 Good afternoon. And welcome back to our meeting. I would like to express my profound thanks to the first Vice President, Ambassador Katrina Stash, for stepping in in my absence and for doing such a fabulous job. I see we've made a lot of progress. I did watch her from my undisclosed location and it went very, very well. Thank you so very much, Ambassador. Thank you. I should also, in my national capacity, like to express my condolences to the people of China on the debt of the late President, Jian Zhiming. I believe he was a great leader whose work had transformed that country. In New York Times editorial yesterday said under him, China emerges a major manufacturing power and is rising economic rival to the developed world. And we are seeing that if we in Africa are the developing world are seeing that impact in terms of the great assistance that we get from China. So our condolences to the people of China. We now begin our section, our high-level section. The first on my list is the United Kingdom. United Kingdom, I think, is my good friend with Simon Manley. He's there, or anyone in that capacity. You have the floor. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Very good to see you sat as chairman. We can just about see you from up here. It's a little bit cold. The snow is beginning to fall on the heights of the CICG. But thank you very much. And look, it has been a really difficult year and it's going to be another difficult year ahead in terms of migration. Displacement and humanitarian needs continue to rise at the same time. International humanitarian law, access and protection are under unprecedented threat. And let me say again that we stand absolutely united with Ukrainian neighbors, friends and allies in condemning President Putin's savage aggression against an independent sovereign state. His bombardment of Ukraine's towns, cities and villages has of course precipitated an unprecedented flow of people. And in response, we stand once again with Ukraine and we are pleased that we've been able to increase the British contribution to IOM's programs in around Ukraine to over 12 million pounds this year. Russian aggression is, as we all know, also exacerbating global food insecurity and instability. Therefore, let me urge through you, Chair, the DG and his team to respond to that food insecurity through integrated multi-sectoral approaches, but also to address the underlying causes and drivers of food insecurity by working across the humanitarian development nexus, by which we speak so much, to build the resilience of communities and ensure that we have longer-term solutions. One of the key strategic challenges for the IOM remains bolstering central functions and controls while retaining operational flexibility and efficiency. We therefore strongly welcome the budget reforms that we agreed and we underline our support for the internal governance framework process. We again, through you, Chair, thank the Director General for his second annual report on the IGF. We note the progress that's being made and we look forward to continued reporting on the implementation of outstanding items, particularly the introduction of the new enterprise resourcing planning system for 2024. IOM is still on the journey and we urge the Director General and his team to continue planning future governance improvements that are needed for the IOM to be the world-class migration organization that we all want it to be. Another issue that Chair will always remain a priority for the UK is preventing sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. We have seen significant investment and improvements by the IOM in this area and we welcome the strengthening of the Office of the Inspector General and the establishment of the new PSEAH unit. We note, however, that the OIG is operating in maximum capacity. That needs to be managed as does dealing with cases efficiently across all relevant units, including the IOM's legal department. We support the IOM's leadership role on the global compact on migration and we encourage an ambitious action plan with clear headline objectives for implementation, particularly in the area of human mobility and, of course, climate change. In concluding, let me thank you, Chair, but also the Director General, his leadership team, and indeed all IOM staff, particularly those working with such courage and commitment on the humanitarian front line for their dedication and their commitment in the cause of migration. Thank you very much, indeed. Thank you. Thank you very much, United Kingdom. I have Japan on my list, Japan here on the floor. Thank you, Chair. First of all, Japan supports the Asia Pacific Group Statement and the Ukrainian Joint Statement, which will be pronounced just after me. The role of IOM is more important than ever as a humanitarian crisis, including the war in Ukraine, climate change, COVID-19, and other issues which particularly impact migrants and displaced people. Become increasingly serious around the world, Japan therefore commands IOM for successful holding of the high-level segment. We have high expectation for IOM's future role in addressing migration challenges and look forward to discussing further cooperation between IOM and Japan. We welcome the successful holding of the First International Migration and Review Forum in May. Japan has contributed to this process, and we will implement the objectives of the GCAM in line with our domestic legal system. Chair, I am happy to say that Japan's total contribution to IOM 2022 was significant higher than 2021. This shows the high standard, a high regard our government has for IOM work, which is led by Antonio. Chair, this year is crucial for IOM because member states approved an increase in access to our contributions despite the current difficult financial situation. We appreciate the effort of Costa Rica and the other bureau members, and IOM of course in this regard. We hope this increase will strengthen IOM and enable it to fulfill its role as UN-related organizations and the response firmly to global challenges. In this regard, the internal governance framework is central to IOM's effort to increase efficiency and manage risk. We commend the progress made to date and to call for further efforts to complete the IGF as planned. We are aware that IOM's financial situation will be difficult, especially in the first few years due to the gradual increase in contributions. We hope that IOM will strive for appropriate organizational management by setting priorities. Having said that, we would like to consider further support for the core budget while taking into account the importance of IOM work and progress with the reforms. As such, we ask that IOM provide the necessary information to facilitate such consideration. Chair, at the UN organization for migration, IOM must be diverse. However, the new language requirement is not compatible with the greater diversity. We support that statement on the language requirement by the Asia-Pacific groups in the last meetings of the relevant working groups. And welcome the response from the Director General that IOM would consider this requirement. We'd like to ask IOM to share the result of the reconciliation and call for the lifting of current rules until new rule is applied. I thank you. And I thank you very much, Japan. On my list, Ukraine. Excellency, you have the floor. Ukraine. Thank you, Chair. I'm speaking on behalf of the following 43 IOM member states. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Japan, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom. Last week marked nine months since the start of the Russian Federation's full scale invasion of Ukraine. We condemn in the strongest terms the Russian Federation's unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, which undermines global security and stability and constitutes a gross violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter. Russia's invasion triggered one of the fastest and largest human displacement crisis in the world today, with more than 14 million Ukrainians or one third of the population having been displaced. Approximately 6.5 million people are currently displaced inside Ukraine, and a further 7.8 million people have been forced to seek safety abroad. The displacement and existing severe humanitarian crisis around the world have been further exacerbated by the Russian Federation's repeated unconscionable attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, which have left over 40 percent of Ukraine's power system damaged and cut off millions of people from access to electricity, water, heating and supply lines amid temperatures falling to freezing and below. We deplore in the strongest possible terms Russia's attempts to weaponize the coming harsh winter by plunging the civilian population into darkness and cold. We demand that Russia immediately stop these heinous attacks. Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and contravenes the principles enshrined in the IOM Constitution. While the unfolding human catastrophe remains our focus, Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is also having an outsized impact on the global economy. Its ripple effects are being felt worldwide. Russia's war is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy, constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity and elevating financial stability risks. The war has worsened a global cost of living crisis unseen in at least a generation, undermining our ability to achieve the sustainable development goals. We would like to express our appreciation to IOM for its strong engagement to help meet the needs of those affected by the war, particularly displaced people, including more than 300,000 third-country nationals who have left Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion. We commend the IOM's continued work to facilitate inclusion of refugees into new communities while also stepping up efforts to address gender-based violence and human trafficking. Particular emphasis should be placed on the return of any unaccompanied children who were forcibly separated from their families and transferred to Russia, including those unlawfully transferred in violation of international humanitarian law. 17 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. We encourage the IOM to continue its humanitarian response, including through ramping up winterization efforts, distribution of generators, as well as mental health and psychosocial support to displaced people and affected communities. We also call on IOM to help the government of Ukraine to rebuild and recover. In conclusion, we reiterate our demand that Russia immediately stop its war of aggression against Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its international recognized borders and extending to its territorial waters. I thank you. Very sobering statement. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you very much. Thank you. I have Switzerland next on my list. Excellency, have the floor. Thank you, Chair, Director-General, Excellencies, colleagues. Allow me at the outset to begin by welcoming Bob Ados. This new accession is a clear sign of the place and the role of IOM and the role it plays in the area of migration. This year, Europe has bore witness to the largest migration movement in its history since World War II. Widespread departures and displacement of those fleeing the war in Ukraine are unprecedented. It has shown, once again, at a gargantuan scale to which point coordination between all entities is critical in such situations between governments affected by the displacements, between UN agencies with NGOs, and the number of people who contribute in this regard. IOM has played a pivotal role that we would like to underscore here today. Against this backdrop, Switzerland has also cooperated with the IOM at a national level in combating human trafficking, but also at the international level, for example, by supporting third country nationals who are fleeing Ukraine and hosting approximately 70,000 people in our country. Switzerland reaffirms its solidarity with Ukraine and its people. It is with the strongest condemnation that Switzerland condemns Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. Europe is far from the only region in the world to face large population migration, which requires a regional coordination, at the very least, against this backdrop. Switzerland supports origin and transit countries in strengthening their capacity building in terms of migration management. Allow me to commend all of the IOM staff for their daily commitment to help migrants. The strength of IOM rests upon its dedication, which we see in its staff every day, who deserve recognition for their work, which often takes place in difficult and dangerous circumstances. A heartfelt thanks go out to you. Over the last few years, IOM has undertaken significant reforms. These are absolutely critical for the future of our organization. The budget reform in particular is an important step forward. We congratulate and are ready to continue to support the efforts to make IOM a robust and efficient organization. To close, we'd also like to commend the quality of the dialogue between IOM and Switzerland on institutional operational matters. We are very happy to continue working together to overcome the challenges and to reap the benefits that international migration offers. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Switzerland. I have next on my list, Niger, and I think that we'll be Ambassador Labo, a great friend of IOM. Excellency have it for. Thank you very much, Chair, for all those compliments. My statement aligns itself with the statement by Nigeria, which is made on behalf of the African Group Chair. My dear brother, at the outset, I would like to congratulate you for your appointment to the chairmanship of the Council Bureau, as well as all of the other members of the Bureau, and to wish you every success as you discharge your mandate. I'd also like to congratulate the delegations of Costa Rica and Mexico, who have successively taken on the chairmanship of the Council, as well as the other members of the outgoing Bureau, for the excellent work undertaken during their mandate. My delegation takes good note of the report of the Director-General and would like to particularly congratulate him, as well as all of the staff of the IOM in the headquarters and the staff on the ground for their ongoing commitment in the management of migration. Chair, Niger has committed to use migration as a driver for development through the implementation of provisions, which takes into account the multifaceted dimension of this aspect. Its commitment signed through the signature of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration means it is now a country which is being named as a champion country in Africa for the implementation of this compact. Thus, Niger has a national migration policy of 2020-2035, with the view to contributing sustainably to the improvement of the living conditions of migrants and host communities. This policy underscores the contribution of migration to socioeconomic and cultural development, the strengthening of human capital, as well as development of the private sector. Moreover, as a country of departure, host origin and transit country, Niger encompasses protection and assistance to migrants and refugees in its national migration policy, as well as their empowerment and their safe and sound return to the fold on a voluntary basis. That is why my country is undertaking considerable efforts to uphold the rights and needs of migrants who are present on its territory by guaranteeing them equal access to education, to health, decent work, to different livelihoods and to social protection into alia, chair. Despite this institutional and legal framework, which is fit for purpose, Niger, as you know, is facing a number of serious challenges in terms of migration management, in particular insecurity and the challenges