Excellencies, Distinguished Officials, Members of the United Nations Family, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the 2009 International Dialogue on Migration (IDM). This year's Dialogue is dedicated to the overarching theme of Human Rights and Migration – Working Together for Safe, Dignified and Secure Migration – and specifically we will be focusing at this first intersessional workshop on "Respect for the Human Rights of Migrants as A Shared Responsibility."

Building and strengthening partnerships is a priority for IOM. As such, I am pleased that IOM Member States and observers, civil society, the private sector, and the UN system, including members of the Global Migration Group, are represented here today.

We are particularly honored that Mr. Ngonlardje Mbaidjol, Special Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will make the keynote address for this session.

We are also pleased and honoured to welcome Mr. Abdelhamid el Jamri, Chairperson of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers; and Mr. Ositadinma Anaedu, representative of the Chair of the UN Human Rights Council. Unfortunately, the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Mr. Jorge Bustamante, could not join us today; however, we will be certain to share the outcomes of this important workshop with his office.

1. Migration and Human Rights

The decision of Member States to select "Human Rights and Migration" as the overarching theme of this year's IDM speaks volumes on the evolution of this issue. Only a few short years ago, it would have been considered divisive or even taboo to discuss the human rights of migrants in an international gathering.

Today, all States acknowledge that human rights are the sine qua non for safe, secure and dignified migration. And yet, there is so much to be done to move from rhetoric to action; so much to be done to incorporate human rights into national and international migration policies, legislation and programming. Over the course of the next two days, we will have the opportunity to explore specific, concrete measures that governments are taking or can take at all points of the migration spectrum – as well as steps by inter-governmental and non-governmental actors - to make the human rights of migrants a reality.

IOM is fundamentally committed – in its day-to-day activity – to working with you, our membership, at the policy, programmatic and operational levels to assist your efforts to give effect to the human rights of migrants. Concern for the well-being of migrants has been present in IOM's constituent documents – and reflected in its activities, projects and programmes – since the Organization's inception more than half a century ago. Moreover, in IOM's view, good migration management is premised on, and fully takes account of, protection of the rights of all migrants. This is done through the establishment and implementation of fair, transparent and balanced migration laws, policies and programmes. I am pleased that some IOM programmes - undertaken at your request and in conjunction with you to this end - will be presented during our dialogue.

The topic before us is all the more important in the context of the unfolding economic crisis, when racism, xenophobia and discrimination are too often the response. IOM is committed to do everything possible to prevent the victimization and criminalization of migrants. We must avoid making a migrant crisis out of an economic crisis. In today's labour market, migrants can actually represent an integral part of the solution if migration is responsibly managed.

2. Member State Ownership and the IDM

A second priority for IOM is to ensure "Member State ownership" of the organization. In tangible terms, this means two things.

First, Member State ownership means encouraging IOM Member States and observers to realise the full benefits of migration and to take advantage of capacity-building initiatives, educational and awareness programmes.

Second, Member State ownership means sharing good migration practices and lessons learned. Through our occasional "information afternoons" on thematic issues, and policy updates on topical issues, such as the impact of the financial crisis on migration, we want to position IOM better as a global leader on the cutting-edge of migration research and policy.

The IDM is the capstone of this effort – an effort that brings together as it does the priorities of effective partnerships, Member State ownership and the sharing of effective practices and lessons learned. The IDM finds its basis in both the IOM Constitution and the IOM Strategy Document (activity 7) agreed by Member States. Both documents call for the establishment of such a forum for the exchange of views on innovative migration policies and practices and to advance international cooperation on migration.

The Membership therefore has a major stake in this forum, and we are eager to listen to your views on how best this dialogue can serve your needs and national, regional and international policy and practice. (By way of a public announcement, we have for distribution the lessons learned on Return Migration from the 2008 IDM)

3. Conclusion

Our exchanges over the next two days will focus in practical ways on the critical issue of human rights and migration; our objective is to identify concrete measures and effective and innovative practices. The next workshop of the IDM in 2009 will take place in July and will focus on "Trafficking and Exploitation of Migrants: Ensuring Protection of Human Rights", subject to receipt of donor funding. The results of both workshops will be shared at the annual IOM Council session in November.

This concludes my remarks. There is an impressive array of expertise and experience assembled in this room and I am eager to listen to your views on how together we can advance our shared responsibility for Human Rights and Migration.