 Today we are starting the panel one, safe, coordinated and inclusive human mobility is key to recovery from the COVID-19. We are here today with us, the three panelists, one with us, thank you very much for being here and the other virtual. Allow me to introduce the panelists today. We have for this panel Deng Dong Deng, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from South Sudan. Thank you for being here today. Stefano Sanino, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues and at the European External Action Service of the European Union from the virtual. Claudia Pereira, Secretary of State for Integration and Migration from Portugal, also virtually. Ahmed Salahin, Secretary of Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment from Bangladesh, also from the virtual. JXLNC Malik Deng Dong, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. I have the honor to welcome you here today. I invite you to take the floor please. Thank you very much. JXLNC Bertoneo Bertoneo, Director General of International Organization for Migration, distinguished panelists, ladies and gentlemen. I greet you on my own behalf and on behalf of my government and the people of the Republic of South Sudan. It is an honor to be one of the panelists on this important topic. Save coordinated and inclusive human mobility is a key to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. And to exchange views on the implications for and the future of migrants and human mobility during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. At this year's session of international dialogue on migration convinced discussions on the implications of COVID-19 pandemic on migrants, migrations and human mobility, as well as migrant contribution towards recovery effort from the COVID-19. We look at disruptive pattern brought upon migration as a whole by the pandemic. Traditionally, people migrate around the world as a result of conflict, natural disasters or environmental challenges. Disruptions such as floods, droughts and wildfires destroy homes and properties and contribute to the displacement of people. These challenges contribute to some of the human decision to move away in search of better living conditions around the globe. In addition, the onset and continuous spread of the COVID-19 around the world double up its stress on migrants. Currently, migrant worldwide are more vulnerable than others because of personal, social and situational factors brought upon by COVID-19 pandemic. People displaced internally and across borders are particularly also at risk due to regulatory changes introduced as part of global response to contain the pandemic. In effort to control the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve of infection, government around the world, including my government of South Sudan, have introduced stringent measures that include travel restriction. Labour migration has been temporarily suspended in some countries while in others. Migration processing and assistance to asylum seekers are being present. These restrictions are already impacting the mobility, migration and economies. With current global infections and death tolls standing at alarming figures, the impact of the COVID-19 over economies and migration is likely to be catastrophic in foreseeable future. South Sudan has seen large population movements between South Sudan, Northern Kenya, Northern Uganda, North Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Southwestern Ethiopia, Eastern Central African Republic and Northern borders with Sudan. In light of this movement, the Government of Republic of South Sudan responding by formulating a migration policy to improve and to establish a system of policies and institutions to manage migration in the country. This policy organized action through main four objectives. First, to develop a comprehensive framework for border management and the governance of free movement. Second, to promote regular labour migration for the socioeconomic development of the Republic of South Sudan and its people. And third, to manage forced migration and provide adequate support to the victims of forced migration. And fourth, to promote migration and development in South Sudan by mobilizing the South Sudanese diaspora for country socioeconomic development and welfare of South Sudanese, a broad reaping development benefit of remittance facilitating the integration of returning labour migrants. The policy takes stock of decades of protected conflict together with the emerging challenges brought about by mobility and migration in the region. Combining humanitarian with long term migration agendas, despite ongoing progress in building national and state economics, legislative and judicial structures, the institution in charge of migration management remain critical need of action to improve the capacity of the state in dealing with migration related challenges. As of latest, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the IOM have launched the National Awareness Program to sensitize citizens on human trafficking. The launch we took place last week aims at raising awareness on trafficking in person among all stakeholders, especially the policy makers, legal practitioners, traditional and face based leaders and the general public. As of now, my country has recorded over 2,600 cases and about 49 fatalities. We believe that as part of the community of nation, we still face the risk of recurrence of infection if unenablement measures are not implemented. Allow me at this juncture to seize this opportunity and to thank the United Nations, WHO and the friendly and sisterly countries which have been assisting South Sudan in efforts of combating COVID-19 and therefore an appeal to them to continue doing the same support. This gave us challenges facing by migrants. As we all know, migrants are currently facing enormous challenges, including but not limited to the following. First, health crisis. As they become more exposed to the virus, often