linked to climate change and to extreme poverty, which is only exacerbated by the illicit trafficking of migrants and human trafficking. Faced with such a situation, the government has adopted a socioeconomic development national plan of 2022-2026, which seeks to significantly improve the living conditions of populations and implement the priorities of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mohammed Bazoum, which is crafted around combating terrorism, education for all, resilience and adaptation to climate change into alia. Now, more specifically, the State of Niger would set out the following, the accelerated development of human capital through mainly the improvement of quality of education and training and offering training which meets the employment market, resilience in the face of climate disasters and security disasters, in particular risk prevention, social coverage, adaptation of climate change and disaster management. Thus, a roundtable will be organised in Paris from the 5th to the 6th of December 2022, with a view to mobilising the necessary resources for funding of the planning question. And we would like to thank in advance the Director-General of the IOM for his intended participation. To close, my delegation would like to reiterate once again its gratitude on behalf of our government to the IOM for all the support to Niger and to assure you of our availability to continue with our partnership whilst also urging all entities to increase their contributions and support to this organisation in order to tackle the new challenges ahead, which we are all fully aware of. Thank you very much. Thank you. Nishira, thank you. I now yield a floor to the Director-General for some comments. Thank you, Digi. Thank you, Mr Chair. I will start by expressing my deep thanks to the UK for the extremely valuable support that IOM has benefited since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The UK mobilisation of resources and in-kind contributions has been essential for IOM to be one of the first, if not the first one, to get into the ground and to provide support to the populations impacted by the war. And we also want to emphasise that the UK has been in the front line of the debate about the impacts of climate change in human mobility. Since Glasgow and more recently in Sharm El Sheikh, we share absolutely the concerns of the UK about our own internal reforms. I'm pretty positive to say that the IGF will be concluded in three out of four work streams, around 80 to 90 percent by the end of this year. But I fully agree that this is not the end of the line. We need now to consolidate the reforms, but also to identify what are the gaps, and for that purpose, the budget reform will be instrumental. And the furthering of our internal governance reforms will benefit from the external assessments that are ongoing, one of them being conducted by the Foreign and Commonwealth's Office of the UK, the other one from the MOPA that will come during next year. I want also to extend my thanks to Japan. Japan has been one of the first countries that have supported IOM in the response, not just to the Ukrainian crisis, but even more recently to the situation of the floods in Pakistan. And we believe that Japan is a key partner for IOM, not just in the Asia Pacific region, but also worldwide. And we appreciate your engagement and your commitment also in terms of the impacts of climate change in human mobility. And we are ready to engage with the Japanese government in the very ambitious internal reforms, as far as migration policy is concerned, that the government of Japan is planning. And last but not least, I appreciate particularly the commitment about the revisiting of the core budget, and we will of course provide all the information required, and what are the priorities according to the operational needs of our organization. I've already addressed in response to the Asia Pacific Group the issue of the language, and as soon as we have conclusions, I will go back to you. In relation to the contribution of Ukraine, before addressing the statement, I will express on my behalf, on behalf of the IOM as a whole, and particularly of the IOM staff from Ukraine, internationals and nationals, our admiration for the resilience of the Ukrainian people. We work very closely with the civil society in Ukraine. We have a network of 50 implementing partners all over the country that allow us to be very close to the problems and trying to do our best to support the Ukrainians under these terrible attacks, and particularly now when we approach winter. We have been doing our best efforts to track the needs of the displaced people inside Ukrainian, 6.5 million people. We have identified what are the movements and what are their basic and priority needs, cash, warm closing, food, medicines, and of course, preparing for the winter. We have a pipeline of generators to be distributed in Ukraine, but definitely without the re-establishment of the Atlantic Greek, the situation in Ukraine during the winter is going to be extremely harsh, and we are ready to support the Ukrainian people, particularly when it comes to unaccompanied children and people with disabilities. And last but not least, a critical element is the mental health and psychosocial support. We are fully behind the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine, and we are engaged in training and preparation of experts from Ukraine in mental health and psychosocial support in the current circumstances. And of course, I can confirm to you that as we were doing since 2014 after the situation in Crimea, we will go on cooperating very closely, not just with the government, but also with the local authorities identifying the needs for recovery and reconstruction of the country. On Switzerland, I would like to underscore that we have had a very good cooperation with Switzerland and with the IOM internationally, particularly when it comes to providing the S status to Ukrainians who came here to Switzerland, and also internationally. And I would like to thank Switzerland for supporting the IOM operation in Ukraine and in other parts of the world where Switzerland, particularly through its development agency, has allowed us to develop projects that look at the root causes of migratory flows in countries of origin. Finally, I would like to refer back to the words by the Ambassador of Niger. Now, as regards the next session that we will be having in Paris, I would like to say that we completely agree with the strategic pillars of the national economic and social development plan, which we believe are essential to deal with the root causes of instability to consolidate peace as well as to promote the development of human capital as well as ensuring solidarity and inclusion in Niger. I had the opportunity to visit the region of Ulam with the High Commissioner for Refugees, and we see that agencies are working in alignment. And we are also seeing that there is local support and there is also Aged Derse is the largest centre for transit in the entire world that is an IOM centre. And this ensures that there is humanitarian assistance provided to those people that need it. And we also organise the voluntary return of migrants there and ensure that they are reintegrated in their communities of origin. And we would like to thank the Niger Government for its cooperation. Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you, DG. Thank you. Next, I have Denmark. Excellent to hear the floor. Thank you very much, Chair. And thank you very much also to the Director-General for the comprehensive presentation yesterday. Denmark aligns with the statement made by the EU on behalf of its member states, and we also align ourselves with the statement made by Ukraine on behalf of a group of member states. In addition to that, we would like to add a few following, a few extra comments in our national capacity. I should also say that last month we had the General Election in Denmark and we don't have a functional government now. We have a caretaker government, so we will restrict ourselves to a few comments while we are waiting the guidance from a new government being formed. With more people than ever on the move and multiple global crises, which is now only further fuelled by the global implications of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the need for international cooperation on migration issues is evident, and so is the need for a well-managed and smoothly operating IOM, day in and day out. Organizational effectiveness and accountability is key to us as a member state and a large donor to IOM and to defend beneficiaries of IOM's work across the globe. In this regard, Denmark welcomes the adoption of the budget reform in June. A reform that, as implemented, will bring a much needed strengthening of IOM's core structure. Chair, there's no doubt that IOM has developed a lot over the past years, not only in terms of its budgetary growth, but also as an organization having gone through various reforms and changes. The aim being to ensure that the organization is fit for purpose to deliver on its role and responsibilities, including within the UN system. Denmark has, including through our on-earmark funding, been a strong supporter of the reform process. Therefore, we also find it very timely that IOM is subject to its second MOPAN assessment over the coming period. As you, Director General, also pointed out yesterday, the assessment will provide guidance in developing the next generation of IOM reforms and be crucial in informing the development of the next strategic vision. Finally, we note the importance of continued strengthening of efforts towards preventing any forms of misconduct and welcome the increased focus on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. And then in closing, and this is important, I would like to express Denmark's sincere appreciation to all staff of IOM for their tireless work. They make a real difference to people every day. Thank you. Thank you, Denmark. Thank you, Excellency. I have chili next. Excellency, you have the floor. Thank you very much, Chair. We would like to welcome and recognize the wealth of experience that the IOM has as promoting a multi-dimensional management for international migration focused on the human rights of migrant people and their family, as well as their contribution to sustainable development in line with this. Chili has been constantly supporting the IOM, contributing to developing its work and its mandate through initiatives, plans and programs that have had a concrete impact on the lives of migrant peoples in our region and in our country. We would like to express our readiness to work on a joint agenda focused on the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda to rise to the current challenges of global migration. German last decade chili went from being a country of origin to a country of destination, turning itself into a center of inter-regional migratory flows. Data shows that in 2021 in Chile there were 1.6 million migrant peoples. In other words, the migrant population represents around 10% of the global population, which is a considerable challenge for our country. Furthermore, inter-regional migration in South America has increased and so has its vulnerability because of the journeys which put at risk the protection integrity of migrant people. In this context, governments of migration must be focused on a regional holistic and approach to taking into consideration the gender aspect, protecting human rights and ensuring that we protect the most vulnerable and ensure the benefits and interests of countries and host communities are taken into consideration. In the last 30 years, Chile has been an active member of development agendas on migration including the International Convention on the Protection of Rights of Migrant People and their Families, the Global Forer of Development and Migration, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Recently, we took part in the First International Migration Review Forum, which was an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to implement the objectives of the GCM, which are fully in line with our new efforts to ensure we have updated our institutional and regulatory frameworks. All of this is part of the work that we are doing in the South American Conference on Migration for which we were the pro-temporary president and we held our 20th plenary session in Santiago de Chile. At that time, we looked at a joint approach to the migratory challenges faced in South America, based on five pillars, migration, the humanitarian pillar, international cooperation, regional cooperation and social cohesion for migration. We will be also acting as pro-temporary chair of the Quito processor, which will allow us to look at issues such as the comprehensive management of borders, the role of local community, local governments and host communities for the management and integration of migration. We must underscore that we are leading the first pillar of action for action one for the implementation of the Los Angeles Declaration and we are also co-leading package number three on international finance for countries that host migrants. We would like to underscore that migration is the human face of regional integration and in line with this, protecting the most vulnerable can only be done through shared responsibility, solidarity and ensuring the human rights of everybody. Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you. I have Timor-Liz, Excellency of the floor. Thank you, Chair, Director-General and Distinguished Delegates. I wish to first congratulate you, Ambassador Lanza Negbeti, as the new chairperson of the IOM Council and congratulate also the newly elected bureau members. Mr. Chair, addressing the multi-faced issues related to migration is an area of priority for the government of Timor-Liz. Many Timor-Liz emigrates abroad for studies and employment opportunities and at the same time Timor-Liz is also a destination country for a considerable number of immigrants. Consequently, the government has undertaken efforts to strengthen its migration policies aiming to ensure that migration is voluntary, regular, safe and orderly. The government estimated that currently there are 50,000 Timor-Liz nationals living abroad or amounting to 3.7% of the country's total population, thus recognizing the need to have a comprehensive diaspora engagement to address the layered impacts that Timor-Liz communities abroad have in both the well-being of Timor-Liz and the continued well-being of Timor-Liz people abroad. The government in collaboration with the IOM developed the first Timor-Liz national diaspora engagement policy for 2023-2027. Timor-Liz looks forward to continue the cooperation we have with our partners, including the IOM, UNDP and WHO for the successful implementation of the policy. Moreover, to further strengthen the government's engagement with the Timor-Liz communities abroad, the government also established in July 2022 a Secretary of State for Timor-Liz communities in the structure of the Eighth Constitutional Government that responds directly to the Prime Minister. Mr. Chair, one critical issue for the government of Timor-Liz in relation to migration is to combat human trafficking in international migration. In this respect, the government ratified relevant critical conventions, adopted legislation, and engaged actively in regional cooperation, such as the Bali process on people smuggling, trafficking in persons, and related transnational crime in order to safeguard and protect the rights of the migrants. Recently, the government of Timor-Liz faced with a challenge when many Timor-Liz youth fell victim to human trafficking, which led them to difficult situations abroad. In response to this, the government adopted a decree law that will allow for the government to take measures to streamline actions to protect its citizens abroad, including providing them with critical support and repatriation. The government continues to undertake efforts to address the situation, and we are grateful for the support we have received from our key partners, including Portugal and the IOM. I wish to highlight that our collaboration with the IOM dated back to 1999, even before Timor-Liz restored its independence on 20 May 2002. Since then, the cooperation has grown even stronger with collaboration in different areas, such as supporting combating human trafficking through the Interagency Trafficking Group in developing coherent and well-coordinated migration management systems and in putting institutional strengthening to prepare and respond to natural disasters. Recently, with generous support from Australia, the IOM assisted Timor-Liz in modernizing the country's border management and governance through the launch of the IOM developed the migration information and data analysis system. As the new border management information system, we are convinced that this new system will enhance accountable and effective border governance in Timor-Liz. In concluding, I wish to underscore that Timor-Liz supports efforts to strengthen the work of the IOM, including through the reform of the IOM budget under the leadership of Director General Mr. Antonio Vittorino and his team, and we look forward to continuing our cooperation with the IOM. Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. I have Kenya. Excellency, have the floor. The Chairperson of the Council, the Director-General of IOM, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Kenya aligns itself to the statement delivered by the Republic of Nigeria on behalf of the African group and wishes to reiterate its commitment to multilateral cooperation within the IOM fraternity for sustainable migration governance. Kenya comments the Director-General for the comprehensive report that articulated IOM engagements in the preceding year and the staff for their commitment despite working under very challenging circumstances presented by the ever-evolving emerging crisis. Kenya recognizes that no country can address migration single-handedly. There is need to strengthen existing partnerships, partnership efforts while forging creative and innovative cooperative mechanisms that will guide our engagements on migration into the future. The global compact on migration offers such a mechanism. Therefore, its implementation monitoring and review is of utmost importance while thinking about creating alternatives. Honorable Chair, IOM has partnered with us in many ways, including various humanitarian support services rendered to migrants during and after the pandemic and in the fight against prolonged drought in our country. Through partnership with IOM, Kenya has achieved tremendous strides in migration governance. The IOM has continued to support interagency working mechanisms on Kenya migration thematic areas such as labor migration and governance, the national coordination mechanism on migration, migration data technical working groups, cooperation mechanisms on border management among others. Honorable Chair, ensuring safe migration is predicated upon strong institutional and personnel capacity equipped with the right information, technology, knowledge and attitudes on migration. IOM continues to play a crucial part in strengthening capacity of various actors in migration governance. This will take note of and wish to appreciate the impact of this capacity building initiatives to our migration governance ecosystem. Kenya aspires to create the right public perceptions, attitudes and reality on migration. This will continue to do through implementation of relevant migration programming and consolidation of the benefits of the county outreach program. This program aims to spread the right migration messaging and information to the county and community levels to create more understanding and knowledge on migration reality, perceptions and attitudes in Kenya. To achieve a change in migration attitudes will rely on whole of society and whole of government cooperation. In conclusion Honorable Chair, Kenya will continuously strive to strengthen its migration governance ecosystem to achieve a safe, orderly and humane mobility. We will continue to create win-win migration solutions that benefit all. We will also continue to strengthen and extend our migration partnerships with two other like-minded partners, increase our financial commitment to migration programming in the country and support the IOM and UN network on migration whenever called upon. Thank you. And I thank you, Excellency. Next I have Croatia. Thank you Mr. Chairman. The Republic of Croatia aligns itself with the statement of the European Union and the statement of Ukraine. We thank the Director General for his statement and the update on IOM's current activities and the IOM staff for working so hard on protecting migrants all over the world. Just as we were almost certain that the worst was over with the COVID-19 pandemic, there emerged another major crisis namely Russian aggression against Ukraine which forced millions of people to flee their homes and search for safety somewhere else until they are able to be back home again. We must bear in mind that more than a third of the Ukraine population is on the move today and we speak about the country of nearly 44 million inhabitants. Moreover, this year another looming catastrophe showed its real terrifying face consequences of climate change that have no mercy on mankind driving additional millions to poverty and leaving their country of origin. Such a forced migration has devastating consequences on a state of mind of those forced to flee and we must be here to help them. According to the World Bank report, climate change could force 216 million people in the world to move within their countries by 2050. Mr. Chairman, Croatia supports the IOM as the lead UN agency on migration. We recognize IOM's role in ensuring better coordination of migration relating work within UN system, notably as the coordinator and secretariat for the migration network. Croatia also supports the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. We believe that regular and legal migration are necessary and natural way to progress the fabric of both our society and our economy. Croatia's objective is to rely as little as possible on the ad hoc activities used to address acute situations and to replace them with systematic, comprehensive and sustainable migration and asylum policy. My country is fully committed to respecting the human rights of all migrants. Our ultimate aim is to ensure the migration takes place in a safe and regular manner, avoiding any loss of life and providing international protection to those who need it. Croatia registered this year the entry of 36,000 migrants that in comparison to the last year is increased of 145%. At the same time, we remain determined to protect EU external borders and to ensure an immediate and appropriate response in line with EU law and international obligations. Migration flows in western Balkan are of our particular interest. Therefore, we welcome Skopje Declaration of 15th of November that paves the way to sustainable migration governance in western Balkan region. Mr. Chairman, migration is no way a new phenomenon. It has been a part of our history and built in the development of each of our nations today. What it changed as our nations developed were the obligations as well as the rights of our citizens and people we welcome on our territory. Comprehensive and balanced migration policies and partnerships built upon norms, practices and joint commitments need to continue across the globe to avoid loss of life and providing international protection for those who need it. I thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Croatia. And now we'll give the floor to the director general. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I would like to thank the support that the Denmark provides to us. I had the opportunity yesterday to explain one of the projects that is supported by the European Union and by Denmark, which is critical for the future development of IOM. But I would also like to emphasize the policy that IOM, that Denmark has been following in terms of this settlement, particularly focusing on the most vulnerable populations, especially women and children in female-edited households. We appreciate very much. As you said, the support of Denmark to IOM is broad and very significant for us, and we look forward to the conclusions of the BOPAM to make the demonstration that we have implemented necessary reforms that will allow us to have an improved track record in terms of oversight, accountability, reporting lines and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Last but not least, we appreciate your engagement and commitment with the global compact of migration and the multi-partner trust fund for migration. And we expect that our new coordinating Nordic office in Copenhagen will provide to the Nordic countries added value. In relation to Chile, I would like to say that we welcome the new national policy on migration that has been developed and we would like to say that we are ready to cooperate with you on this as well as ready to support you in your exercise in the process for Quito, where Chile will be coordinating as well the group on host communities for the declaration of Los Angeles. The role of host communities is very important so that we can avoid racist or xenophobic attacks against migrants. And I would also like to say how pleased I am that we will be able to start the migratory registry in Chile. Timor Lescht is concerned. I want to express my personal pleasure and the pleasure of IOM of having a very deep relationship with the government of Timor Lescht and the civil society, not just in terms of border management but also in terms of counter trafficking and the prevention of trafficking in human beings. I know this is an issue of utmost concern for the government and we are ready to go on supporting the authorities. As well as in the mobilization of the diaspora, the national strategy of Timor Lescht on remittances is most welcome. And as you know, following the doubling declaration, IOM is very much committed in supporting all member states that want to mobilize their diaspora in order to provide resources to the development of the country. And last but not least, I would emphasize that Timor Lescht is a country particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and slow onset environmental degradation and therefore disaster risk management, disaster risk reduction enhancing the resilience and reducing vulnerabilities, particularly reducing the gender-based violence in crisis is for us utmost relevant in our work in Timor Lescht. In relation to Kenya, I want to emphasize the very good cooperation we have with the government of Kenya in confronting with the terrible impacts of the ongoing drought in the east and on Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, in Somalia and in Kenya. And we appreciate the fact that the government of Kenya has subscribed to the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change as well as the implementation of the conclusions of the Pan-African Forum on Migration. I reiterate our willingness to support the capacity building and we welcome the finalization of the Marshall Plan focusing on the refugee response, durable solutions in Kenya. In relation to Croatia, I would like to express my thanks for the very good cooperation we have in terms of assisted voluntary return and reintegration as well as in resettlement areas where Croatia has extensive expertise. And I would like to congratulate you for joining the Schengen border less area, which is about to come, I believe, on the 1st of January. And definitely we will be willing to support the extension of the independent border monitoring mechanism that Croatia has created to overview the border management security and the humane treatment of migrants as it has been stated also in the Scopia Declaration that you have mentioned and for us is a landmark because it was the first time that six parties in the Western Balkan regions subscribed to a joint declaration that I hope will have positive impacts in Croatia, too. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Thank you, DG. Next, I have Germany that will be, I believe, Ambassador Stasch, my colleague. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Director General. Germany aligns itself with the AU statement. First of all, thank you IOM for your strong leadership in the management of global migration and thank you for many years of successful bilateral cooperation. Germany values IOM as a reliable partner. We share the aim to secure legal pathways for safe and regular migration. We also thank all IOM staff members for their relentless efforts to bring humanitarian assistance and relief to those who are in need. Germany is currently modernizing its our migration policy. We want to send incentives for increased labor migration, pre-depart measures, streamline and improve our asylum law and procedure, strengthen, resettlement programs, and simultaneously focus on return. All of this, we believe, enables safe, orderly and irregular migration, eventually beneficial to all. In terms of international cooperation, we aim at increased and strengthened cooperation with countries of origin and transit on root causes of displacement and migration on legal pathways of migration and also on return and reintegration. And against this background, we welcome IOM's strategy to consider return and reintegration processes holistically. Mr. Chairman, we all face serious challenges due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has caused a large influx of refugees in neighboring countries. And we fully align with the statement delivered by the colleague from Ukraine. The war has also had and still has negative impacts on countries from the global south as they are particularly suffering from the worldwide food and energy crisis. And at the same time, we should not and will not forget other humanitarian crisis like the devastating floods in Pakistan or the droughts in Afghanistan and East Africa due to climate change. We are grateful to IOM for having taken immediate actions to alleviate the needs of those who are affected by these crises. We will continue to support these initiatives. And just to give you one example, Germany will give five billion euros of aid for food security only in 2022. Mr. Chairman, Director General, we recommend IOM for having achieved substantial progress with regard to its structural reforms. The budgetary reform has been a major step. And this reform was only possible because of the willingness to compromise and the profound dedication of all member states. Once again, thank you to all partners. Last but not least, we strongly support the establishment of IOM's Global Data Institute as a central data center within the UN family. We are looking forward to enhance our cooperation with IOM on data analysis, especially in priority areas like migration forecasting. Mr. Chairman, global migration issues cannot be tackled alone. International cooperation is needed, and we strongly believe that IOM provides the appropriate platform for this cooperation. And last but not least, once again, DG Vittorino, I would like to express my government's gratitude for your leadership. We stand ready to support you and your work going forward. Thank you very much. Thank you. Germany, I have Pakistan. Excellency, have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me begin by congratulating you and members of the Bureau for assuming your positions. Allow me to also extend our profound condolences to the delegation of China on the sad demise of former president and great statesman Jiang Zemin. We thank Director General Vittorino, his deputies and IOM staff in Geneva and in the field for their commendable public service, advocacy, and efforts to promote respect for the