Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families Concludes Fortieth Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on the Reports of Jamaica, Mexico and Niger
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families this afternoon concluded its fortieth session after adopting concluding observations on the reports of Jamaica, Mexico and Niger.
The concluding observations will be available on the webpage of the session in the coming days.
Fatimata Diallo, Committee Chair, reiterated the urgent need to redouble efforts to save lives and protect the human rights of migrants. Current migration channels were not adapted to new migration patterns, which often pushed migrants through irregular and dangerous routes, where they risked violence, exploitation, abuse, or loss of life. The year 2023 was the deadliest year in the last decade for migrants using these routes. Migration issues were cross-cutting across the humanitarian and development fields and should be considered in relevant instruments and forums, including the Global Compact on Refugees, the Global Refugee Forum, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
As of 21 February 2025, 60 States were parties to the Convention. The Committee was pleased that, in November 2024, Zimbabwe became the sixtieth State party to the Convention. The Committee continued its campaign for ratification by raising awareness in collaboration with States parties, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and civil society organizations, and by disseminating its general comments worldwide. While ratification by 60 States was a good start, the Convention remained the least ratified of the core international human rights treaties. In line with the recommendations of the President of Global Migration Policy Associates, a concerted, organised, well resourced, multi-stakeholder, and independently led campaign was a key means of obtaining more ratifications.
Ms. Diallo noted that the treaty body system had been affected by chronic resource constraints, in addition to the current liquidity crisis, which prevented this Committee and others from fully implementing their activities. It was vital that these resources were strengthened. Despite these constraints, the process of strengthening the treaty bodies had led to significant results, in response to the adoption of General Assembly resolution 68/268. At the Meeting of Chairpersons of Treaty Bodies in June this year, States were urged to approve the introduction of a predictable eight-year review timetable, with follow-up reviews in between. It was regrettable that the resolution recently adopted in New York did not take into account the recommendations on the foreseeable eight-year timetable, including on the harmonisation of the working methods of the Committees.
Ms. Diallo commended the Governments of Jamaica, Mexico and Niger, whose reports were reviewed this session, for their commitment to and participation in the dialogue. Also during the session, the Committee adopted the list of issues for Tajikistan, in relation to its third periodic report, as well as the lists of issues prior to reporting for Fiji, Guinea and Ecuador in relation to their initial, second and fourth periodic reports respectively.
The Chair then briefed the Committee on other activities which were undertaken during the session. The Committee had held collaborative dialogues with the International Labour Organization, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Committee against Torture. On 15 April, the Committee held a public side event to launch the general comment on the convergent protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families through the Convention and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, with participation from States, United Nations agencies, and civil society.
Finally, the Committee adopted the draft annual report covering the thirty-ninth and fortieth sessions, as well as intersessional activities. Ms. Diallo thanked all Committee members and members of the Secretariat for their commitment to what had been a busy and successful session.
The forty-first session of the Committee is scheduled to be held in December 2025 in Geneva.
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