in crowd conditions in makeshift camps where social distancing is an impossible. Secondly, the socioeconomic crisis, especially those working in the informal economy, without access to protection. And thirdly, protection crisis. Since most of the countries have border restriction to contain the spread of the virus. And fourthly, stigmatization of the migrant through fake news, misinformation and politicization of the issues of migrations. This stigmatization carries the risk of higher infection when migrants for innocent hide potential symptoms. In a state of seeking treatment, it can also entail longer term consequences for migrant integration and social cohesion. And therefore, contribution of the migrant in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The contribution of the migrant doctors and nurses during the pandemic have been critical and important component of the frontline workers in some countries around the globe. A state with sufficient number of skill and motivated health workers perform well are seen in some countries during this pandemic. An inclusion of the diaspora medical professional has been relieving in dealing with aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Remittances from migrant to their relative in their home countries support families which would have been in a dire economic situation. And way forward, recognition of foreign qualifications and credential to bridge the shortage of health workers by including migrants in health system without discrimination. Ensure that migrant health workers have equal opportunity condition with other health workers and acknowledge their contribution to the functioning of the national health system while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. And to identify the opportunities associated with the globalization of medical education that aligns the number of intensive and specialty training places to allow international student to complete their training. Excellencies, panelists, I submit the presentation and I thank you all for your listening. Thank you, Excellency, for this excellent presentation of the government action towards the fight of the COVID in South Sudan and particularly for raising the challenges that South Sudan and as many of the other countries are facing with regard to the health, socio-economic protection crisis that the migration has provided. And particularly of underlining the stigmatization of migrant in this period. To our colleague from EU, so I will give the floor now to Mrs. Clogia Pereira. She is the Secretary of State of the Integration and Migration from Portugal. I have the great pleasure to have here with us, Mr. Pereira, who is the Secretary of State for Integration and Migration from Portugal. She is a member of the Social Research and Study Center and was Executive Coordinator of the Immigration Observatory from 2017 to 2019. The Immigration Observatory has been responsible for the statistical report on Portuguese immigration, produced annually for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Clogia Pereira is a member of a network of excellence of migration researchers, conducted research on several migration related aspects, including the financial crisis and qualified Portuguese immigration to London and publishes a book, Broken Lives Portuguese Nurses Abroad. She holds vast expertise in labour migration and capacity building on migration for government and partners. Mrs. Pereira, I have the pleasure to have you here with us today online. We look forward to your views on this important topic and over to you. Sorry for the interruption and coming back to you. Just continuing, I would like to mention and I think it's very important to spread the contribution of the immigrant economically. And so to say the example of Portugal, last year the immigrant contributed to the social security system with 651 million euros. So between what the immigrants contributed and what they received from the social security system, the social security system benefited 651 million euros. And I'm sure that in nearly all countries the same happens. So this is very important when we are thinking about COVID and any response from the COVID and not leaving no one behind to remember the role of everyone and also the role economically. I will present two main issues, the global compact for migration and what we are doing in Portugal and the response and our COVID measures. So regarding the role of the global compact of migration, the Portuguese government has been from the beginning in the process that led to the approval of the global compact for migration. And it is in line with the sustainable development goal that we all know, 10.7 well responsible and well managed migration policies. And what we have done is that since November 2019, we started every month to meet the state secretaries and the public institutes to discuss and to make the account of the 1970 measures regarding immigrants in Portugal. From the first meetings and because we met every month, we understood that the basic resources to integrate the migrants are mainly due to documentation and language. So regarding documentation, after the third meeting, we realized that some immigrants could not have the residence permit because they did not have the social security number. And they could not have the social security number because they did not have the residence permit. So the government just issued a decree which the immigrants could have the social security number if they had a labor contract in the same day. So just in one month, we had 17,000 immigrants who had the social security number. Many of them wanted to have this number but they could not have it because they did not have the residence permit number. So this was a change in the law that had a significant contribution to the immigrants and then that after two months, two months later in March, because of that many immigrants. So this is one of the measures that we had in the global compact