Mr. Chairperson,

First of all, allow me to congratulate you and the other members
of the Bureau on your elections.

Mr. Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and
Gentlemen,

I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) to address the 46th
session of the Commission for Social Development on its
deliberations related to policy options and practical measures to
promote full employment and decent work for all. The theme for this
2007-2008 review and policy cycle is particularly significant for
IOM as labour migration has become "a key aspect of human mobility
and the global economy " accounting for nearly 90 million migrant
workers, many of them living and working abroad on a temporary
basis. The nature of the employment sectors – often
low-skilled and informal – as well as the modalities of work
abroad has been increasingly the subject of national, regional and
international debate on international labour mobility policies and
strategies. An immediate concern is the human and labour rights and
status of migrant workers. As the report of the Secretary-General
indicates, global labour trends present risks for the social
protection of certain vulnerable groups, among whom international
migrants, and migrant women in particular, are especially
exposed.

This Mr. Chairman does not necessarily need to be so. Migration
management policies and practices that are conducive to the
realization of the "decent work" agenda must and can be set in
place. We particularly appreciate the measures identified in the
Secretary-General's report aimed at recognizing and improving the
capacities of migrants, such as skills recognition agreements,
vocational training programs and fair recruitment practices, among
others. A common problem faced by migrant workers is high migration
costs as a result of excessive (and often illegal) intermediation
fees. Other problems include, in some countries, poor working
conditions, absence of adequate social protection and freedom of
association, isolation, exclusion and xenophobia. These problems
erode the benefits of migration for all parties and seriously
undermine its development impact including productive employment
and decent work. Where necessary, countries of origin and
destination need to have in place policies, legislation and
mechanisms that afford migrant workers protection and support from
any abuses in the labour migration process. An important part of
IOM's work in labour migration is policy dialogue and technical
cooperation in putting such systems in place. For example, to
assist States and other stakeholders in their efforts to develop
new policies approaches, solutions and practical measures for
better management of labour migration, jointly with the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the
International Labour Office (ILO), IOM produced in May 2006 a
Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies in
Countries of Origin and Destination, intended primarily for use by
policy makers and other stakeholders in Eastern European countries
and the CIS. It was translated into Russian and launched and
discussed at a regional workshop in Moscow in December 2007.
Subsequently, IOM, OSCE and ILO have collaborated to produce an
updated and revised version tailored for the Mediterranean region
which has been translated into Arabic and was launched and
discussed at a regional workshop in Rabat in December 2007.

Mr. Chairperson,

International cooperation on these topics is also progressing
rapidly. Regional Consultative Processes continue to offer a
healthy platform for partnerships and new initiatives are
developing, while globally the Global Forum on Migration and
Development (GFMD) has also been addressing issues such as "human
capital, development and labour mobility" with the aim to maximize
the beneficial effects of labour migration. No doubt, the next
session of the GFMD in Manila this coming October with its focus on
social protection and empowerment of migrants will further
contribute to the application of the "decent work" concept in the
international migration management agenda.

At the regional level, a significant initiative has just been
launched in January 2008 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where
ministers from Asian labour countries of origin, Gulf destination
countries and other Asian countries concluded the Abu Dhabi
Dialogue by adopting a forward-looking Declaration that paves the
way for the better management of temporary contractual labour
mobility. Key action-oriented partnerships between countries of
origin and destination were identified, which include the need for
participating countries to share information on labour market
trends, patterns of remittances, and build the ability of States to
effectively match the demand and supply of temporary contractual
labour through the entire migration cycle. The Declaration also
recognizes the joint responsibility of countries of origin and
destination to work to prevent illegal recruitment practices and to
promote transparent recruitment and employment policies to ensure
the well-being, welfare and protection of temporary labour migrant
workers. As part of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, a follow up ministerial
consultation on overseas employment and contractual labour will be
held in two years time.

In conclusion Mr. Chairperson, allow me to confirm the interest
of IOM to pursue our common effort of decent work for all,
including for those who are strangers in our midst. IOM is
committed to assist States and other players in efforts to promote
the welfare of migrants, based on the assumption that these are
beneficial not only to migrants themselves, but also to the host
community, and are a powerful tool to foster development.

Thank you.