 Excellencies, distinguished representatives, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to open the 112th session of the IOM Council, also marking the 70th anniversary of IOM. On the occasion, on this occasion, it is my honor to be here with all of you and to see a few words about IOM and its work over the past seven decades. Excellencies, Mr. Director-General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor and pleasure for me as the Chairperson of the IOM Council to open the 112th session of the IOM Council, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the International Organization for Migration. We gather in this room for the next three days to celebrate an important milestone in the history of this organization and to look ahead to the future. When the IOM was founded in 1951, it was mandated to be a provisional committee to address the chaos and displacement of Western Europe following the Second World War. Since then, it has positioned itself at the request of its member states in the first response line of a succession of natural and man-made crises turning from an operational logistics agency into the leading international agency working with governments and civil society to advance the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Acknowledged in 2016 as a member of the United Nations family as the migration agency, IOM has become the point of reference in migration management and in the global debate on the social, economic, and political implications of migration. Unfortunately, our world continues to experience ever more often periods of intense crises that severely affect populations in all corners of the world and that are characterized by unknown levels of human displacement due to increasing threats of natural and man-made disasters. As the current pandemic shows, we are going through, none of us is untouchable and none of us can be safe until all of us are cared for and included in our government's responses, migrants and their families alike. Therefore, distinguished delegates, the task ahead of us is to address the plight and suffering of migrants, including so many of our own nationals abroad is gigantic but not impossible if we commit to working in synergy, building on existing frameworks for action and collaboration on migration with IOM and other relevant agencies as our key partners. This should serve us as a well-needed reminder that we all need to engage on the same path if we want to ensure for us and the future generations the development of a better society. Excellencies, as we are celebrating the work of the IOM, let us not forget to pay tribute to all IOM staff working incessantly and in life-threatening contexts to assist migrants and populations in distress, advancing the organization's credo that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. In 2019 alone, IOM staff monitored and met the needs of 24.9 million internally displaced persons, 16.5 million returnees and 4.6 million returnees from abroad. Their work is getting more difficult as they are called to respond to multiple and complex crisis situations. Nowadays, further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures put in place. Moreover, very often the human and financial resources at the disposal of IOM staff serving migrants and member states are insufficient. Let us use today's session also as an opportunity to reflect on the many important achievements of the IOM as well as to strengthen our resolve to achieve the migration-related sustainable development goals and advance our efforts on the objectives agreed on in the global compact for migration as we are getting ready for the first review of the compact next spring. There are multiple important milestones in the work of the IOM in the last 70 years, many of which I could witness personally. Let me just mention, IOM is becoming a related agency of the UN in 2016 and the coordinator and secretary to the UN migration network established in 2019. These are member states confirmations of the leading role of the IOM in the area of migration. To adapt to meet new challenges, IOM has continued implementing staff and institutional reforms and strategies, but member states must be there to help and support consensus on the adoption of these reforms. I would also like to emphasize the convening role of the IOM. IOM is uniquely qualified to contribute to the global debate. Through its council and its principal forum for migration policy dialogue, the International Dialogue on Migration, IOM continues to provide an invaluable platform where all stakeholders, migrants and diaspora alike can exchange views and search for common solutions to migration questions around the world. But the organization needs member state support in this area to enable it to leverage the unique experience on migration. Excellencies, fast forward 70 years, the organization has grown to an almost universal membership, counting 174 member states, 590 offices worldwide and over 15,000 staff implementing activities and becoming a key partner in a variety of migration related areas from development to labor, environment and climate change, health and protection, diaspora and finances, youth empowerment and training and education, among many others. We member states have advanced a lot in including migrants and migration in relevant policies, but sadly, pain and unfair treatment is still a reality for millions of migrants around the world and their families left behind. There are unaccompanied migrant children, migrant families caught in crisis and forced to endure hunger, cold and violence, forced migrant laborers, abused domestic migrant workers, migrants caught in human trafficking networks. Excellencies, this is the context in which the role of the IOM becomes indispensable in supporting member states to put forward urgent responses and long-term solutions that ensure that migrants and migration fulfill a development role and their potential is not crushed by a lack of tools to ensure their protection and to empower them as key actors of our societies. The 2030 development agenda and the global comeback for migration are the key tools at our disposal to achieve the goal of leaving no one behind, to empowering migrant men and women, migrant youth and diaspora. And the IOM is our leading partner in this effort to ensure that we harness the opportunities of migration, that we create the right tools to anticipate and mitigate the risks, and that we create innovative, comprehensive migration policies that are fit for the evolving context we are faced with. Excellencies, in conclusion, let me say that I am proud and grateful to have been given the opportunity by you, the member states, to lead the IOM Council this year and support our collective efforts as a number of critical issues for the work of the organization. It is therefore my sincere desire to see IOM Council continue to successfully work together to continue