Your Excellency Prime Minister Erdo?an;

Your Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United
Nations;

High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations, President Sampao;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is an honour for the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) to participate in this “first Partners Forum for the
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.”

Since the UNAoC’s creation -- and I personally have been
an enthusiastic AoC supporter -- IOM has served as the
Alliance’s principal partner on migration.

Over the past four years, IOM has contributed its migration
expertise, staff and operational resources to joint UNAoC and IOM
initiatives involving youth.  These include: (1)
“PLURAL+”— a multimedia competition that promotes
tolerance and social cohesion; and (2) “Building Inclusive
Societies” — an interactive platform for governments,
international organizations, civil society, and others to share
effective practices in local integration.   

Moreover, I have had the honor and pleasure of participating in
all of the UNAoCs meetings since I was elected Director General of
IOM in 2008, including here in Istanbul three years ago, in Rio de
Janeiro in 2010, in Doha last December, and back in Istanbul
today.  I will also support and participate in the AoC meeting
in Austria next year. . 

The UNAoC remains a critical forum (a) to promote a dialogue on
cultural diversity; (b) to tackle the challenges associated with
the changing nature of the nation state; and (c) to advocate the
many benefits and opportunities of the global phenomenon that is
human mobility – now on a scale unprecedented in recorded
history. 

With this introduction, I would like to make two additional
points. 

I. The power of multiculturalism

First, with the rapid rise in large-scale migration,
increasingly, multicultural societies will be the norm, rather than
the exception in many, if not all, countries.

Migrants embody the essence of multiculturalism: (a) migrants
simultaneously inhabit two or more places both physically and in
their hearts and minds; (b) they have multiple identities, migrants
serve as a bridge between countries of origin and countries of
destination; and (c) migrants represent a catalyst for
change.  That social diversity, if properly managed, can
– and does – lead to the development of communities
that are creative, adaptable and tolerant of difference.  

Yet, in many destination countries, there can be heightened
anxiety, particularly at a time when the global economy is in
decline, when some feel that their communities are being overrun by
migrants, and that their personal identities are threatened; and
when the very nature and composition of the "nation state" is
evolving – often as quickly as the distance-shrinking
technology that is bringing our world together. 

Increased tensions lead to a rise in xenophobia, racism, and
prejudice against migrants, one of the main reasons the AoC was
established.  Yet, these societal changes need not be
perceived as threats to national and personal identity, and should
not be viewed as a zero sum outcome. 

The world we live in is not static; how we embrace and manage
inevitable social change will determine whether it is positive or
not for individuals and societies.  Managing social diversity
is one the key challenges of our time. 

This brings me to my second point.

II. Social cohesion is a common
responsibility

We all have a role to play in assuring tolerance and social
cohesion. Governments must ensure that cultural diversity is
perceived as an asset and not a liability.

Governments have a responsibility to dispel the myths and
destructive stereotypes associated with migration.  This
requires educating and informing the public about the
overwhelmingly positive contributions of migrants, and by creating
policies that allow and embrace orderly migration.

They can ease the transition from tensions to tolerance
by—for example— promoting cultural diversity in
communities or choosing managed labor migration schemes that
contemplate appropriate integration, even for temporary periods of
stay.

Yet many governments, even those that have traditionally
benefited from migration, now feel the political pressure to limit
migration.  Governments are tightening visa regimes, closing
their borders to migrants, and passing laws that criminalize
migrants in an irregular status.

We know instinctively, however, that tougher migration policies
and stronger controls will not stop, or even slow the pace of,
migration. As history has shown, migration is the world’s
oldest poverty reduction strategy – moving in search of a
livelihood.  But just as governments and societies have a
responsibility to facilitate integration and social inclusion,
migrants, too, must ensure that their migration is orderly.

Governments create laws and policies to manage migration, and it
is the responsibility of migrants to follow them. Migrants must
obtain proper documents for their migration, and, once settled,
must respect local customs and obey local laws and
regulations.   Yet, migrants also have a responsibility
to engage with their new communities; to learn about their new
surroundings; to acclimate; and to become active members of their
local societies.

When people move, they need to find the means to become part of
their new societies; to learn local languages; to enroll their
children in local schools; to provide skills; and to offer support
to their places of origin in times of disaster and strife.

But migrants can only engage if they are not given the
opportunities to do so.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, let me summarize my points.

First, regardless of where governments stand on migration issues
or see their interests advanced in the global migration debate,
migration is an enduring trend – a “megatrend” of
the 21st Century – and multicultural and diverse societies
are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Second, the challenge then, is to find ways to harness the
benefits of migration, to view social cohesion as necessary and
desirable; not a privilege, and to find ways of working towards
creating societies that respect and promote the rights and cultural
identities of all people.

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is making an
important and essential contribution to this end.  The
Alliance deserves our continued full support and
encouragement.   

Together, we can make a difference.