of migration to better the legislation we had for immigrants for them to be regularized. Secondly, regarding the language for them to be integrated, we made an analysis and an evaluation and we realized that the Portuguese language courses had to be changed and adapted to the new immigrants. So we just made the structural changes in the Portuguese language courses so that now the new immigrants with new languages that were not so previously in Portugal as Arabic and refugees from Syria or Nepalese or Bengalis to better adapt for them the Portuguese language courses. So because of these monthly meetings and the several working groups regarding the different measures of the global compact of migration, Portugal is a champion country of the global compact of migration, for instance, as Bangladesh also is. And what was the role of the global compact of migration in the response and recovery of COVID? It was very important because all the state secretaries or nearly all the state secretaries and public institutes were meeting every month. When COVID in March appeared, we just met and we made we took four measures very important for the recovery of COVID and does the director general said that no one is safe until everyone we save. So we wanted the migrants to have exactly the same social rights as the Portuguese. So we took four measures. First, documentation and regularization. Second, regarding social protection. Third, health and for access to information so that everyone had access to this information. Regarding documentation. We publish a decree in March in which all immigrants and asylum seekers in Portugal waiting for the residents permit on the immigration border service. We publish a decree in which they had their situation regarded as regular. So during COVID they have their situation regularized and like this they have the same same social support as the Portuguese. We avoid like this that they will lose their rights to housing if they do not have money or food access or lay off access or unemployment benefits. With this decree, we assured that all immigrants waiting for their residents permit to have exactly the same social rights as the Portuguese. And this was very, very important. Because like this we could mitigate the COVID they are also free of charges in the treatment of COVID. And we assured that we try to assure that everyone is safe. Regarding documentation, we also publish another decree in which any document expired. Thanks to Finisher. This decree was very important. We also assured the validity of all the documents that were expired until 31st of March. Secondly, regarding the social protections, the children had to add classes from internet, but we knew that many immigrant children did not have computers or internet or mobiles to watch and to watch the school classes from home. So through a program of the I Commission of Migration, the Choices Program, we assured that the children would not have computer at home that this program took and picked up the school homeworks to these children every week. And so like this we target 4,000 children every week. Also with that decree that we assured that the same social rights. Now I will give the floor again and sorry for that to Mr. Sanino, the Deputy Secretary General of the European Union. You have the floor. I hope that. I would like to start first of all thanking the IEM for inviting us to this international dialogue. Migration is a global phenomenon and it does require global solutions and global responsibility sharing. So it is important that we have a common understanding of the challenges that we face and how to move ahead together. Because all countries around the world are impacted by the migration and only managing effectively a phenomenon can allow us to move ahead in a concerted manner. We welcome also very much the focus of this year's international dialogue on migration on the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and all the movement restrictions to mobility have had an important impact on migration and on migrants themselves. It is just sufficient to see the last IEM return task force report and on the problems that are facing so many millions of migrants stranded worldwide. The movement restrictions are really having a very strong impact on migrants and they are some of them forcing it to leave the country in which they are living at present. It is in this context that the European Union has adopted a few weeks ago a new pact on migration and asylum for defining a new framework within which we could work together with our partners to manage this phenomenon. The pact continue to place the concept of partnership and insist very much on this world at the heart of our external migration policy and we are proposing to our partners comprehensive balance and tailor made agreements. Strength and cooperation is a key to ensure that migration takes place through safe and regular channels and this includes working with partner countries, regions and organizations as well as at multilateral level. With our partnership and migration to be successful we need joint ownership and joint buy-in by all parties. Our approach is based on the idea that there is a shared interest in managing the flows and that at the end of the day the management of migration flows is in the interest of both sides. We also recognize the sensitivity of this issue both for the European country as well as for our partner countries. Working together is the best way to save lives, to protect human rights and it can also help our common efforts to fight criminal networks behind migrant smuggling and to help promote border management through capacity building. We want to develop further legal pathways to the European Union through visa facilitation, short term mobility, legal and circular migration and at the same time also to improve return, readmission and sustainable reintegration. I insist on the point of the legal pathways that already exist, in fact as a matter of fact