Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Thirty-ninth session
Summary record of the 571st meeting
Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva, on Monday, 2 December 2024, at 10 a.m.
Chair:Ms. Diallo
Contents
Opening of the session
Opening statement by the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Adoption of the agenda
The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m.
Opening of the session
Opening statement by the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Chair declared open the thirty-ninth session of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
Mr. Ori (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) said that he welcomed the recent accession of Zimbabwe to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. He wished to commend the Government of Zimbabwe for accomplishing its Human Rights 75 pledge much earlier than the deadline of 2027.
Although it had 60 ratifications, the Convention remained the least ratified of the core international human rights treaties, with none of the European Union member States having signed or ratified it. It was important to encourage them to do so as their ratification of the Convention would potentially promote wider ratification globally.
During the thirty-ninth session, the Committee would consider the initial report of Benin, the combined second to fourth periodic reports of Egypt and the second periodic reports of Peru and Seychelles. It would also adopt lists of issues, under the traditional procedure, for Mauritania, and lists of issues prior to reporting, under the simplified procedure, for Indonesia, Mali and Timor-Leste. Lastly, it would examine the report submitted by Azerbaijan on the follow-up to the priority recommendations of the concluding observations (CMW/C/AZE/FCO/3).
He acknowledged that the Committee, in collaboration with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, had completed the second phase of regional consultations for a joint general comment on public policies for addressing and eradicating xenophobia and its impact on the rights of migrants, their families and other non-citizens affected by racial discrimination.
Valuable opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to the joint general comment had been provided through global consultations in Geneva in September and a side event led by the Chair of the Human Rights Council and the Permanent Representative of Morocco, in addition to regional consultations in Bangkok, Panama City, Toronto, Brussels and Dakar.
He appreciated the Committee’s ongoing concern about climate change and environmental degradation and their effect onthe human rights of migrants. With a view to addressing the connection between the climate crisis, discrimination and intersectionality, UnitedNations human rights actors should pay more attention to racial disparities and other aspects of environmental justice when tackling environmental and climate issues.
Despite chronic resource constraints and the current liquidity crisis, the treaty body strengthening process had achieved significant results. Unified conclusions had been presented by the Chairs on how to ensure that the treaty body system was consistent, sustainable and fit for purpose, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had presented a detailed technical working paper on the subject.
In the Pact for the Future, adopted at the Summit of the Future in September 2024, Member States had asked the Secretary-General to assess the need for adequate, predictable, increased and sustainable funding for the United Nations human rights mechanisms. However, it was regrettable that the General Assembly resolution on the Pact for the Future did not reflect the Chairs’ key proposals, including a predictable eight-year review cycle. The failure to do so reflected the difficult political and financial context.
He called upon all States that had not yet done so to ratify the Convention.
Mr. Corzo Sosa said that he would be grateful for further information regarding the inclusion of the Chairs’ request for an assessment of the treaty bodies’ financial needs.
Mr. Ori said that the General Assembly resolution made no provision for substantial financial and budgetary support, however it did include a request for the Secretary-General to foresee a financial needs assessment to ensure that the treaty bodies could operate effectively and efficiently.
Adoption of the agenda (CMW/C/39/1)
The agenda was adopted.
The meeting rose at 10.15 a.m.