Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be again in Bucharest, for a second time this
year, and address this important gathering. It is an honor to have
the opportunity to share with you IOM’s views on the links
between migration and the future of the Black Sea region.

Before doing that, allow me to congratulate the Government of
Romania, and in particular President Basescu, for having conceived
this initiative. The Black Sea region is the focus of strategic,
geopolitical and security interest. It is an area of enormous
potential. And it is through dialogue and partnership that this
potential can be fulfilled. Hence the great significance and value
of the Black Sea Forum.

Cooperation with the governments in the Black Sea region is of
particular importance for IOM. The growing consciousness of Black
Sea commonality of interest applies also to migration management, a
portfolio that by its nature requires governments to work
together.

In fact, all around the world, governments have come together in
regional processes to discuss migration management and take
cooperative action. IOM encourages and supports regional dialogue
on migration wherever and whenever we can.

We participate in the 5+ 5 Ministerial Dialogue in the Western
Mediterranean, in the Colombo Group of Labor Ministers of South and
East Asia and in many more regional consultative processes all
around the world, sometimes building on existing institutions,
sometimes starting from scratch. We are close partners of the
European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States in their
efforts to develop migration policy and best practice.

Migration is a common-denominator policy issue for all the
states in the Black Sea region. Earlier this year I had the
pleasure of signing in Bucharest a Memorandum of Understanding
between IOM and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Organization.

A number of developments in and around the Black Sea have
contributed to the timeliness of developing a migration dialogue in
the Black Sea region.

• The European Union is moving steadily closer to the shores of
  the Black Sea. Once Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey have joined, the
  Black Sea will become an important watershed for migrants seeking
  work in other countries. The European Neighborhood Policy holds
  promise for the Black Sea countries in the context of “the
  wider Europe”.
• The Commonwealth of Independent States for its part is taking a
  new and active interest in migration issues, particularly in the
  areas of capacity building for governments, measures to counter
  trafficking and smuggling of persons and broadly compatible
  biometric identity systems. The nations of the GUAM Group have
  expressed similar interests.
• Europe increasingly recognizes the necessity of labour
  migration to fill vacancies in their job market and offset the
  effects of their shrinking, aging populations and labor forces. The
  Black Sea region represents an important pool of talent for the EU
  labour market.
• At the same time irregular migration and trafficking in persons
  continue disturbingly both in this region and elsewhere on the
  globe, in spite of all our efforts.
• In a nutshell, the advantages and problems of globalization
  have come to center on the Black Sea region and the attendant need
  to work together on population mobility questions can only
  grow.

IOM is ready and willing to help you with your entire migration
agenda. We have offices in all the Black Sea countries to carry out
a number of pioneering activities. The know-how accumulated in IOM
projects can and should spread to all of the region’s states
through regional information sharing and training.

Specifically, in coordination with seven of your governments,
IOM has submitted a proposal to the European Commission under the
2005 Aeneas budget line for a three-year Black Sea programme in
technical 3 cooperation and regional and inter-regional policy
dialogue. The Aeneas programme would allow you to work with us, as
well as with BSEC and FRONTEX, on all the important migration
questions – borders, regular and irregular flows,
trafficking, rights of migrants and development links. I hope I can
count on you for support of this proposal with the European
Commission and I look forward to adding this important dimension to
our work in the Black Sea region.

On the global level as well, migration is one of the main themes
of 2006. The United Nations will hold a High Level Dialogue on the
subject in September and governments are preparing to come together
at Ministerial level for an important exchange of views. As the
leading international organization in the migration field, IOM is
deeply engaged. The governments in this region will have much to
say at the High Level Dialogue.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

My brief remarks should have given you some sense of the
enthusiasm with which IOM approaches the possibilities of
cooperation in the Black Sea region. I sincerely believe that we
can accomplish much together.

In conclusion, let me repeat that through the capitals of all
nations represented here, IOM will help you to face up to the major
challenges of the future and work hard to make the Black Sea a
model of international cooperation in the field of human
mobility.

Thank you very much.



"/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/media/docs/speech/Black_Sea_Forum_Concept_Note.pdf"
target="_blank" title="">Concept Note

Mr. President and Mr. Secretary General of the United
Nations,

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In this year’s follow-up to the 2001 Declaration of
Commitment on HIV/AIDS, it is imperative that migration enters the
debate. AIDS and migration are eminently cross-national issues.
Every country in the world is touched by migration today, as a
country of origin, transit, destination or return, and most
countries are all of these.

Five years ago, 189 countries committed to developing and
beginning to implement, by 2005, national, regional and
international strategies for HIV prevention for migrants and mobile
workers.¹ However,
the draft country reports prepared for this high-level meeting show
a mixed picture:

Many of the country reports recognize the vulnerability of
cross-border migrants, mobile populations, victims of trafficking
in human beings, refugees, and/or displaced populations, but less
than half describe programmes. Very few transit or destination
countries take into account the issue of return migration, although
reports from some countries of origin illustrate its importance: in
at least three countries a significant proportion of those living
with HIV are nationals who were infected while working abroad.

Overall, the country reports touch upon a number of critical
issues, such as the epidemiology and demographics of HIV as they
are related to population mobility, and of irregular migration and
of stigma. The AIDS prevention programming as described in the
country reports vary for the different groups - labour migrants,
ethnic minorities, forced migrants, tourist industry workers, and
people who move from one place to another for professional
reasons.

Particular difficulties are described in providing access to
treatment, care and support for migrants and mobile populations,
especially when those diagnosed with HIV or AIDS are in transit or
have irregular status. Other barriers, even for migrants in regular
status, are linguistic and cultural, but also legal, such as
“…laws that may hinder the delivery of HIV prevention
and treatment services to vulnerable and at-risk populations
[including] … use of residency status to restrict access to
services.” ^"#2">2

Other issues are barely touched upon in the reports. Gender
issues with respect to migration deserve more attention, and little
mention is made of either internal displacement or of trafficking
in human beings. Little or no attention is given to the migration
of health workers that drains already-overextended health systems
in countries heavily affected by AIDS.

Mr. President,

This review and high level meeting of the General Assembly
invites us to assess what needs to be done. Improved data gathering
and knowledge-sharing is essential, along with more systematic
programme evaluation, although these must be conjugated to avoid
further stigmatizing already-stigmatized groups.

In particular, partnerships between governments and
organizations at community, national and regional levels must be
strengthened, to improve access to prevention, treatment and care
for all mobile populations, regardless of immigration or residence
status. Such programmes must be funded, and IOM joins civil society
in stressing the importance of the Global Fund in reaching
universal access by 2010 and in supporting the call for all
technically sound Round 6 proposals to be fully funded in 2006. IOM
also calls for increased attention to population mobility by
Country Coordinating Mechanisms.

As pointed out in the Secretary General’s report,
effective prevention means that the global community must address
the factors that increase vulnerability to HIV, such as poverty,
illiteracy, economic and gender inequality and all forms of
discrimination and social exclusion. ^href="#3">3 In the case of population mobility, this
means better integration of migrants and reinforced linkages
between communities of origin, transit, destination and return.

Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity for IOM to inject
the issue of migration in this follow-up to the 2001 Declaration of
Commitment on HIV/AIDS.

---

^"1">1 The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
(United Nations, 2001) paragraph 50.

^"2">2 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS: five
years later: Report of the Secretary-General, A/60/736, 24 March
2006, para 37, p. 14.

^"3">3 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS: five
years later: Report of the Secretary-General, A/60/736, 24 March
2006, para 59, p. 19.