 Excellencies, distinguished representatives, colleagues and friends, I am honored to provide this message to you on International Day of Family Remittances. In 2020, there were 281 million international migrants, of which an estimated 200 million migrant workers sent back 540 billion to low and middle income countries. Only 1.6% lower than in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remittances to these countries continue to surpass foreign direct investment and official development assistance. Remittances form a significant percentage of the gross domestic product in some developing countries. And despite being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, migrants made efforts and sacrifices to ensure that remittances kept reaching their loved ones back home. Remittances are a financial lifeline for countless migrant families, enabling them to pay for basic needs in their education, health services and housing, improve household living conditions, and reduce vulnerability of family members in times of crisis. This is yet another reminder that these funds, while private, help individuals, families and communities to combat poverty, improve access to education and health, and achieve other sustainable development goals. But beyond these numbers are the people and the communities who generate, receive and leverage these flows. Migrants are more, much more than remittance senders. They are important agents of change and development and rights bearers. Migrants engaged in labor markets create jobs and support the tech space as entrepreneurs. They stimulate foreign direct investment, international trade and skills transfer. They engage in philanthropy and share ideas, knowledge, values and cultures across boundaries. In doing so, migrants and diaspora groups contribute to their own and host communities far beyond merely financial means. This pandemic has also reminded us that migrants are often essential workers, be it in healthcare, food, systems or logistics, and are significant members of our own communities. Yet, not only as the virus adversely affected migrant workers and their families, but also economies and livelihoods, as mobility came to a halt and jobs dried up. The pandemic, as I like it, the precariousness of our collective safety and security, including financial security. As governments consider fiscal stimulus packages in recovery efforts, they must also ensure a financial, economic and social ecosystem geared to address the needs of migrants and of their families. On the financial side, this means their inclusion in financial services, including savings accounts, insurance product mortgages, investment products, portfolio investment and real estate purchases. On the economic side, it means enabling migrants and diaspora to contribute in commercial areas like entrepreneurship and trade. On the social side, it means ensuring decent work and doing more to include migrants in our communities, including ensuring their access to portable social protection. During COVID-19, the international community, government and the private sector, worked intensively to measure the impacts of remittance flows on development and formulate appropriate responses, including through the Remittance Community Task Force, led by the International Fund for Agricultural Development. We must continue our efforts to monitor developments related to remittances and migrants, and work together to address COVID-19's economic and social fallout to our societies, remittance and migrants. I wish you a productive and stimulating discussion during this Global Forum.