23rd International Humanitarian and Security Conference (IHSC) - “The Need for Effective Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration”

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a pleasure to be with you today for the opening of this year’s edition of the Humanitarian and Security Conference.

Let me thank Webster University for organizing this timely discussion on one of our most important collective priorities: the question of refugees and migration.

Testament to the ambition of this conference, we have more than 15 speakers before lunchtime alone, so I will be brief, and share with you just three points that I see as key in our debate on refugees and migration.

My first point is about the language we use when we talk about migration.

Opening your average newspaper, you might well read a sentence like this: “Swarms of illegal aliens are invading our countries like a tsunami, while our governments struggle to find a solution to the crisis.”

There are so many problems with that sentence:

̶ Talking about tsunamis portrays migration as if it were a natural disaster;
̶ talking about an invasion suggests bad intentions and conjures up images of hostile armies;
̶ talking about swarms of illegals de-humanizes migrants;
̶ and talking about a solution implies there is a problem.

None of which is true. Migration is an essential part of human existence, a fact of life, and, importantly, a positive phenomenon.

Migration powers economic growth, reduces inequalities, connects diverse societies and helps us balance the demographic cycle of population growth and decline.

Yet the language we use is political, loaded, and biased – just ask yourself why a European scientist working in Africa is called an expat; but an African academic teaching in Europe an immigrant.

Language can distort our frame of reference for understanding migration. This is why precise terminology is so important, and why we need clear and robust definitions of refugees and of migrants.

My second point is about the perspective we take when trying to understand the phenomenon of migration.

For too long, migration has been treated as a national or at best regional issue. This is out of focus. Migration is a global phenomenon and needs to be treated as such.

Globally, however, migration remains poorly managed. As a result, many migrants are stigmatized, trapped in unbearable legal limbo and often forced into the shadows of illegality.

We need more concerted collective action on a global scale.

Which brings me to my third point, namely the tools we have to manage migration:

The United Nations has put migration squarely on its agenda.

With the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration as well as the Global Compact for Refugees – whose ‘zero drafts’ were both released in the past weeks – we have an opportunity to fashion a truly global response to migration. And I certainly hope we do. Because we are facing the possibility of massive numbers of people on the move in the not too distant future and we need to be much better prepared.

Geneva will continue to play a critical role in this collective endeavor – and not just because two critical actors – the IOM and UNHCR – are headquartered here. It is the broader ecosystem in which they can incubate and execute ideas – the diversity of voices from governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector – that makes Geneva such a unique environment to help create a world safe for migration and refugees.

Thank you again and much success in the coming days.