Migrant rights advocates converge in New York to urge UN to support human rights for migrants, end global criminalization programs
(New York) During the week of Sept. 30, hundreds of migrant rights and labor advocates, activists and grassroots organizers from around the world will meet and march in New York during the UN General Assembly’s High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (HLD), which takes place Oct. 3 and 4.
Several civil society delegates will also directly address the UN meeting, representing the voices of migrant and diaspora groups that have met in the global regions for several months in preparation for the HLD. Civil society groups have proposed a “5-‐year action agenda” to the governments, to address some of the most urgent and longstanding migration concerns. The action agenda may be found here: http://hldcivilsociety.org/five-‐year-‐action-‐agenda/
Prior to and during the UN meeting, groups will meet in workshops and plenaries, march across the Brooklyn Bridge, network and strategize on wide-‐ranging issues and topics that include concerns about migrant worker rights and labor mobility, the “criminalization” of undocumented migrants, militarized borders, detention and other concerns of abuse and discrimination against the world’s migrant population.
Activities outside of the UN are being coordinated under the “People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights,” (PGA) which has organized similar gatherings over the past several years during annual intergovernmental meetings of the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
The theme for this year’s PGA is “People, Power Communities: Building Bridges for Migrant, Labour & Human Rights.”
Representatives from dozens of countries in Africa, Europe, Asia-‐Pacific,the Middle East-‐West Asia, North, Central and South America, are expected to attend the PGA.
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