rights, dignity, and welfare of the migrants. Notwithstanding the tight fiscal environment, the adoption of the resolution on budget reform, this year was a welcome step. While this measure would help ensure sustainability of the current funding model, we encourage IOM to further diversify and broaden its donor base to add predictability to its program budget cycles. We appreciate IOM's ongoing work to implement the strategic vision, its valuable research work, and its harnessing towards migration policy and practice. We would like to underscore the need for enhanced geographical representation, including at the senior management levels. We invite the IOM leadership to develop tools and targets, and periodically report on progress being made. Ms. Chairman, migration has been rightly recognized by the 2030 agenda and the global compact on migration as a positive phenomenon and a key enabler for sustainable development. The promotion of humane and orderly migration should continue to be anchored in the global development policy agenda and address both the drivers and impacts of human mobility. The IOM should also enhance its support to member states in building their national migration management capacities. Given the shifting dynamics of migration, there is a growing need for IOM's advocacy and programs towards regular migration pathways. Similar efforts are needed towards universal recognition of academic and vocational certifications as well as cheaper, faster, and safer remittances of migrants. As the current chair of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, these areas remain key priority for Pakistan. Ms. Chairman, Pakistan is a country of origin, transit, and destination. Over 9 million Pakistanis, around 4% of the country's population, are doctors, engineers, software developers, craftsmen, and other blue-collar workers in 115 destination countries across the globe. The Pakistani diaspora has contributed substantially to national development and played a significant role in the destination countries as well. We attach high importance to the pursuit of safe, legal, and humane migration framework through legislative policy and administrative measures. Millions of Afghans, irrespective of their legal status, have and continue to benefit from social mobility, livelihood opportunities, and access to health and education services in Pakistan. Finally, Ms. Chairman, the impacts of and growing nexus between environmental food and health security and human mobility were on display during the unprecedented flooding in Pakistan this year. The huge loss of human lives and livelihoods, the massive dislocation, and billions of dollars in infrastructure damages represents a call to action based on equity, common, but differentiated responsibility, and fulfillment of climate finance commitments. We are grateful to the assistance provided by IOM, our friends, and the UN system. In devising holistic responses to mobility in the context of climate change disasters, a global baseline understanding is needed to evolve normative and policy responses. We value IOM's continuing research and advocacy in this vital area, and we look forward to engaging constructively with a view to raising further awareness, exchanging good practices, and lending support to the ongoing advocacy and efforts by and through the IOM on the intersection of mobility, migration, sustainable development, and climate action. I thank you. Thank you, Excellency. I have Sweden. Excellency, you have the floor. Thank you so much. Chair, Director-General, Deputy Director-General's Distinguished Alligates. Sweden aligns itself with the statement made by the EU on behalf of its member states and by Ukraine on behalf of a group of states. Allow me to begin by stating that Sweden condemns the indiscriminate attacks of Russia against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Europe's experience is the worst displacement crisis since the Second World War. IOM has done a remarkable work delivering support to those affected in Ukraine and in the surrounding region. It is clear that the work of IOM is as important as ever. Sweden would like to take this opportunity to reiterate its support to IOM. We express our deepest appreciation for the important challenges and often dangerous work that IOM staff around the world carry out every day. We see you and we appreciate you. We also want to extend our compliments to IOM for its continued stewardship of the UN network on migration, its guidance of the implementation of the global compact for safe, orderly, and regular migration, and for successfully conducting its first international migration review forum in May this year. The adoption of the GCM marked a new era for international cooperation on migration and Sweden would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to the compact. We face a number of unprecedented and parallel challenges in the field of global migration, none of which can be solved without international cooperation. The way forward must entail a comprehensive approach. Rights and obligations must be respected at all stages and by all parties. This includes the international obligation to protect those in need of protection. It also includes a functioning system for return, readmission, and reintegration that ensures that individuals can be properly received without undue delay. More efforts need to be made in the era of regular migration, including combating human trafficking and smuggling, while ensuring adequate response to mechanisms for victims. Cher, IOM has had an extraordinary year scaling up its presence in new and protracted crises around the globe. However, the continuous rapid growth of the organization underscores the need to continue efforts to ensure the organization is fit for purpose. We welcome progress made over the course of the year in the area of institutional development and organizational effectiveness, including progress under the internal governance framework. We applaud efforts to improve the capacity of the organization to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. It is imperative that this works goes on and to ensure that both investigative, legal, and human resources functions are adequately resourced to handle cases. The budget reform achieved this year was a result of a lot of hard work, determination, and a spirit of compromise shown both by the IOM leadership, the IOM bureau, and member states. It was a strong manifestation of support for the crucial role that IOM plays. We hope that the IOM can keep building on this momentum and for efforts to ensure a sustainable funding model for the organization to continue. Finally, I would like to again express our appreciation for the IOM and for its staff. I thank you. And I thank you, Excellency. I have Poland. Excellency, have a floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Director General, Excellencies, Poland aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and the joint statement delivered by Ukraine on behalf of the group of states. And I would like to address the Council in its national capacity. From the very beginning of the Russian and provoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine this year, Poland continues complex activities to assist all citizens of Ukraine, forced to flee their home, to find safe haven in Poland, or to transit to other countries. In this regard, Poland would like to express our deep acknowledgments for the cooperation with the IOM office in Poland, which enabled a coherent synergy of assistance for Ukrainian citizens after February 24th. The support provided by IOM has had various and specialized forms, including IOM mobile psychosocial support teams, educational integration programs for Ukrainian children, support at the National Stadium Polish ID number registration, training for new volunteers in the field of migrants, and refugee law or launching a hotline for refugees and migrants in need. IOM has also prepared child protection leaflets to protect children during the emergency movement phase. Chair, shortly after the outbreak of Russian aggression against Ukraine, Poland introduced a special legal act of March 12th on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine. We have observed some return movements in the summer. However, we expect the potential significant influx of refugees from Ukraine with the peak of the winter season as further possible attacks on the energy infrastructure might significantly intensify the increase in massive forced population inflows. We are taking any possible efforts to be adequately prepared for such cases by adopting new facilities with appropriate living conditions in the autumn and winter for Ukrainian citizens. We are also prepositioning some temporary collective accommodations, which with meals prepared by local governments and communities. Additionally, we have introduced legal solutions that enable Polish citizens to actively engage in helping Ukrainians. Under the special legal act mentioned just before, anyone who provides Ukrainian citizens with accommodation and meals at their own expense may receive a cash benefit and other requests for a period no longer than 120 days from the date of arrival of a citizen of Ukraine on the territory of Poland. In all districts of Poland, so-called reception points are providing care for persons crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border. Meals, a place to rest, basic medical care, information on the rules of stay and available forms of assistance, and the regulations of legalizing staying in Poland are provided. There are also information points in all districts where Ukrainian citizens receive information on possible assistance and other tips necessary for their further stay in Poland. Moreover, we are taking any possible measures to make all people staying in collective accommodation facilities to leave them as soon as possible become independent and professionally active. It is worth highlighting that from among the refugees registered with the Polish ID number database, there are people of working age and around 155,000 took up legal work in Poland. It is also worth underlining that the Polish police and border guards are constantly taking information and prevention measures aimed at avoiding the risk of human trafficking and sexual violence of my immigrants. Victims of these crimes enjoy the same protection measures as all other Polish citizens. Chair, distinguished delegates, in closing, allow me to underline that the driving force for various activities undertaken by Poland for the people forced to move are largely inspired by the actions implemented by international organizations, including the IOM. At this point, Poland would like to express our deep gratitude for the activities of the IOM undertaken not only in Poland, but also worldwide. Your personnel, regardless of the enormous support for refugees and IDPs from war zone Ukraine, continues to assist migrants from all over the world to return safely to their countries of origin and fully reintegrate. IOM also constantly strengthens the local integration of migrants in Poland and contributes to the fight against human trafficking by supporting Polish police officers and border guards, which is another example of IOM's tireless efforts to assist countries on the way to successfully manage migration processes in these challenging times. I thank you. And I thank you Excellency, I know how Canada, Excellency of the floor. Chair, Canada would like to welcome Barbados to the IOM and congratulate the four elected members of the Council Bureau. Canada aligns itself with the joint declaration made by Ukraine. Chair, we hold the IOM in high regard and we would hope to continue to contribute to ensure that it is efficient and responsible while working with Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as institutional co-leaders for the multilateral organization performance assessment network, otherwise known as MOPAN. We will continue to strive for a larger part of the process in order to highlight our collective quest for the excellent organizational model for the IOM. We know that with this commitment, two excellence is shared with the IOM. 2023 will see the election of a new Director-General. Canada would like to express its hope that the election will not divert the organization's attention away from its important work as a leading intergovernmental organization on migration. In Canada, we will continue to work with the regulatory microchip pathways in order to bridge the gaps in the labour market and to balance the demographic of our aging population. According to record immigration levels in 2022, our national plan will hope to host more than 1.5 million new permanent residents the next three years. Thank you. We will invest in integration and public support for diversity. Canada has renewed and increased its investment in the quote, it takes a community, unquote, global social media campaign in 2022, 2023, which aims to improve public narratives on migrants and refugees. We will continue to co-chair this campaign with Ecuador and the GFMD mayor's mechanism and partner with IOM for its implementation globally, which also includes a regional focus in the Americas in the coming year. Canada remains committed to the global compact for migration and we continue to be engaged in the champion countries initiative to promote the compact internationally. Canada equally supports the global compact on refugees. We are deeply appreciative of IOM's engagement in the global task force on refugee labour mobility, an initiative that brings both compacts together. Turning to the rights and vulnerabilities of migrants, Canada calls on the IOM and member states to uphold and promote a gender responsive approach to migration that addresses systemic and intersecting inequalities to reduce risks for women, LGBTI persons, girls and others facing intersecting vulnerabilities. Canada also recognizes and welcomes the IOM's efforts to combat gender-based violence and promote gender equality. In closing, we'd like to thank the IOM staff for their tireless dedication to people on the move. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Canada. And thank you. As a gender champion, I was pleased to receive this from the Canadian mission today. Thank you very much. I have now the general to make some comments. