Your Excellency, Dr MARTY NATELEGAWA, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Indonesia;

Your Excellency, Mr. KEVIN RUDD, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Australia;

Heads of Delegations, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies
and Gentlemen:

It is an honour and privilege for the International Organization
for Migration (IOM) to participate in today's meeting of the United
Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAoC) Group of Friends and to
continue our strong partnership with the UNAoC.

Today, one seventh of humanity is on the move at any one time
— one billion persons

The information and communications revolutions have fuelled this
— the largest movement of people in recorded history. At any
given place, migrants know at any one moment, anything that is
happening anywhere in the world. Consider for example:

• More than 247 billion emails are transmitted every day.
• Almost 2 billion persons now have access to the internet (in
  contrast to only 390 million people 12 years ago).
• Facebook now has more than 500 million subscribers; and
• Twitter has some 200 million users; and both are growing
  exponentially.

Social media advances have accelerated human movement. Combined
with the global youth bulge and mass youth unemployment, social
media has served as the catalyst for the "Arab Spring" we have
witnessed across the Middle East and North Africa.

In this connection, IOM and UNHCR in partnership with
Governments have undertaken over the last month, the largest
migrant evacuation exercise since the First Gulf War to facilitate
the movement of more than 200,000 migrants, 70,000 of these on our
own —including many nationalities represented here at the
Bali Process

While it is the information and communications revolutions that
helped spark mass human mobility, it is current global trends that
will ensure that mass migration continues well into this Millennium
— and that will make migration a 21st Century "Mega-trend".
These trends are demographic and labour market trends and widening
North-South disparities.

The critical question for States, therefore, is how to manage
migration effectively – both nationally and regionally
— because, given these global trends, large population
movements are inevitable. They are also necessary, and if managed
properly, desirable as well.

One part of the answer to this critical questions is to be found
in the work of this Regional Consultative Process (RCPs); one of 15
that now cover the world and work effectively to bring together
destination, origin and transit countries regularly, and in doing
so, underscore that migration is a shared matter of concern and
opportunity.

This brings me to the first of my three brief points:
acknowledgement of the considerable progress, achieved by you, the
Member States, to establish the Bali Process as a model RCP.

Intercultural dialogue among states, regions, countries and
communities is one of the most effective means to ensure that
social change is harmonious.  In this respect, the UNAoC is
playing a key role.  Please be assured of IOM's continued and
unfailing full support of your office.

I. The Bali Process: Almost a decade of
Progress

Over the last nine years you have achieved an impressive track
record, including:

• a substantive dialogue on migration matters, often on sensitive
  issues;
• new networks, enhanced information sharing, and the exploration
  of areas of policy convergence among Bali Process Member States;
  and
• the conduct of professional workshops and training on various
  aspects of migration management.

Moreover, I applaud the efforts of Member States that
contributed to the deliberations of the Ad Hoc Working Group as it
addressed the tasks identified at the Third Bali Process
Ministerial Conference that I was pleased to attend in April
2009.

IOM commends the Ad Hoc Working Group's forward work programme.
We welcome, in particular, your renewed emphasis on tackling the
issue of trafficking in persons and people smuggling. The human
suffering and abuse of migrants' rights concerns us all.

II. Support to the Proposed Regional Cooperation
Framework

This brings me to my second point: IOM fully supports the
proposed "inclusive but non-binding" Regional Cooperation Framework
— a concept outlined in the Co-Chairs' Statement issued at
the conclusion of the Fourth Ad Hoc Group's Meeting earlier this
month. IOM fully supports the core principles outlined in the
Co-Chairs' Statement, most notably the need for:

(a) consistent assessment processes for asylum seekers;

(b) the identification and implementation of durable solutions for
refugees;

(c) voluntary return options for persons not in need of
protection; and

(d) a broad range of anti-trafficking and smuggling efforts across
the region.

The Framework provides an opportunity to advance coherence,
consistency and common understanding in regional migration
policies; and we are pleased that the Co-Chairs' Statement calls
upon IOM, UNHCR, and other relevant international organizations, to
assist with its implementation. Clearly, the cooperation of all
will help ensure progress.

IOM has extensive presence in the region -- including a presence
in 27 of 41 Bali member countries; in 10 of the 12 Ad Hoc Group
(AHG) countries; and in 8 of the 10 ASEAN countries; this makes IOM
a natural partner to Bali Process Member States.

Moreover, the region is home to some of our largest IOM missions
globally, including those in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, and here in Indonesia.

IOM's capacity building initiatives and specialized programmes
span the full spectrum of migration management – from
counter-trafficking, border management, and assisted voluntary
return, to migration and health, resettlement, and facilitated
labour migration.

IOM is committed to support you as you seek to balance the need
to prevent and control irregular movements — including
smuggling and trafficking — and, at the same time to
facilitate regular migration opportunities — all in an effort
to respond to the global demographic trends, regional economic
integration developments, labor market requirements, and
north-South disparities, which I mentioned earlier.

III. Capacity Building

This brings me to my third and final point — that if Bali
Process Member States are to succeed in addressing issues of
security and criminality related to migration — all must have
sufficient capacities to honor their commitments and meet their
migration responsibilities.

Better-resourced countries are able to invest substantially in
systems, technologies, and staff development to address migration
issues; yet even they have difficulty in keeping pace with emerging
trends.

We have among us today representatives of many countries who
seek to improve their governments' performance, but require
international cooperation and support to do so.

One of the objectives that we could therefore work towards is
the enhancement of the capacities of less-resourced Bali Process
Member States to manage migratory flows in and out of their
countries in a safe, humane, and orderly manner.

I should like to point to five key areas in which help is
particularly needed, areas in which IOM is already actively engaged
in work with its Member States, which sit squarely within the
parameters of the proposed Regional Cooperation Framework:

1. Technical expertise to develop legislative and policy
   frameworks covering migration management of border systems,
   including the issuance of travel documents including passports and
   visas.
2. Enhancing capacity to investigate and prosecute crimes related
   to migrant smuggling and trafficking, particularly those of a
   trans-national nature.
3. Ensuring that victims of trafficking have full access to
   information, medical care, shelter and other forms of support and
   assistance. Many countries in the region have invested

   significant resources into developing new laws, policies and
   programmes but these efforts must be sustained.

4. Developing Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration
   programmes as integral elements of national migration management
   systems. Bali process member states including Australia, Papua New
   Guinea, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan have all worked
   closely with IOM in this area and are now familiar with the
   modalities of our assistance. They can join with us in sharing
   experiences with other Bali process members.
5. The provision of humanitarian services to irregular migrants
   whether in closed or open facilities, with particular emphasis on
   meeting the physical or psycho-social needs of vulnerable persons
   such as women, children and unaccompanied minors.
6. And finally, resettlement to make the transition from a country
   of asylum to a country of destination safe and predictable.

Conclusion

To conclude let me briefly summarize my three main points:

One: IOM is proud of its association with the Bali Process and
congratulates Member States on the significant progress achieved
since the 2009 Third Ministerial Conference.

Two: That the Regional Cooperation Framework that is under
consideration at this meeting provides a unique opportunity for
Bali Process Member States to come together and to develop with the
its international partners including IOM, coherent migration
management polices, including both those to address irregular
migration and to facilitate regular movements.

Three: A sustained capacity building effort is needed to enable
participating countries to enhance their policy, administrative,
and operational responses to combat irregular migration and promote
orderly and humane migration, in full respect of the human rights
of all migrants.