Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour and pleasure for me to be with you today. This is my first official visit to the Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China since I assumed my current mandate in 2008. I have been constantly impressed with the economic, social and cultural dynamics in East Asia – and nowhere is this dynamism more evident than here in Hong Kong and China as a whole.

Undoubtedly, Hong Kong represents one of the most dynamic and prosperous areas of East Asia – an area which has been a magnet for migrants for many years. For example, I understand that currently there are about 485,000 migrants in Hong Kong from many countries of origin. Of these, the large majority – some 300,000 - are employed for domestic work.

The growing importance of migration issues is evident from your own profiles -- you, the participants in this seminar. You represent consulates, local and national authorities, international organizations, and NGOs providing support to migrants. With your active participation, it is a special pleasure for IOM to introduce the latest World Migration Report entitled “Communicating Effectively about Migration”. IOM published this report last year in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Organization. It is very timely to discuss migration issues with you drawing on this report today; after all, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the IOM office in Hong Kong - opened one year after IOM was founded.

In my brief opening remarks, I would like to highlight three points:

• Global context of migration
• The need to promote unbiased public perceptions on migrants and migration, along with concrete measures to facilitate positive contributions from migration
• The importance of partnerships in migration management

1. Global Context of Migration

First of all, some context. We live in an era of unprecedented human mobility. Migration is already and will remain a “megatrend” of the twenty-first century. This is driven by an entire range of realities because of 1) demographic trends of an ageing industrialized population and an expanding youth population in developing countries with limited access to jobs; 2) labour market demands that can no longer be satisfied by the domestic workforce; 3) widening global economic and social disparities, and 4) climate change and other man-made catastrophe and disasters.

We live in an era of the greatest human mobility in recorded history - an era in which migration is becoming a driver of the global economy. As you know very well, migration affects every aspect of our economic, social and cultural life today. There are nearly 1 billion migrants in the world – one in every 6 or 7 people – 214 million are international migrants, and 740 million are internal migrants. During the next three decades, we expect the number of international migrants to nearly double to 405 million by 2050. China alone has 200 million domestic migrants – roughly as many as the total number of international migrants.

Migrants contribute significantly to development in host society through the filling of labour shortages, innovation in business, consuming local goods and services, and paying tax, social insurance and pensions. Migrants contribute equally to development in their home countries through remittances and transfers of knowledge and technology. Migrants sent USD440 billion dollars home in 2010, a major contribution to global development: migrant remittances are more than double the total official development assistance (ODA); on a par with foreign direct investment (FDI); and the equivalent of the GDP of Switzerland or Kuwait.

2. Public Perceptions on Migrants and Migration and Measures to Facilitate Contributions from Migration

Given unprecedented human mobility today, the WMR highlights the need to promote unbiased public perceptions about migrants and migration.

Although we live in a globalized world characterized by human mobility, migration is one of the most misunderstood issues of our time. It is a cruel irony that, at a moment of the greatest human mobility in recorded history, there is a rising tide of anti-migrant sentiment in much of the world - especially in highly industrialized countries and, sadly, even in traditional migrant countries.

As an illustration of common misperceptions about migrants and migration, the World Migration Report shows that people in destination countries tend to significantly overestimate the size of the migrant population, sometimes as much as 300%. For example, in the United States of America, which we all know is a country built by migrants, some public opinion polls in 2010 showed that the American public believed the percentage of migrants in the population to be 39%, while the actual percentage stood at 14%. Estimates were similarly exaggerated in Italy and several other developed countries.

In the face of economic downturns - and this has been the case in every economic depression since the 1930s - inaccurate communication about migration and migrants contributes to widespread anti-migrants sentiment. Migration is often seen as the catch-all issue - an issue that masks public fears and uncertainties related to unemployment, housing and social cohesion in host countries. Migration is also often blamed for the loss of human capital and for economic dependency in countries of origin.

Having said this, it has never been our intention to promote an uncritical bias, or one-sided rosy image of migration. An open discussion on migration means understanding and directly addressing what drives people’s fears and the negative attitudes as expressed in polls, public debates, the media, etc.

Along with the promotion of public awareness on migration realities, it is critically important to maximize migrants’ positive contributions, while at the same time minimizing its negative effects. For example, in close partnership with development agencies, IOM has been supporting measures to enhance the development potential of migration. Together with its 15 UN partners in the Global Migration Group (GMG), IOM produced a handbook entitled “Mainstreaming Migration into Development Planning” in 2010. This handbook provides useful tools to incorporate migration into development planning through the formulation of strategic goals and priorities. IOM has been also working closely with government, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations on joint measures to combat human trafficking and smuggling as well as providing assistance to vulnerable migrants and their families including those caught in humanitarian crises.

In this context, I am pleased to inform you that IOM started very early initiatives here in Hong Kong in 1990s for objectively analyzing the profiles and needs of migrant workers through Tracer Study on Filipino Domestic Workers Abroad. A few years later, IOM also conducted a Reintegration project for Filipino Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and their Family in the Philippines in partnership with ILO and UNDP.

In sum, communication effectively about migration is paramount if we are to promote a wider understanding that migration is both a reality and a necessity in this interconnected world. If intelligently and humanely managed (with targeted support measures), migration is also highly desirable

3. Multi-Sectoral Partnership in Migration Management

In relation to migration management, let me make my third point on the importance of multi-sectoral partnership. No single organization can manage migration alone. Multi-sectoral partnership is essential. Partnership should encompass all the government bodies in charge of full spectrum of migration management including border control, labour issues, health, education and social welfare; partnership should include also civil society, international organizations, academics, the private-sector, and migrants themselves. A "whole of government" approach matched by a "whole of society" approach.

IOM places great value on the promotion of migration dialogue. We do this in a variety of ways - e.g. through various regional and global forums including our support for the 16 Regional Consultative Processes (RCPs) throughout the world such as the Bali Process and the Colombo Process. We also support actively the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), and IOM’s own International Dialogue on Migration (IDM). IOM is also actively supporting the preparation of the 2nd UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in 2013.

In this global context, forums on migration issues such as this seminar serve as an important platform for information sharing and partnership building for purposes of supporting migrants.

In conclusion, I wish to express my deep appreciation for our partnership in Hong Kong. It is an honour to be here to mark the 60th anniversary of the Hong Kong Office, founded in 1952. In the past 60 years, the IOM Office has assisted more than 100,000 migrants to be resettled abroad; IOM Hong Kong continues to provide migration services such as movement assistance, cultural orientation, assisted voluntary return and reintegration for the victims of human trafficking, and training workshops for government officials. We stand ready to expand our migration projects into additional areas such as migrant health and labour migration.

After Hong Kong, I will continue my trip to Shanghai and Beijing. In Shanghai, I will attend an International Conference on Immigration Inspection and Service on 20-21 August. It is an honour for IOM that we and the Immigration Department of Hong Kong Special Administration are co-sponsors of this conference in partnership with the Ministry of Public Security of People’s Republic of China.

Ladies and Gentlemen, again I thank you for your participation in today’s seminar. Let us continue to work together for the benefits of migrants and the society.

Now I pass the baton to my colleague, the Head of our IOM Office in Cambodia, Mr. Bruno Maltoni, to elaborate further on the findings of the World Migration Report and related issues.