648th Meeting, 42nd Session, Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW)

Dear members of the Committee, members of the Secretariat, dear colleagues and friends.
Today we conclude the 42nd session of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
As underscored in the opening statement delivered on behalf of the Secretary-General, the Convention remains profoundly relevant in the current volatile global context.
The Committee, together with its newly elected bureau has demonstrated a profound awareness of the importance and urgency of implementing its mandate with a view to addressing persistent and often widening protection gaps, adversely affecting migrant workers and members of their families in state parties and worldwide.
At the outset of the session, the committee members elected by acclamation, the chair of the committee, three vice chairs, and a Rapporteur reflecting members' commitment to consensus, as well as for equitable geographical rotation and gender sensitive representation.
Allow me to provide you with short summary highlighting some of the main outcomes of the session.
The committee engaged in constructive and interactive dialogues with delegation of Ecuador, Ghana, and the Gambia and subsequently adopted concluding observations on their reports.
It is noteworthy that this was the first engagement of the government of Republic of the Gambia before the committee since its ratification of the convention.
The committee expresses its appreciation to the delegation of the Gambia for its frank, open, and constructive engagement during the consideration of its initial report.
The committee also extend its appreciation to the delegations of Ecuador and Ghana for their active participation in person, which greatly facilitated the constructive dialogue during the consideration of their periodic reports.
The high level compassion of all three delegations is a manifestation of the importance accorded by the state parties to their reporting obligations under the convention.
The committee also adopted lists of issues for Lotto and list of issues prior to reporting for Guatemala and Guyana.
It also prepared and adopted report containing its evaluation of the follow up report on priority recommendations on the committee's concluding observation in relation to the second periodic report of the Burkina Faso.
The committee held valuable exchanges with the representatives of international, national civil society organizations, national Human Rights institutions, International Labor Organization, World Health Organization, UN country teams, OHCHR Human Rights officers, as well.
The committee greatly benefited from their expertise and insights and reports in advance for the constructive dialogues.
I wish to express the committee sincere appreciation for their valuable contributions and continued engagement in support of the committee's work.
Committee also had constructive exchange with the OSHR National Institutions and Regional Mechanism section, which serves as the Secretariat of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.
This discussion focused on ways to strengthen the effective engagement of national human rights institutions in the work of the committee with a view to enhancing the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families.
The committee held a useful exchange with OSH OSCHR migration and People on the move Unit on the outcomes of the Second International Migration Review Forum held from fifth to eight May 2026 under the auspices of the General Assembly.
Committee also benefited from the insight shared by the committee member, Mr.
Edgar Khoza Sosa, based on his participation in the various roundtables of the forum, as well as in the side event entitled Eradicating Xenophobia against migrants, Advancing CRD CMW guidance for GCM implementation, which was jointly organized with OSHR.
The committee's work on the development of guidelines on the disappearance of persons in the context of migration is progressing steadily.
During the session, the committee reviewed the valuable inputs received from wide range of stakeholders on its draft guidelines.
The committee will continue advancing this important initiative, including through further consultation with relevant parties with a view to finalizing the guidelines.
In order to address persistent protection gaps, the committee held in depth discussions on the possible strategies to advance ratification campaign.
On fifth June 2026, committee decided to request the working group on the promotion of ratification of the convention to develop an action plan outlining the committee's efforts to engage with states with states to advance ratification, including targeted measures to promote ratification, among others by signatory states.
In this context, committee welcome the encouraging development that over two dozen member states encompassing both countries of origin and destination, accepting recommendations to ratify the convention during the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review.
The committee strongly encourages these states to translate their political commitments on this issue to concrete action ahead of their next review.
These commitments to ratify the Convention underscores that universal ratification and effective implementation of the convention are indispensable for closing existing protection gaps and ensuring the full realization of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families.
The committee also received an informative briefing by permanent observer of the Council of Europe in Geneva on the protection of the rights of migrants within the Council of Europe framework, including on recent developments such as the adoption of Chisno declaration by the Committee of Ministers on 15 May 2026.
During the discussion, it was noted that in the face of increasingly complex challenges affecting migration of persons, in particular migrant workers, it is imperative that all measures undertaken by member states of the Council of Europe must remain firmly anchored in the European Convention on Human Rights.
The committee members expressed the view that the human rights enshrined in the convention must guide all migration policies, ensuring that the dignity and rights of every individual are fully respected and protected without discrimination of any kind.
The committee was also briefed on the interstational activities promoting the convention on migrant workers by members of the committee and adopted its annual report on 31st and 42nd sessions, which includes further details of the activities of the committee during the reporting period encompassing current and previous session.
The committee has agreed on the list of state parties to be reviewed during the 43rd and 44th sessions and has identified the related country rapporturs.
On eight June 2026, the committee decided to consider the feasibility of developing a general comment on the impact of climate change on migration and the protection of the rights of migrants and Mr.
Mohammed Sharif was appointed as the focal point of this initiative.
Dear colleagues, current international situation characterized by escalating global upheavals and economic instability and tightening immigration policies has severely compromised the rights and protections available for migrant workers in the state parties to the convention and globally as well.
The situation has further compounded negative effects of the increasingly deregulating labor markets to favor corporate interests and migrant workers facing heightened risks of wage theft, unsafe working conditions, and exploitative practices.
This vulnerability is further magnified by the growing political rhetoric that criminalizes irregular migrants, effectively driving undocumented workers into shadow economies where they are denied access to judicial remedies, basic social rights, safety and dignity.
Chronic resource constraints affecting UN human rights treaty body system continue to affect these committees too, hindering the robust oversight needed to promote rights of migrant workers in these difficult times.
In the circumstances, committee members have displayed an enthusiasm to redouble our efforts and renew our commitments, both collectively and individually and work in tandem with Office of the High Commission for Human Rights for arresting the widening human rights protection gap, which mostly affects our primary stakeholders, the migrant workers and members of their families.
Before closing 42nd session of the committee, allow me to thank all the members of the committee for a very successful session.
I would like to extend our appreciation to our colleagues from the Office of the High Commissioner and our Secretariat, including human rights officers and interns for their committed support for us to succeed in our efforts.
If not for that support, our work wouldn't have been this successful.
And I must thank interpreters for their flexibility and additional time provided whenever we ask for it, press officers, sound technicians, conference room officers, and all others involved in the organization of this session.
I'm looking forward to engaging with you during the intersal work, especially, and to see you early next year during the 43rd session in Geneva.
I wish you safe return home.
I have the honor now to declare the 42nd session closed.