IOM's mission of improving the lives of millions of migrants around the world and supporting member states in addressing migration challenges. I strongly believe that it is in the interest of you, the member states, to strengthen IOM's role as the global migration agency. I'll allow me also to acknowledge the indispensable leadership of our dear friend, the Director General Antonio Vittorino. Thank you all so much. We will now have the pleasure to hear a message from the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, and before giving the floor to the IOM Director General for some final remarks, we will also watch a short film showcasing the activities of the organization throughout its 70-year history. Join me in celebrating the 77th anniversary of the International Organization for Migration. I want to congratulate my good friend, Antonio Vittorino and the IOM team for your dedication and commitment. For seven decades, IOM has helped millions of migrants and displaced people and supported countries to create the conditions for safe, orderly, and regular migration. I thank you and congratulate you on this effort. With record numbers of people on the move, we have witnessed unique moments of compassion towards migrants stranded part of home. However, migrants are often subjected to discrimination, xenophobia, abuse, and exploitation, and this is completely unacceptable. Migrants must be treated with respect and dignity. Their rights must be protected regardless of their status. Everyone, countries of origin, transit, and destination must work to reestablish predictable and regular migration pathways. As coordinator of the United Nations Network on Migration, IOM is doing invaluable work by bringing the entire UN system together to support migrants based on the global compact for migration. Next year, we will reflect on progress and challenges when we come together at the International Migration Review Forum that sees this opportunity to foster global solidarity towards migrants and build more resilient and inclusive societies. Thank you. I want to move from here. I came into contact with the IOM because I want to become an entrepreneur, I want to become an entrepreneur, I want to learn from my job, I want to do something. In the beginning, we had to pay taxes, and then we had to return to work. We only received an economic benefit, giving us a better quality of life than the most gratifying we have really received. This community hall has been helping people to acquire skills so that they will be self-reliant. There are some that learn how to weave. Now I have a friend who is sewing cloth for us. Indeed, this cloth is the one that sew it and he learned the thread from here. As a immigrant, you want to live in a place that makes you comfortable and gives you the freedom to live. Since its establishment, IOM has evolved into the leading international organization dedicated to promoting safe, orderly and regular migration, assisting those most vulnerable and harnessing the potential of human mobility. IOM's work covers fields such as return and reintegration, labor migration, climate change, migration health, border management, data and research, crisis response, and migration policy. The organization supports its member states to respond to the needs of migrants and improve migration governance amid conflict, political upheaval, natural disasters, and economic crises. In 2016, IOM joined the United Nations as a related agency providing migrants with a much needed voice on the global stage. IOM is there to guarantee the safety, wellbeing, and dignity of people on the move, advocating for their human rights to be respected at all times. As nations develop new strategies to manage migration, IOM's dedicated staff are providing pragmatic policy recommendations and operational support for emergency and non-emergency situations in more than 100 countries. As IOM marks seven decades of service, a particular focus of its work is to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 and harness the energy and entrepreneurial spirit of migrants to reimagine human mobility. Looking into the future, IOM is committed to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and to achieving the objectives set by the global compact for migration to reduce inequalities and ensure that no one is left behind. Lots of people in my school were Syrian and knew how to speak Arabic, so they came to me and were like, here I'll show you around and everything. I had lots of, lots of friends because when I first came to Canada, I'm like, I'm different. Now I fit in. So much, Mr. Chair, Excellencies, good morning, and welcome. I would first like to convey my personal and the administration's appreciation to the Council Bureau for the organization of this special meeting of the Council. In particularly, I would like to convey my respect, my appreciation to Ambassador Evan Garcia of the Philippines for his dedicated and dynamic chairmanship of the Council Bureau over the past 12 months. Because despite being confronted with many challenges, Ambassador Garcia has led us and has made us able to achieve significant results. I'm also grateful to the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, for generously contributing to this segment today and recognizing our special birthday. This 112th Council meeting marks almost to the day the 70th anniversary of our organization. In fact, as it has been recalled on December 5th, 1951, the International Migration Conference was convened in Brussels. The 19 countries in attendance decided to found the organization that is today, IOM, under the name of Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe, PICME. Well, not the snappiest acronym, of course, but in taking this step, the 19 founding states gave hope to hundreds of thousands of Europeans suffering in the aftermath of the Second World War. IOM's origins were therefore fairly modest in scope and its future quite uncertain. PICME was provisional. It was a committee with a temporary mandate and operations were limited to a single continent. Despite its critical importance to the lives of those who benefited from these early international transportation services, an area of activity which remains a key feature of our work to this day. The following year in 1952, the first of several name and mandate changes took place as PICME became the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. Hi, Sam. Well, at least the acronym has improved, which was no longer provisional but was still limited to one continent, Europe. Over a quarter of a century later in 1980, the council decided to change the organization's name to the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration, ICM, in recognition of the organization's increasingly global role, in particular in Latin America and also in Southeast Asia. By this time, ISEM had already assisted three million migrants and provided services in