Thailand - The rights of migrants were highlighted by IOM at a high-level meeting on civil registration held in Bangkok yesterday (10/12) – International Human Rights Day.

Addressing the gathering hosted by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), IOM Regional Director Andrew Bruce stressed the right to leave and return to one’s country, the right to live in security, and the right to mobility.

The conference, which ends today, brought together states from across the region from Armenia to Tonga to discuss the value of civil registration (specifically of births) and other vital statistics.

It was co-organized by the World Health Organization, in cooperation with IOM and 16 other partners including the Asian Development Bank, UN agencies, the Royal Thai Government, Plan International, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the University of Queensland.

In his address to the opening session Mr. Bruce stressed the balance that needs to be struck between mobility and the sovereign right of states to determine who can enter their territory. He also referred to border management tools for implementing the public security measures needed to protect citizens.

“Effective border management relies on effective identity management and document integrity for migrants entering a country,” he noted.  “Positive regional efforts have been made to secure the proper use of international travel documents. But the lack of effective mechanisms for recording births and deaths in some countries may impede people’s ability to obtain travel documents, and facilitate increases in identity fraud or theft and the use of fraudulent documents,” he noted.

IOM aims to supports UNESCAP’s Regional Strategic Plan by helping governments to collect, share and compare reliable and comprehensive statistics and data on civil registration and vital statistics, to enhance migration management capacity and advance understanding of migration issues.

IOM assistance includes technical expertise, including identity solutions, data management, infrastructure/IT capacity, personal identification/registration system and security documents. It also provides legislative, policy and operational assistance to states, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

For more information please contact

Joe Lowry
IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok
Tel. +66 81 870 8081
Email: jlowry@iom.int