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I would like to express to Germany my personal thanks and to emphasize that Germany is an extremely good example of a country that approaches migration with a whole of government. And this has been very clearly exemplified in the current year I level consultations that we had a couple of weeks ago. And we appreciate the fact that Germany is the third largest donor to IOM. We are very much encouraged by the ongoing reform process in Germany about the national German migration law and particularly focusing on the legal pathways. And we appreciate the willingness of the German government to engage in the debate and action concerning the links between climate change and food security, as it has been critical in Charmel's shake. Thank you. In terms of our strategy for the Global Data Institute, it's going to start operating in Berlin next January. We appreciate the kickoff support from Germany. But we take this opportunity also to emphasize that we would welcome further support from different member states. The Global Data Institute is a key critical part of IOM. I've had the opportunity to emphasize that 84 percent of all humanitarian response plans in the entire UN system benefits from the data that are collected by our displacement tracking metrics in the framework of the Global Data Institute. This is particularly important to recall today, because today is the day where the global humanitarian overview is going to be launched. So please be aware that the data that you are going to see in the global humanitarian overview, 84 percent of them come from IOM, come from the DTM, and I would like to emphasize the importance of this instrument. And we have to go an extra mile. We need to have a more in-depth capacity to collect data in a desegregated terms. That is fully in line with the Germany's feminist foreign policy, because we need to have data on gender, on age, on territory of origin to have a better picture and be able to forecast the evolution of migratory movements. In relation to Pakistan, first of all, I want to emphasize that Pakistan hosts 2.8 million Afghan nationals in its territory. It's a very important contribution of Pakistan to the situation in Afghanistan. And after the devastating floods that have occurred, Pakistan knows more than 30 million people displaced and more than 20,000 households impacted by the floods. We remain committed to support Pakistan in providing humanitarian assistance and a shelter to the populations that have been displaced because of the floods and as well as cooperating with the government of Pakistan in the implementation of the very significant progress that Pakistan has registered in terms of counter-trafficking. I fully agree with His Excellency the Ambassador about the need to explore regular pathways. And from our side, we are always ready to support the engagement of countries of origin and countries of destination. And we believe that your chairman's shift of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue will be a good opportunity to enhance this dialogue. In terms of Sweden, I want to express our thanks for the fact that Sweden is our largest contributor in terms of a near-mark funding and is sensitive to the needs of flexible funding for the operations of IOM, especially in the recent situation in the war in Ukraine, and particularly taking care of the victims of trafficking in human beings. We look forward to the Swedish-European Union presidency that will start in January next year in order to see progress in the adoption and implementation of the European pact on migration and asylum. I know that you have a new government, and from my side, I will be willing to go to Sweden as soon as in the early next year to meet with the new leadership in the Swedish government and have an exchange of views about our bilateral fruitful cooperation. In relation to Poland, I would like to emphasize, first of all, the enormous generosity and willingness of the government government, of the Polish government, of the local authorities in Poland, and of the civil society in Poland to host 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine. And we stand ready to assist all Polish authorities to proceed with this support. I share the Ambassador's view that we need to be prepared for the possible impact of flows of people during the winter, and I very much welcome the announcement of the new facilities that the Polish government is setting up to host that potential arrival of Ukrainians. And I emphasize that your reception points at the border that I had myself, the opportunity to visit in person right after the beginning of the war have been extremely important to give first comfort, first support, and precious information to the Ukrainian refugees. And we stand ready to explore all the potentials of the integration in the Polish society of the Ukrainian refugees, particularly children, and accessing to the school system. In relation to Canada, I would like to say that we appreciate your strong resettlement and asylum processes, which are outstanding. And we welcome very much the announcement that you have made that you will promote the integration of 1.5 million people in the next three years, as well as our strong cooperation with IR SCC on the implementation of your resettlement program. And we stand with you on the global media campaign. That's one of the critical issues that we have to confront. And I must confess, we have not been very successful. So we need your support and we need to work together in the framework of the global forum of migration and development to tackle the issue on of the misperceptions about migration. As you know, we have settled with Ireland, a global media academy, which can be extremely helpful to this campaign. I also want to thank your generous contribution to our comprehensive action plan in Afghanistan and neighboring countries. It's part of our key concern of not leaving the Afghan crisis forgotten in the current moment, as well as your engagement in a number of other regional crises like the one in Haiti, the one in Ukraine, of course, and the Venezuelan response. And we welcome the willingness of Canada to join jointly with European Union to lead the organization of the Donner Conference on the Venezuelan situation in 2023. Thank you. Thank you, Director General. Thank you. I have Libya next on my list. Excellency, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Director General, your Excellencies, I am honored to participate in this important meeting, which reflects the extent of the role that your esteemed organization offers in the field of immigration. Allow me to stress, the world is facing unprecedented challenges as new crises continue to emerge all over the world. The immigration remains one of the oldest unregulated phenomena where millions of people leave their homes, their homelands, and become internally displaced asylum seekers or immigrants. Human mobility happened for several reasons, including temporary ones and long-term factors that includes the impact of climate change. Mr. President, my country recognizes the importance of addressing the issue of migration through international, regional, and bilateral cooperation. This involves an open dialogue with all stakeholders through a balance and a coherence approach in a spirit of solidarity and partnership. The international community needs to work on addressing the worsening immigration crisis, taking into account its economic, social, and environmental dimensions with a view that respects the cultural, human, and social perspective. Regrettably, this issue of immigration is complicated by climate change aspects, and all consequences and repercussions included. This has direct impact on well-being and lives of citizens, immigrants, and other vulnerable communities of the population. According to the World Bank, a report climate change may force more than 216 million people in the sex region of the world to migrate by 2050, including 19 million from North Africa. This should motivate us all to move quickly to take immediate and effective measures to support green development. Referring to the climate conference in Sharma-Sheikh this month and the important endorsement of the establishment of a fund to compensate the losses and damage incurred by developing countries as a result of climate change. This is one of the basic steps to adopt a policy that supports the reduction of climate migration. And it is a huge step in the right direction that we support with confidence. My country unfortunately suffers from continuous waves of illegal migration and related transnational crimes, such as trafficking and human smuggling. This adds to the crisis in Libya, which is going through an exceptional phase that is clear to all members of the international community. Despite all that, my country strives to work on finding solutions for these issues and cooperation with international partners, such as as much as possible, including facilitating the return of immigrants wishing to return to their home countries, voluntary, and integrating them into the labor market through bilateral agreements. Mr. President, the international organization for for migration remains a major partner for my country. A strong cooperation established in the field of migration. As the year 2022 witnesses a continuation of the cooperation in priority areas, the most important of which is the voluntary, safe, and dignified return project, which has achieved during the past year the return for more than 60,000 illegal immigration stranded in Libya, as well as the providing assistance in emergency situation for immigrants in need. We look forward for further discussions on the improving of a cooperation coordination of efforts with the IOM. We are ready to expand our work to create a strategic partner to achieve our goals for the coming years. Also, one of my country's main strategy in this regard is to create greater opportunities for our employees to participate internationally through your esteemed organization and extraordinary work. I thank you. I thank you, Excellency, who is also actually the chair of the African group. Thank you. I have next, India. Excellency, have the floor. Mr. Chairperson, Director General, Excellencies Distinguished Delegates, a very good afternoon to you all. I thank the chair for giving me the floor. I congratulate the chair for his election as the President of the Council. Chairperson, in an era marked by rapid technological changes and demographic shifts, global migration and mobility has emerged as a crucial enabler for achieving sustainable growth and development. With around 18 million Indians living abroad, India has a large and diverse diaspora spread across the globe. Indian diaspora has been making significant contributions to the development of the host countries, as well as India. We have accorded a high priority to promoting the welfare and the interests of our diaspora, and we have undertaken several initiatives for facilitating safe orderly and regular migration. We have signed bilateral agreements on mobility with key destination countries to improve the mobility governance framework. The labor manpower agreements and the migration mobility partnership agreements that we have signed with 12 countries so far have helped in providing regular pathways for migration of Indian professionals and workers. And negotiations are underway to conclude such agreements with more countries. We have also taken steps to ensure implementation of fair and transparent equipment policies and procedures to reduce the vulnerabilities of the migrants. Our emigrate portal has completely digitized the equipment ecosystem and brought about end-to-end transparency in migration. India's commitment to ensure the welfare of its diaspora is also reflected in the initiative to create Indian Community Welfare Fund and the non-resident Indian Insurance Scheme. Further, we have set up a portal called Madad which serves as the online consular grievance management system to provide the Indians living abroad a platform for seeking assistance from Indian missions abroad. We have also led emphasis on skilling to open employment opportunities for Indian professionals and workers abroad. Our endeavor is to ensure that Indians migrate with enhanced skill sets to date more than 120,000 potential migrants have been imparted pre-departure orientation training. Chair, we appreciate the role played by IOM in dealing with global migration issues. In view of the changes taking place in global migration landscape, IOM needs to reorient its focus to prioritize facilitation of legal, regular, organized and orderly migration. In this regard, we have recently made two proposals outlined in a concept note submitted to the IOM. While one proposal is on enhancing social security portability of migrants, the other proposal is on identifying the gaps in global supply and demand of skills. In our view, these two proposals would contribute in achieving the core objectives of IOM that is facilitating safe orderly and regular migration. India would like IOM to also focus on protection of migrants. We have supported reforms in the IOM as part of our call for reformed multilateralism. We hope that the recent budget reforms will be followed by reforms in IOM's structures, priorities and management, including enhancing its global presence through national and regional offices and diversifying its human resources. We are looking forward to working together with IOM in meeting the shared goal of legal, regular, organized and orderly migration. I thank you, Chair. Thank you, Excellency. I have the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela next. You have the floor. Thank you, Chair. Good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to extend my greetings to you and wish you all the best in discharging your mandate. Chair, the phenomenon of human mobility has been with us since the beginnings of our civilizations. That is why our societies are a product of this cultural heterogeneity, which is based on migration. Sometimes we forget that the countries of the north would never have reached the standards of living that they currently have without the workforce of migrants from the global south. That is why we need to ensure that we have an integral and solidarity-based approach to migration. In my country, we have historically received and hosted millions of migrants, and these have contributed to the development of our state. They have been protected by the state. They have been included in all our programs and public policies based on non-discrimination and also based on tolerance, solidarity, gender equality, justice, social inclusion, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all migrants, regardless of their migration status. We understand that international migration requires us to find multilateral solutions and multilateral approaches without political intolerance, which we are seeing as well as the commodification of migration. We need to ensure that we are working in a coordinated fashion based on solidarity, ensuring that we take on our responsibilities and our commitments so that we can offer protection to people on the move from a humanist point of view. We underscore the importance of ensuring with a methodological rigor that we should collect data, classifying separately economic migrants and refugees as well as asylum seekers. This distinction is vital for us to be able to adequately establish specific regulations that protect each of these categories. We regret the perverse tendency to magnify the migratory figures so as to raise funds and also to go along with political interests. We regret to see that Venezuelan migration is seen as a crisis. Some European countries and others in my region of Latin America prefer to repeat the media tendency, which does not look at the cause of this migration, which is the imposition of illegal coercive measures and measures that are unilateral. We reject that this is also being repeated by the high-level management of the IOM because we are not looking at the fact that people have migrated because they have been forced to and this affects their human dignity. These illegal coercive measures of Venezuela have led us to initiate a plan for coming back to the homeland, which allows people to come voluntarily. We would like to reaffirm our commitment to the global compact for safe orderly and regular migration, which has concrete objectives which will be beneficial to migratory flows and will allow us to move forward hand in hand. Thank you. Thank you. Excellent. I have the Samoa. You have the floor. Excellent. Mr. Chair, Samoa would like to congratulate you on your appointment and the manner in which you have conducted our meeting. We also express our condolences to the People's Republic of China on the passing of the Honorable Xiang Xiamen. Mr. Chairman, we note with concern the increasing frequency of natural disasters and climate-related devastations witnessed around the world from floodings in Costa Rica and Pakistan who droughts in the Horn of Africa. The Pacific is all too familiar with such climate change realities as we deal with rising sea levels in the face of the ever-present threat of natural disasters. In fact, Samoa was affected by up to nine natural and climate-induced disasters over the past 12 years. With a population of only 200,000, the impacts on loss of life, homes, businesses, infrastructure, livelihoods, and overall economic development is significant. The 2009 tsunami led to the relocation of entire villages inland away from their coastal locations, resulting in loss of livelihoods and incurring millions of new infrastructure and utilities. Cyclones Evans in 2012, Gita in 2018, resulted in temporary displacement of people and devastated livelihoods and assets, causing damages and doing years of economic gains in infrastructure development. 