there are about two million migrants who entered the European Union legally every year. Expanding pathways for regular migration including labor migration on the top of the mobility of entrepreneurs, students and researchers is an important element of our comprehensive approach and it offers significant benefits for countries of origin and destination alike. The new pact recognizes also that the pandemic is causing important disruption not only in the European Union but also for our partners and it underlines the need to take this into account in our cooperation with partners. Mitigating the impact of the pandemic on migration and on migrants has been a very important part of the external response to the pandemic. You are aware that European Union member states, European financial institutions have joined forces under this Team Europe approach to address the humanitarian, health and immediate socio-economic consequences of the crisis. We have pursued at the same time three priorities, the emergency response to the immediate health crisis and the resulting humanitarian needs, strengthening of health, water and sanitation systems as well as partners research capacity to deal with the pandemic and their preparedness and finally addressing the immediate social and economic consequences of COVID-19. To pursue these priorities we have redirected a total of 36 billion euro to support our partners worldwide in facing the emergency. Such short-term humanitarian emergency response is essential to face the crisis but we are also working on the medium and longer-term support to address the structural impacts of the pandemic in partner countries. This is why we will continue working with our financial support in the period from 2021 to 2027, which is the seven years of the framework EU budget. In this context, the new instrument with which we will be working will improve our ability to address migration-related challenges. The Commission has proposed an unprecedented spending target of 10% of the overall financial envelope, which is translated in almost 9 billion euro to address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement and to support the migration management and governance. All decisions of migration can be addressed under this package and this will enable us to have a more coherent and structural approach in the way we support countries of origin and of transit. Once again, I want to stress that the migration issues will remain very high on the agenda of the European Union and I want to stress once again in concluding that for us the focus will be really very much on the managing of the flows in a cooperative spirit with our partners as a guiding principle for our policy in the future years. Thank you very much for your attention. Thank you very much Mr Sanino for outlining the EU policy on migration and the new framework that have been developed with the adoption of the new pact on migration and asylum. And I acknowledge that the pact is having the concept of partnership, the strength of cooperation for the safe and orderly migration as well as outlining the importance of mutual lateralism in reaching out common endeavor. So we outline as well the joint ownership that is needed and for well-governed migration policy. Here we have also noted the three dimensions that you outline in terms of emergency response, the strengthening of the health and sanitation system as well embracing the socio-economic dimension of the pandemics. So thank you very much for this comprehensive and very clear outline of the EU policy. I have five requests for the floor. First, Brazil, you have the floor. Thank you chair. First of all, let me congratulate you and the IOM for convening this year's international dialogue on migration. Notwithstanding all the challenges the world faces due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazil implemented restrictive measures on the entry of foreigners to curb the dissemination of the new coronavirus. These measures have contributed not to overburden the health services of the cities located in the border. The recent reopening of the airport on the other hand was possible because the Brazilian government is strengthening sanitary actions and applied health protocols at airports. Even with these restrictions in force, the Brazilian government guarantee the continuity of cargo transportation as well as associated jobs, the storage delivery and logistic of cargo in general, the supply of imported goods, family reunions, tourism by air, the implementation of cross-border humanitarian actions, and the movement of border residents provided that the neighboring countries guarantees reciprocity in the treatment of Brazilian citizens. All the governmental agencies have cooperated to achieve a balance between restrictive measures and humanitarian needs. Lastly, due to the pandemic, Operação Acolhida had to be temporarily suspended, but it is not demobilized. Thank you. Thank you. The representative of Niger. Niger. Thank you, Madam Moderator. I want to congratulate IOM for organizing this dialogue event. Bear in mind the restrictions imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I want to thank the presenters for the quality of their presentations. As you know, well, the global pandemic has seriously affected our system, especially the health, economic and the political systems. The impact of the crisis is being felt, especially amongst the most vulnerable among us, especially migrants and refugees that often are excluded and marginalized. They need to face discrimination and xenophobia. In the face of this, my delegation considers that the integration of migrants without any distinction, regardless of the COVID crisis, can reduce the impact of the pandemic against them, but it would also be a more sustainable approach towards health in the long run. And we appreciate the note made by the Secretary General of the United Nations saying that nobody should be left behind. Madam Chair, in the context of