numerous other areas. Finally, in 1989, ICM became the International Organization for Migration, IOM. Having expanded, still further its reach and program of services. The status of this organization has further evolved since then. And now both nearly universal membership, as you have recalled, Mr. Chair, constant growth in its scope of work and size of operations and of course, the crucial landmark of entering into the United Nations system in 2016 as a related agency. Over the past seven decades, the organization has undergone near constant metamorphosis, characterizing its flexibility and reflecting the changing scope and complexity of migration itself as a major global phenomenon. Today, IOM is a global organization. The premier international organization focused exclusively on migration, with a global footprint and the presence at some more than 500 locations in nearly 160 countries. As you all know, highly operational and field-oriented, IOM works in close partnership with you, our member states, the United Nations and other intergovernmental agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations and research and academic institutions worldwide. Since our 60th anniversary in 2011, the organization has continued to grow at a steady pace with an increase from 156 member states to the current 174. The IOM budget has also increased by another 50% with annual expenditures now exceeding $2 billion. The organization's workforce has doubled in 10 years to over 20,000 staff members. 95% of whom are deployed around the globe in the field. Over time, IOM's role and responsibilities have expanded considerably, in line with the growing importance of migration and of displacement in general. As key issues which require support, solidarity and dialogue within the international community. The adoption of the global compact for safe orderly and regular migration in 2018 has been definitely a watershed moment in this regard. Then as now, IOM has sought to accompany the international community in its deliberations and do so with flexibility and responsiveness while remaining as close to the people it serves as possible on the ground in the field. This journey has been possible thanks to the engagement, commitment and professionalism of all IOM colleagues past and present, from very diversified geographical origins to whom I wish to pay a very sincere and heartfelt tribute today. It is my great honor, it is indeed, to lead this organization on your behalf and to carry the legacy of my predecessors as well as that of the thousands of IOMers who have dedicated their lives to the noble values mission and mandate of IOM over the past 70 years. Yes, looking forward to the next 70. Thank you. Thank you, Director General. In view of the limited time available this morning, I will kindly ask all delegations to include any congratulatory message in their statement for the general debate. We will now go to item two of the agenda, credentials of representatives and observers. I am now pleased to confirm that in line with the practices of other United Nations system organizations, all credentials are in order and suggest that the council take note of this. We now move on to agenda item three, report of the chairperson of the council. Under this agenda item, I am pleased to present a brief report. I have the honor to present a brief report of my chairmanship of the council over the past 12 month period. Allow me first to express on behalf of the Philippines my deepest gratitude to all member states for the trust you have placed in me as chairperson of the IOM council. I also wish to express my appreciation to all the other members of the bureau for their collegial approach to the task at hand. Over the past year, I have sought to facilitate dialogue and consensus amongst member states for the benefit of our organization, which plays a vital role in supporting and the development and implementation of many of our key priorities and in supporting millions around the world. Our work this year was again significantly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is far from over as we are witnessing again here in Europe, which is going through a fifth wave of increased contamination. I am encouraged however, that despite these adverse circumstances, we are able to adhere to a meaningful agenda of reform and important decisions in support of the organization. I am particularly pleased we were able to move ahead with the appointment of two new deputy directors general earlier this year, following the adoption by member states of a reform of the organization's leadership structure. Member states played a critical role in nominating high caliber candidates to the two posts of deputy director general and in establishing a short list for each post through the constitution of an ad hoc commission. This process I believe enabled the director general to appoint two highly qualified deputies whose experience and knowledge will help IOM reach new heights. May Mrs. Pope and Mrs. Daniels succeed in their respective functions. Member states indeed are increasingly engaged in the governance and deliberations of the organization, which is a testament to the growing importance they attach to IOM. Throughout the past year however, we have always sought to maintain consensus and reach compromise for the benefit of the organization. In this regard, I am particularly encouraged that we were able to adopt new guidelines in regard to the process of nomination of member state representatives to serve on the council bureau. Thus ensuring every member state has an equal opportunity to serve in these important functions. Much work remains to be done, in particular in the context of the working group on partnerships, governance and organizational priorities, as well as the working group on budget reform. I do hope that the next year will allow for significant progress on the latter. Our demands and expectations towards IOM continue to grow. It is only fair that we properly equip the organization with the necessary tools and flexibility with the necessary core structure so that it is best placed to continue serving the interests of member states and migrants everywhere. As the representative of our country deeply involved in migration matters where millions of citizens are migrants themselves, I can attest to the importance of effective migration governance. This in turn requires a robust IOM as a proximity organization with a deep field presence as well as a strong voice on the international scene, including within the United Nations. In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my team here at the Philippine Permanent Mission for the commitment and dedication as well as to the director general and all those in the administration who have supported my chairmanship over the past year. I also extend my best wishes to the bureau and our new chair for a successful and busy year ahead. Thank you very much.