60 percent of Samoa's population reside one kilometer from the coastline. We have seen firsthand the great effects of climate change through the degradation of environment, displacement of families, and food insecurity to name a few in a long list of loss and damages that we as small island developing states must bear. Mr. Chair, from a Pacific disaster preparedness and response perspective, climate mobility is inevitable. With the existential threat of sea level rise and a complete loss of territory, statehood, and sovereignty. From the lens of economic and climate disaster resilience, climate mobility is synonymous with external labor migration. Labor mobility is a key priority area of the pathway for the development of Samoa. The important role of remittances from Samoa's diaspora population to community and national development has been given a significant boost through the employment and economic opportunities from the seasonal work programs by Australia and New Zealand and have become important in the social economic recovery efforts from COVID-19. However, we recognize that the migration of young, skilled, and unskilled persons impacts development across all sectors of the economy and therefore important to have a balanced approach in national development planning. There is also the need to address the rising social challenges associated with the separation of family units and ensuring the welfare and safety of migrant workers in receiving country and ensuring the safety of migrant workers in receiving countries continue to be a priority, as well the reintegration of returning workers into the community. Mr. Chair, Pacific Island countries attach profound importance to our ocean, holding cultural significance, our history as navigators, and high economic value of marine, of Pacific marine resources that have sustained our communities and livelihood for generations. Our food system is vulnerable to global shocks as we have seen with the impacts of COVID-19, war and aggression, and climate extremes. As such, climate ambition must be translated into concrete action in order to address the migration, food security, and environment issues we are confronted with in our everyday lives. There is an urgency to scale up action and support in order to secure the future of small island developing states and future generations. We believe that this can be achieved with collective action and meaningful cooperation. I reiterate the call by the Honorable Prime Minister of Samoa at COP 27 for development partners to walk with us in determining the best recovery strategy that fits our vulnerability and economic potential. Mr. Chair, with the opening and establishment of the permanent mission of Samoa in Geneva, we hope to increase direct and meaningful engagement with IOM and our development partners to ensure targeted and needed support is mobilized. I thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you very much. I now have South Africa and hoping is the grand-wise man of the African group, Excellency Ambassador Nkosi, you have the floor. Sorry, Chairperson, I'm fortunate it's not Ambassador Nkosi, yes, to look at it solely. Chairperson, South Africa, this is this opportunity to congratulate you, Ambassador LaSwana, Gabri, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, as the Chairperson of the Bureau of the IOM. South Africa aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African group. My delegation appreciates that the Director General's leadership in steering the organizational reform process for the IOM that is modern and fit for purpose in increasing complexities of migration experienced around the world. Our country also appreciates the constructive negotiations on budget reform that led to the attainment of the decision of 28 June 2022. It was an epitome of multilateralism whereby every member states inputs and concerns were carefully considered, given the devastations of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current global economic crisis. South Africa reiterates its support for the vision and objectives of the global conflict for safe, modern and regular migration as a comprehensive global policy to strengthen migration governments, notwithstanding, South Africa still believes that there is a need for a clear differentiation between a regular and irregular migrant, particularly as it relates to responsibilities of sending states, transit states and receiving states, access to basic services, economic realities of receiving states, as well as obligations of countries of origin to receive their own nationals. This becomes of particular importance in the view of the negative impact of COVID-19 in the global economy which has led to a shift in priorities and constrained vulnerability reduction. Similarly, the impact of climate change on resource scarcity and its potential to induce populations in vulnerable situations compounds the need to have a clarity on these two types of migrants. Chairperson, none of our countries is immune to the devastations of natural disaster and this year alone the world experienced extreme patterns of floods, landslides, droughts, wildfires and winds that destroyed critical infrastructure and agricultural production. We never need to invest time in finding solutions to the climate-induced migration and those solutions lie in building local and national adaptive capacity and strengthening resilience to prevent, prepare for and respond to displacement as the primary responsibility is with the countries affected. Early this year, South Africa experienced devastating floods in the coastal provinces of Quasulunatal and East NK which certainly destroyed homes, killed more than 400 citizens, temporarily displaced families and also destroyed critical infrastructure required for service delivery with an estimated damage repair cost of approximately 17 billion rents. In response to the crisis, the government established an inclusive national government response through the Disaster Management Act bringing together the national provincial and local space coordination mechanisms including civil society amongst others. Through this mechanism, South Africa was able to mobilize resources in response to the devastating disaster towards the construction of the damaged infrastructure as well as humanitarian support for the affected communities. Chairperson, South Africa believes that solutions to the rapid impact of climate change and food insecurity should be centered in addressing the adverse drivers and adoption of preventative measures that are comprehensive, collaborative, coordination and unwavering commitment of all member states to improve governance and sustainable resilience at local, national, regional and international level. Within the continent, South Africa participates in initiatives to make significant investments towards climate resilience and adaptation strategies within the limited capacity and resources. The recently held Penn African Forum on Migration continued to be one of the forums that South Africa shaped and at the discourse on migration governance in Africa. South Africa noted the report of the 31st session of the sending committee and is concerned that the challenges of irregular migrations are only attributed to the pull factors rather than the push factors of forced migration. South Africa believes that as member states, we have the obligation and responsibility to respect, protect, promote and fulfill the human rights of persons. We maintain that the livelihoods of persons should not deteriorate in a manner that they resort to illegal, dangerous and unsafe paths. As a preventative measure to curb on irregular migration, South Africa encourages continued dialogue on these matters so that we preserve the dignity of our people. I thank you, Mr. Chairperson. My thank you, my dear Assistant Ambassador Nkosi. It's me, it's not very much. I now yield the floor to the rest of the general for comments. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I want to express my understanding that Libya is confronted with a vast number of challenging situations. And from our side, we encourage the Libyan authorities to continue discussions with the major countries of origin in order to facilitate the opening of channels for regular labor migration and address many of the concerns pertaining to the welfare of migrant workers in Libya. It is particularly important that we focus on finding right-based alternatives to detention. The situation of the detention centers remains of utmost concern to us. And we expect to engage with the Libyan government in order to address those situations as soon as possible in order to protect the human rights and the dignity of all migrants present in Libyan territory. We also acknowledge that due to its geographical position, the southern border of Libya is particularly porous. And therefore, it is absolutely critical to engage in a strong cooperation with the neighboring countries because those are the countries of origin of migratory routes that may end tragically in deaths in the Mediterranean when trying to cross to Europe. I want to express to the Indian ambassador our appreciation for the bilateral labor mobility agreements that India has been establishing with several countries, as well as the initiatives that His Excellency has had the opportunity to express concerning the measures taken to protect and enhance the welfare of Indian migrants globally. From our side, we go on ready to engage with India. We believe that we should try to explore the multilateral labor agreements that I spoke in my intervention. And we will take very much into line in our own work the suggestions that have been put forward by your concept note on social security protection and portability of social rights. It's a critical issue in terms of regular pathways for migration. It's a complex issue, definitely, but I think that it is unavoidable that we tackle it as in the framework of promoting regular pathways. And I want also to encourage you to join our global diaspora initiative. You have been at the origin of it. But Deputy Director General Goshi Denel just mentioned to me that the World Bank published today a report on remittances. And India diaspora has provided in remittances $100 billion, which is quite a remarkable figure. And if properly channeled can promote the development of India. Finally, I want to express my appreciation for your engagement in the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration as a key multilateral tool to improve migration governance worldwide. In relation to Venezuela. As regards Venezuela, I would like to underscore that for us, the situation of migrants is a question of humanitarian protection. We are not making this political and I can assure you of that. So what we are concerned about is the root causes of migration, as well as the situation that migrants find themselves all the time. We do have an opportunity to discuss figures. We do have differences of opinion on the figures. But one thing I would like to make very clear is that we do not use data that we have compiled. This is data that is provided by host countries. And we do not do this with the aim of increasing donations. But because we need this support to ensure that we can protect and support Venezuelan migrants that are displaced in other countries, we believe that we are able to discuss this. And we can do this based on objective reports. And we could overcome our differences so that we can have a joint position. I would also like to underscore that you can continue to count on our support as the IOM, providing humanitarian supports, fighting discrimination and xenophobia against Venezuelan migrants, as well as in our fight against the illegal trafficking and smuggling of people. We welcome you and we share with you the concern about the impacts of natural disasters and climate change in all Pacific islands. And IOM probably is one of the UN agencies that has a more extensive footprint in the Pacific Island region. And we focus very much our work in terms of supporting the small island development states to confront with the impacts of climate change in their own national development and in terms of displacement. And you can count on us in that respect. And as well as in engaging the Samora diaspora to support the development of the country. Last but not least, South Africa, I want to express to you my thanks for your engagement in multilateral organizations such as IOM and in terms of the implementation of the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration. From my side, there are three key points. First of all, we share with you the concerns about the impacts of climate change, not just in displacement of people, but also in terms of destruction of critical infrastructure. That's why it is so important to give priority to early warning mechanisms to prevention, preparedness and adaptation. And also to build the resilience of the communities that are more seriously impacted by climate change, as it has been emphasized during COP 27. We are fully aligned with the South Africa government efforts to combat racism, discrimination, xenophobia, violence and related intolerance in the country. And last but not least, we encourage you to proceed with the draft national labor migration policy because opening up regular pathways for migration is a key tool in the fight against irregular migration, smuggling and trafficking in human beings. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Thank you, DG. Next on my list, China and that might be my friend Mr. Chen. Excellent to have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chairperson. Let me begin by congratulating you and colleagues from Germany, Korea, Peru and your election as members of the Bureau. I have the confidence that under your able guidance, this session will achieve great success. A welcome to Barbados to join this IOM family. I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute with high appreciation to the significant progress in all aspects of the IOM's endeavor under the leadership of the direct general. Mr. Chairperson, at present, the COVID-19 pandemic still drags on combined with food, energy and other crises. Immigration management faces serious challenges, bearing in this very mind in this backdrop. I wish to highlight the following points. First, enhance the leading role of IOM. The international community should increase political support and investment in IOM, mobilize more resources to combat challenges in the field of immigration. This session of the council approved the budget reform plan with a view to provide stable and predictable financial support for this organization. It is hoped that the resources available could be used in full with more effective, with more assistance to developing countries, especially providing greater support to the African continent. In the meantime, we hope that the underrepresentation of developing countries at IOM secretariat could be addressed. Second, improve global migration governance. The global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration should be implemented in line with the principle of sovereignty and the national conditions of each and every state. We wish to see a more technical assistance could be provided, especially to developing countries. There is an urgent need to reinforce international cooperation against the COVID-19 and increase the accessibility and affordability of vaccines, medicines and diagnostic and treatment methods in developing countries with the view to create a sound environment for economic recovery so as to reduce forced and irregular migration. Third, protect the legal rights and interests of migrants. COVID-19 pandemic inflicted a severe impact on the livelihood of people across the world, especially migrants in vulnerable situations. All countries should make every endeavor to protect their rights to life, to work, health, education, and create a fair and favorable living environment to all this affected by firmly upholding any pandemic-related stigmatization, racial discrimination and hatred. Mr. Chairperson, China will continue to support your work and endeavor of the IOM and the Director-General. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Excellency, I have Finland. Excellency, have the floor. Chairperson, Director-General, Excellencies and East English Delegates, Finland delights itself with her statement on behalf of the European Union and its member states. I would like to start by stating that we highly value the excellent cooperation between the IOM and Finland. Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, which Finland continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms, has further highlighted IOM's invaluable role and the special nature of its work. We commend IOM for its response to the situation in Ukraine and other affected countries. Our support to Ukraine is steadfast, but we have not lost sight of the rest of the world. We are concerned that conflicts and crises, and not least, the climate crisis, are causing more human suffering and forced displacement all over the world. Finland aims to continue providing assistance globally. Our budget allocations to Ukraine have been additional to our support for other global needs. We need to ensure that IOM is well equipped to do what it does best and what is at the core of its mandate. Therefore, we welcome the efforts by the IOM leadership to develop the organisation and encourage the continuation of this important work. Strengthening internal mechanisms such as result-based management, evaluation, risk supervision and internal justice system is necessary. In light of this, we formally welcome the adoption of the budget reform. We welcome IOM's institutional commitments, including enhanced work towards combating sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as strengthening disability inclusion. We encourage IOM to make sure its work on disability inclusion is strategic and cuts across the whole organisation, including IOM's internal structures and its operations. We encourage the IOM to pay particular attention to the needs of migrant women, children and persons with disabilities through an intersectional approach, especially on the country level. Let me conclude by reiterating Finland's appreciation and support for the vital role and work of the IOM. We look forward to our continued cooperation and thank you. Thank you, Excellency. I have now Botswana. Excellency Basra, you have the floor. Thank you very much, Chairperson. Chairperson of the Council, your Excellency Dr. Lanzana Berry, Director of Director General Mr. Antonio Vittorino, your Excellency's ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to express my congratulations to you, Chairperson, and all the very members on your election to the Council and to assure you of Botswana's unwavering support to you during your term. Botswana Alliance herself is the statement delivered on behalf of the African group by the distinguished representative of Nigeria. We also joined the other delegations in welcoming Barbados as a member of the International Organization for Migration. Chairperson, Botswana thanks the Director General and his team for the focused efforts to keep the organization in a state of operational effectiveness and fit for purpose. We also applaud members, states for collectively agreeing to increase their organizations' access contributions through the budget form undertaken earlier this year. We are confident that we will enhance the capacity of the IOM in assisting those in need of humanitarian support worldwide. It is indeed pleasing to note that the IOM has started the rollout strategy on migration environment and climate change 2021-2013 in order to implement a comprehensive approach to migration in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and natural disasters. Chairperson, having noted in the human resource report for 2021 that the organization is making strides to be inclusive workplace for its more than 17,000 global workforce, we believe that the organization needs to do more to encourage and facilitate broader representation at the IOM, especially for non-represented members, states such as Botswana. I wish to express Botswana's profound gratitude for all the support we have received and continue to receive from IOLO. The projects currently being implemented by IOM and Botswana include, among others, the ethical recruitment project, the Botswana National Migration Policy, and the diaspora mapping exercise. We also thank the IOM for playing a critical role by supplying our border management personnel with personal protective equipment at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative went a long way in protecting officers and the public from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Botswana is equally concerned about the severe impact of climate change and environmental degradation in many parts of the world, including the climate disasters and shocks which lead people to wish to migrate, sometimes unaware of the risks which await them at their destination. This is why, at the just ended COP 27, Botswana accepted to become the champion of the Africa Climate Flexip Program for Knowledge and Data. In this role, we will advocate for attending of timely, disaggregated data and climate information to enable adaptation for the benefit of communities, institutions, and countries and to prevent loss and damage from climate change. In conclusion, Botswana stands ready to collaborate with IOM in the attenuation of its objectives. I thank you. Thank you, dear brother. I have Maruko on my next slide. Thank you very much, Chair, Director-General, Excellencies Ladies and Gentlemen, at the outset, Maruko would like to convey her gratitude to the Director-General as well as all of the IOM staff. My delegation would also like to underscore the importance of the content of the Director-General's report which was presented yesterday and which deserves more than ever our full attention. In the current context, struck by the multiplication of different migratory crises, the IOM is a leader working alongside governments and civil society to foster the understanding of this migratory issue and to promote socioeconomic development through migration and to ensure the full respect of human dignity and the well-being of migrants. Indeed, a common goal, lest we need reminding, is to promote a common vision, a phenomenon which is natural as well as structural in its origins and is an ideal backdrop for the global compact of Marrakesh. In the light of these external and productive responses, the response to migratory flows needs to be seen through the lens of reality and its facts. It needs to be humane, informed, proactive and based on development aid. Looking solely through the lens of securities, not the answer, at least a dehumanization and to repression, outsourcing of a migratory burden on states who do not are not well equipped to be migratory police. The migratory flow management should rest upon the basis of solidarity, cooperation and partnership. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, today, while the challenges are common and there are similar issues as seen across different migratory dynamics, responses need to be differentiated. The global compact only works with its implementation. This could only be possible through regional implementation. Against this backdrop, my delegation would like to commend the work undertaken by the migration network, which is an ideal tool for a better implementation of the Marrakesh compact, and also to commend contribution to the African regional table, round table, which is organized in Morocco in 2021 and 2022, Morocco as a champion country, which will take place in Rabat this year. My delegation, as an African interstate, would also like to remind you of the comprehensive challenges of the continent. Africans rarely emigrate. There are just one in five on a global scale. The African state has a global burden on the migratory plan, both humanely and financially. So 14% of them are international migrants, but one in three of them are die along the migratory pathways. So Africa is a continent which is more and more affected by the phenomenon of climate migrants with many consequences and forced displacements on livelihoods and rich effects of society's resilience. Regretfully, only a few African member states have a early warning systems, according to the WMO. And we must invest in productive employment from the climate effects to deal with the rural economy. Existence, ladies and gentlemen, that is why Morocco is one of a transit and destination country, a host country for the compact of safe, orderly and regularly migration and a champion for the migration network. And this can only be done through joined-up thinking on migration and action and all its fears. This joined-up thinking has been strengthened by the success of the ninth summit of the Civilization Alliance, organized in Fez last year. Morocco is one of the rare countries in the region, which has a manual on procedures for a system of processing migrants. This was crafted in conjunction with the OHCHR and it covers welcoming processing and support of vulnerable migrants and victims of human trafficking. Moroccan authorities are also able to help and rescue more than 60,000 migrants between 2018 and 2020. Not only is Morocco supplying support and assistance, but it regulates it. The Kingdom has undertaken two campaigns in this area, which has benefited 50,000 people. Morocco has just signed a partnership framework convention with the High Commission of Refugees, which aims to promote access to refugees and migrants to health and social protection. I would like to close, even the text of my statement is longer than what I've said today, I'd just like to close by saying that migration requires innovation and prosperity and lasting development. Migration should take place in human conditions in an ordered process, which is to benefit migrants and their societies. Morocco will continue to contribute to the efforts of IOM, particularly in the areas of regional roundtables and in the future and helping to deal with the growing effects of climate change. Thank you. Thank you, Excellency Bar-Omar. Thanks very much. Italy, you have the floor. Chair, Director-General, Deputy Director-General, Excellencies Distinguished Delegates, Italy aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and would like to make some additional remarks in its national capacity. At the outset, I wish to congratulate Ambassador Barry Osserellion on his election as Chair of the Council. I would like to welcome Barbados as new member of this body, and I wish good luck to the new new Bureau members as well. When we gather last year in this forum, we recognize the exceptional challenges that we had to face collectively. Today, the humanitarian situation in the world is even further aggravated due to the unjustified and unprovoked Russian war on Ukraine, creating further instability and global food security on the economic recovery after the pandemic COVID-19 and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities that contributes to push people to migrate in search for better life opportunities. Italy strongly supports IOM's work in addressing the migration challenges in countries of origin, transit and destination. We stand at the organization's side in providing assistance in every humanitarian crisis situation, and we appreciate the remarkable work done by IOM staff on the ground and by its leadership in supporting and guiding governments towards the safer, orderly, regular and sustainable migration management. The implementation of the Internal Governance Framework and the recently approved budget reform will greatly contribute to strengthening the organization and ensure it is fit for purpose in the coming years. A stronger IOM is what the membership needs in dealing with migration issues. Let's make no mistakes. No member state alone can handle migration, and no country should be left alone in facing its consequences. Only through cooperation we can ease the burden of this phenomenon. Therefore, we have further strengthened our partnership with IOM, becoming 2021 its seven global top donors, in particular financing programs that address migration rules causes in countries of origin and of transit, especially on the African continent, and implementing assistance voluntary returns from transit countries, as well as our integration projects carried out by the organization also at the European level. Indeed, we deem it essential to develop a European framework of cooperation based on promoting regular migration flows and preventing irregular movements through effective migrants return systems. Remain, though, fully committed to save human lives of sea in the central Mediterranean, which has increasingly become the main access gate to Europe for irregular flows, contrasting the smugglers and human traffickers networks that contribute to putting danger thousands of migrants crossing the sea. Lastly, Italy continues to dedicate resources and efforts to develop a cooperation among relevant stakeholders based on a career and sustainable and integrated approach, which on one side helps prevent irregular flows by supporting institutions at border-controlled capacities in countries that are most exposed to human trafficking, and on the other side, it provides assistance to those in need and promotes the development of local communities in order to reduce the drive towards migrations. We therefore renew our support to the Director General in guiding the IOM's membership through these challenging times, also in view of its second mandate. And we commit ourselves in sustaining the organization in all possible ways. I thank you for your attention. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you. I now yield the floor to the Director General. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I start saying to the Excellency, the Ambassador of China that we praise very much your support to IOM in cooperating with the countries, neighboring countries in Asia, in terms of upscaling their border management capacity. I believe that regional cooperation is extremely important to fight against the trafficking and smuggling of migrants and in improving the safety and the security of migrants themselves. And for our side, we appreciate the support of China to the global combat on safe orderly and regular migration. And as I had the opportunity to say in my introductory remarks, we fully share your concern about the inevitable distribution of vaccines of COVID-19 that has detrimental impact on human mobility worldwide. From our side, I take very seriously the remark about the need to prioritize the support to developing countries. And following the budget reform, which I take close to this opportunity to thank China's engagement and commitment for a successful outcome in the implementation of the budget reform, our priority in terms of strengthening our field presence was precisely focused on 28 missions in less developed countries, of which 21 are in Africa. And I want also to express our hopes that the China's Global Development Initiative and the South South Corporation fund can be extremely helpful to add member states to manage migration in a safe orderly and regular way. In relation to Finland, I want to express our support to the Finnish resettlement program and to thank the continuous support of Finland in rebuilding and strengthening the human resource base in Somalia. It's one of the most successful cooperation programs. And I can confirm from my side that we will go on supporting the Ukrainians inside Ukraine and in neighboring countries, and we appreciate the Finnish commitment and support in that respect. Concerning Botswana, we indeed are very much engaged in the reforms that are ongoing concerning ethical recruitment and the drafting of a national migration policy to harness migration opportunities for Botswana, as well as our global initiative on diaspora. And I am fully aware that Botswana is one of the 34 countries of IOM that is not represented at the international level. But nevertheless, there are Botswana nationals present in our offices in Norway, in Botswana, of course, and in Namibia. But we are addressing the issue of the non-represented member states by considering that all candidates to our vacancy notes that come from non-represented member states out of those 34 that I have mentioned are considered tier one candidates for new vacancies. Now, turning to Morocco. Firstly, I would like to thank the commitment of Morocco as a champion country. I think that the success of the country, champion country meeting which took place in Rabata was really important for all of us for the success of this international forum and the implication of the implementation of the Marrakech package. And of course, we count on Morocco to continue with the regional consultations which will take place pertaining to, which will take place in 2024. I share absolutely your vision on the solidarity and partnership required as a fundamental instrument for multilateral cooperation in terms of migration. And I am delighted with the decision that Morocco has taken to integrate in the social protection coverage migrants and refugees, which you have just made reference to to close the fact that Morocco has decided to include for the very first time data on migration as a part of its next national census which will take place in 2024. This is a really important step, which I particularly appreciate in the fact that Morocco is also the headquarters of the African migration observatory, which we would also support. Italy, I would like to very much express our thanks for the substantial and significant financial support that Italy provides to us, particularly in addressing the deep root causes of migration in regions like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. We share with you the concern of the evolution of the figures in the Central Mediterranean, not just concerning the arrivals to Italy, but also the fact that there is an increasing number of people dying when crossing the Mediterranean, showing how dangerous such a journey is and how relevant it is to prevent them from even trying to cross. Otherwise, the risks are much higher. We appreciate the initiatives that Italy has taken to develop legal pathways, promoting circularity and mobility partnerships. We stand by you in supporting the voluntary solidarity mechanism that needs to support particularly the countries of the southern part of Europe that are geographically more exposed to the increase of arrivals of migrants. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Thank you, there is a general. I now have the United States. Excellency, you have the floor. We come together this week to cap off a year of real progress and accomplishments in our collective goal to strengthen cooperation on international migration. We were pleased to participate in the first International Migration Review Forum in May, member states, international organizations and civil society came together to discuss a common approach to managing migration and protecting vulnerable people that is the goal of the global compact for migration. The United States supports this vision. We seek migration policies that are grounded in human rights, human dignity, transparency and state sovereignty. In June, the United States joined with other nations in the Western Hemisphere on the margins of the Summit of the Americas to commit to further cooperation by endorsing the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. Participating states are already making efforts to take action to meet our joint commitments. More recently, the United States met with over 190 parties to the Paris Agreement to tackle the challenges of climate change. The United States recognizes the interplay between climate change and food insecurity on migration and forced displacement. We believe adaptation and resilience are important in addressing these challenges, which IOM also underscored in the lead up to COP 27. This is why we launched the prepare plan to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to and manage a changing climate and why the United States supports regional IOM programs to place climate change and migration on the agenda of the various regional consultative processes. As an organization, we have seen IOM use data to help us understand the policy linkages across multiple sectors. Increasing communication between IOM operations and scaling up data collection will be key to developing data informed migration policies and programs. IOM is also a valuable operational partner that delivers vital humanitarian assistance, including for those devastated by the recent floods in Pakistan, drought in the Horn of Africa, and the conflict in Yemen. IOM also continues to support those affected by Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine. Member States and the IOM administration must continue to invest in maintaining this operational capacity, training staff, supporting institutional capacity, prioritizing protection and the prevention of sexual sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and developing new beneficiary feedback systems. In the spirit of global partnership and in recognition of IOM's critical role, the United States supported IOM's requested budget increase last June. We especially commend DDG Pope for her strong leadership of that process. IOM must now meet the challenge by investing these new resources strategically and transparently. For IOM to continue to grow and succeed, it requires a robust human resources unit, transparent internal processes, and a responsive internal justice system. IOM must also seek ways to expand its resource base, including expanding its outreach and partnership with the private sector. Mr. Chair, IOM is a member state led organization and you play a key role facilitating this dialogue between the IOM administration and its member states. We look forward to your active leadership to engage the IOM administration and member states in an open and transparent manner to advance our shared goal of building a stronger and more enduring organization to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities afforded by migration. Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you very much. Nepal, you have the floor. Mr. Chair, Mr. Director General, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, let me express our deep condolences on the sad demise of former President of the People's Republic of China, His Excellency, Mr. Jiang Zemin. I wish to congratulate you, Mr. Chair, and the members of the Bureau for being elected for the session of the Council. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the outgoing Chair and her team for the outstanding contribution made during her chairmanship. Nepal welcomes Barbados as the 175th member of the IOM. We thank the Director General for presenting the report and appreciate for its active leadership during the past difficult years. Mr. Chair, migration has been a part of human history and we have realized that it is a source of prosperity, innovation, and sustainable development. Along with new opportunities and better life, migration also leads to richer and diverse society as it involves learning new culture customs and languages for both countries of origin and destination. Managing migration is always challenging as it involves various complex issues. Addressing the needs of forced migrants due to political environment and socioeconomic crisis requires better understanding, sustainable, responsive, and specific measures. Mr. Chair, labor migration is one of the important aspects of Nepal's socioeconomic dimension. With over four million nationals in foreign employment, Nepal highly prioritized ensuring safe orderly and managed migration. We affirm in our commitment to the implementation of global compact migration. As a champion country, we have internalized GCM principles and objectives into our national plans and policies to enhance quality of migration governance. Managing migration starts from home country. Served responsibility and solidarity are essential to ensure equal and affordable access to social protection and basic services for all migrants including in health education, justice, legal protection, and decent work. Safe and dignified return as well as sustainable reintegration of migration is equally important. Chairperson, IOM has been continuously working to ensure the orderly and human management of migration. Nepal is thankful to IOM for its various support provided to the government of Nepal in its effort to manage migration effectively. Nepal supports the work of United Nations Migration Network and is committed to ensure safety, security, and overall well-being of migrants. I thank you. Thank you very much, Excellency. I have now Algeria. Excellency, you have the floor. You may be the last member to speak today. Merci, Monsieur. Thank you, Chair. First of all, I would like to state that we extend our condolences because of the loss of President Jang's them in, and we would like to show compassion to this. We would also like to congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau as well as congratulating Barbados on becoming a new member of the IOM. We would also like to support the statement made by Nigeria on behalf of the Africa Group. We would also like to thank the Director-General, Mr Antonio Vittorino, for his comprehensive report and the efforts aimed at coordinating and consolidating cooperation between member states of the IOM. We are aware of the increasing number of migrants across the world, and Algeria welcomes the IOM's willingness to be an organization that rises to the challenges as well as dealing with the opportunities linked to migration, so as to promote to safe, orderly, and regular migration. My country would like to stress its commitment to cooperating with the IOM and is very pleased with the joint program of activities that have been carried out by the Bureau in Algeria throughout this year. In fact, we are, as you know, faced with considerable migratory flows, and we have deployed colossal efforts as well as dedicated human and financial resources, and these displacements are increasing, which is a cause for concern for my country in line with this. We welcome that the program for providing assistance to voluntary return and repatriation has continued in 2022 for migrants, irregular migrants, focused on the human dignity of the people concerned and in line with international commitments and bilateral agreement on this matter. Mr Chair, Algeria is a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants, and it is continuously working to ensure that we can fight against all forms of discrimination and ensure that the rights of migrants are respected through its constitution, different legislative texts, and regulatory texts that we would like to say that we see that preventive actions are very important when we deal with migration, so that we can create the right conditions for migrants who are irregular migrants in Algeria, faced with these challenges, which are exacerbated by the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as climate change impacts on populations across the world, regional and international cooperation on migration is vital so that we can manage intelligently migratory flows and find lasting solutions which deal with the root causes of migration. German, Algeria would like to continue its fruitful collaboration with IOM so that we can identify and develop projects jointly so that we can promote the role of national competencies abroad as well as looking at voluntary return, repatriation as well as fighting exploitation and criminal networks. I would like to say that Algeria is a party to the international convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families and we as a delegation would like to ask the member states that have not signed the convention to do so. We would also like to encourage the IOM to continue working on protecting and including migrants and supporting those migrants as well as ensuring that we are having an approach that looks at the deep causes of irregular migration. We would like to reiterate our willingness and availability to work with the IOM so that we can rise to the challenges caused by international migration. Thank you. Thank you very much, Excellency. Thank you. Thank you very much. I now nearly float to the region for some remarks and then we'll close the session. That is quite a threat. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So first of all, I would like to express my thanks to the United States of America for the critical engagement and support that they provide to IOM on the humanitarian front but also in the development front. The U.S. supports IOM in critical life-saving operations and more recently in the framework of our operations with Ukraine. The support of the U.S. has been essential for the very good work that I believe IOM is doing in the current situation in Ukraine. I also want to express my congratulations for the achievement of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection in order to improve coordination across the western hemisphere in the area of migration. I believe that having that cooperative approach is fully in line with the objectives of the Global Compact on Safe Orderly and Regular Migration and I particularly appreciated the participation of the United States in the International Migration Review Forum last May. Critical for us has also been the support of the United States in addressing the interlinks between climate change, food insecurity and displacement, particularly in the paving way for COP 27. And I want to thank the U.S. for having contributed with US$5 million for the multi-partner trust fund on migration, precisely focusing on issues concerning the impacts of climate change in migration. And we believe that your PREPARE program is a critical tool to address this challenge that confronts all of us. In relation to Nepal, I would like to emphasize that we go on working and cooperating with you for the sustainable reintegration of the Nepalese workers that return back home. I believe that the work that we do together is fully in line with the values and the principles of the Global Compact of Safe Orderly and Regular Migration and we congratulate you for the decisions that you have taken to fully include in the national implementation strategy of the Global Compact for Migration. As regards Algeria, I would just like to underscore that we as the IOM continue to cooperate in a committed fashion with Algeria on voluntary return as well as on the reintegration of migrants, which we believe should be a priority for rules on migration and their application. We are very pleased that in Algeria we have managed to successfully establish the United Nations framework on migration and we have continued to closely cooperate with the government as well as supporting capacity-building activities for either governmental or non-governmental players for migration management. Not too much, Mr Chair. You need not. It can actually take five more minutes. Thank you, DG. Thank you very much. I would like to thank all delegations for their statements. This afternoon's session comes to an end. Tomorrow we will continue generally a debate. There will also be migrant testimonies. I think it will be very interesting to watch the panel discussion. I thank you all for being here and see you tomorrow. Thank you.