-day long global summit. “A migrant is just not a labour. Each migrant has a unique story to tell. A migrant makes so much of sacrifice as he leaves his family and country. Migrants contribute their ideas, labour and resources in the development of the host societies,” said the prime minister. “They also spend their best part of life for others. Often we ignore their human stories, their inalienable rights as human beings,” she said.
In the recent years, Hasina said, there has been an intense focus and advancement on migration issues, recognising that migration connects communities, economies and societies. “Migration is equally essential for peace, stability and growth,” she noted. “In a diverse and connected world, migration is inevitable and essential. Societies need to understand the benefits of diversity for harmony among all people, including the migrants, said the premier.
“As the GFMD moves to the global consultative process in 2017, we must pledge and act to lift the migrants from misery and agony,” she added.
Hasina said, “The global development vision, popularly known as Agenda 2030, recognises migration as a key enabler of sustainable development. In order to realise these, we need to identify convergence of our interests, balance our needs, aspirations, security concerns and opportunities.”
“People move for so many purposes, just not for work. In a globalised world, people will continue to move in large numbers. Therefore, the challenge is how we can facilitate safe, orderly and regular movement of people more. And, ensure that a person moves as a matter of free choice,” she said.
Placing emphasis on ensuring that migrants move and work in dignity and safety, the prime minister said that their rights should be protected in all situations, regardless of their status as agreed in New York in last September. “Migration is no longer about ‘us’ and ‘them’, it is about prosperity and well-being of all people, all states,” she said.
This April, Hasina said that Bangladesh proposed a comprehensive Global Compact for Migration Governance at the United Nations and at the UN Summit on Migrants and Refugees this September and the world accepted our ideas of a Migration Compact.
Now, she said, “We are working with states and civil society to push for a comprehensive Global Compact of Migrants and Refugees that should get adopted in 2018 at the UN.”
As the GFMD Summit gets into business, Hasina urged all to be ambitious, pragmatic and balanced in designing a new Compact.
“We need to secure a predictable and responsible international response to migrants and refugees to realise the promises of ‘transformation’ of the Agenda 2030”, she said.
“It is time that the GFMD speaks candidly and boldly. I am happy that GFMD will focus on some of the challenging issues, like migrants in situations of crisis and conflicts, migration governance, diversity and harmony,” she added.
The inaugural session was also addressed by Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam, UN Under Secretary General for Department of Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo, who represented UN Secretary-General, International Organisation for Migration Director General Ambassador William Lacy Swing, International Labour Organisation Director General Guy Ryder, Deputy Executive Director of  UN Women Lakshmi Puri, who represented the Chair of the Global Migration Group (GMG), and Senior Adviser of Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for International Migration Francois Fouinat. A video message of UN Secretary General-designate Antonio Guterres was also broadcast at the programme. Colin Rajah, Chair of Ninth GFMD Civil Society Days (CSD), presented a report on their two-day meeting on December 8-9 prior to the summit.