the approach on migration in all its aspects, social, humanitarian and institutional, I would refer to the global pact on migration adopted in December 2018. Niger has adopted many policies and we have a participatory and inclusive open document for a policy which aims at facilitating migration and the orderly transit of humans. With respect to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, my government has set up as soon as the first case emerged a wide range of measures throughout the country, and that covers everybody without any sort of distinction, and it was put in place quickly. We've also taken measures on border crossings this year, as well as many other measures that approach the challenge of the vulnerable position in which migrants find themselves, especially in situations of crisis. Last but not least, my delegation considers that the international community needs to address the challenge of migration, especially in the context of COVID-19, and do this as effectively and sustainably as possible. Thank you very much. Thank you for your statement. Tibia, you have the floor. Thank you, Madam Chair. I convey to you and to this team gathering the warm regards of His Excellency, Mr. Mohamed Attahar Hamouda-Siala, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Libya, who could not be here today and ask that I deliver his speech to you. Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, At the outset, I wish to thank the organizers of this forum, and I would like to express in this regard my appreciation to the International Organization for Migration for its contributions in helping to better manage the ever-growing demands of migration. Ladies and gentlemen, we are all aware today, irregular migration holds a prominent importance and priority as it touches the core of humanity and human rights of millions of people and affects most countries and international organizations. It certainly poses great challenges for us in Libya, particularly during this difficult time when the negative effects of unplanned and unorganized people movement across borders become exacerbated. Regrettably, this is now topped by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the health and economic consequences and repercussions that have directly impacted the well-being and lives of our citizens, our economy, and the immigrants who are equally affected as other vulnerable segments of the population. Thus, we must consolidate our efforts, our policies, and our actions to come together in a solidarity to mitigate the effects of irregular migration. My country took an early interest in the issue of migration through many initiatives to organize conferences and forums at regional and international levels, including the Migration and Development of Africa and the European Union conference that was held in Tripoli in 2006, and the Tripoli conference in 2010 on African-European cooperation, in which the two sides urged the necessity of intensifying efforts to develop effective solutions to this growing phenomenon of migration and the problems that come along with it, in the area of security, stability, combating poverty, cross-border criminal enterprise, illicit trafficking, and terrorism. I take this opportunity to reiterate my country's call for the international community to solidify the efforts and shore up its support and assistance to help us better control our southern borders. This will greatly assist in the curbing of illegal immigration and help alleviate the suffering of people who have become an easy prey in their long journey once they leave home. My country has made unremitting efforts to work with our brotherly neighboring countries, Niger, Chad, and Sudan to form a joint action framework. We have signed the Niger Agreement for Border Management and Security in June 2018, and we urge the international community to support our efforts in implementing this agreement through capacity-building, training, and securing the necessary mechanisms and equipment to activate joint desert patrols along the common borders. Ladies and gentlemen, in order to reduce and better manage the flow of movement of people in what we commonly refer to as migration, we must work together regionally and internationally and address the real issues at the core. We should not look at irregular migration only from the angle of security alone. We must address the socioeconomic reasons that make anyone be willing to endure a torturous journey that is filled with dangers and the possibility of even losing their life. Only a comprehensive approach that encourages and invests in socioeconomic development and community investment in sourced countries with parallel public campaigns and raising awareness about the ills and dangers of irregular migration will bring positive outcomes. Libya is committed to working with all and to hold true to the path that we have taken to help alleviate the suffering of all that is synonymous with illegal migration. We will cooperate with our neighbors and friends in the south and in the north. Libya's stability is key to lessening the suffering of innocent civilians. It also is key to regional stability and that of the Mediterranean. We are hopeful that our stability efforts will be supported by all member states of the international community and that the days of intervention in the internal affairs of Libya through a proxy war are over. The stability of the entire region is at stake. In closing, I wish to call on all stakeholders to come together and consolidate the various efforts and initiatives that have been launched to address migration such as the UN Global Compact on Migration and Refugees and others into a unified action plan that will have a far more positive and long-lasting outcome and that is aligned with the 2030 SDGs. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, too, for this statement. Allow me to give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of Ecuador. Thank you, moderator. I would like to thank the IOM for holding this important dialogue, the 2020 version and to the panelists for their important presentations. Ecuador, with movement of solidarity, always respects the rights of all migrants and we have been efficient during the pandemic, providing access to public health to all people, whatever their nationality or migrant status. The efforts of the country during the emergency have been ensuring that we have taken care of Ecuadorians abroad and also taking care of refugees and migrants with measures such as providing a process of repatriation of Ecuadorians abroad which left more than 16,000 to come home and more than 19,000 come from vulnerable groups. Since March 2020, we have extended the deadlines for all processes related to migration, including visas that have been extended until the state of emergency is lifted to ensure that people do not lose their status. The process of regularization, which is the largest in the country, has been carried out for Venezuelan citizens and it was not suspended during the pandemic and we have extended the deadlines so that Venezuelan citizens can request humanitarian visas. So we have been able to regularize a large mandate and they're part of the 195,000 Venezuelans in a regulated situation in Ecuador. Nevertheless, the resources to meet the protection and integration needs of migrants were already significant before the COVID-19 crisis and now are ever more so because of the social and economic effects of the pandemic and we need greater cooperation and international solidarity to cope with this. Moderator, no country can manage migration alone and we cannot also fight off the effects of the pandemic alone, so the global pact is essential to ensure that we ensure good security for migrants, particularly as countries are changing policies and regulations on migration in a rapid and unpredictable way. This health global health emergency requires greater coordination on the most suitable ways to manage borders and it is been clear during the pandemic that we need to maintain regular migration routes open and we also have to fight trafficking of persons. To conclude, it's fundamental to include migrants and refugees in all response and recovery plans to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19. The inclusive approaches guarantee the human rights of all but also ensure that we can respond better and reduce the risks that will affect sustainable development. Thank you. You have now the distinguished representative of Guatemala. Representative of the Director General. On behalf of the government of Dr. Alejandro Guamati, the subject of migration is essential and important and that's why we want to guarantee the life and safety of migrants and their families. It has always been part of our country's dynamics and it is one of the priority areas for our foreign policy. Migration is an important factor for development, both for the countries of origin and for countries of destination. Remittances are important and growing for our source of funds for developing countries and it represents more than double of the official aid that developing countries receive and the major challenge is to ensure that there is an effective reinvestment of these remittances so we need to work on strategic alliances with banks and the private sector. We have been working in with the IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF and USAID and we have been able to show a different approach to the new challenges of COVID-19 with immediate intervention. In coordination with the Ministry for Public Health, we've retained healthy more than 16,000 Guatemalans with the necessary health protocols with an initial health check, professional health observation in hostels for up to 10 days with the provision of food, clothing, access to drinking water and a safe return to their communities. We've also returned safely around 5,000 Guatemalans who were for various reasons stranded in other parts of the world through whether it be for tourism, work or studies and through our consular offices we have followed up on more than 1,000 cases of Guatemalans who were positive for COVID-19. Sadly 234 died, 228 of them in the United States. Therefore the Ministry for Foreign Affairs activated in May an emergency fund to face up to the COVID-19 situation and we've been able to repatriate the ashes of 51 deceased to support their families with low resources. And as part of the plan for economic recovery in the face of the pandemic, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs through its diplomatic and consular missions has identified significant work opportunities for Guatemalans abroad with the Ministry for Labour and in that way we can help countries who require labour in areas such as construction, agriculture and tourism. And we have also during the pandemic sent out 61 flights of more than 8,000 Guatemalans through these work programmes particularly to Canada. We also need to ensure that we protect migrants because their contribution to the economic growth of all countries is important. We must work together so that we have a coherent international response and we find effective responses to the rapid economic reactivation of our country so that we can achieve the sustainable development goals. Thank you very much Representative of the Director General. Thank you very much Ambassador. Allow me to give the floor to the Ambassador of Philippine. You have the floor sir. Good morning. Thank you Madam Moderator. At the outset I would like to express our appreciation to our beloved DG and the IOM and all supporters for organising this very important session. We are all aware of what the current pandemic has been in terms of the new sufferings imposed on migrants and we think that continued international cooperation and dialogue is required to alleviate their plight. In this regard for the Philippines the key to ensuring that migration contributes to development and protects the human rights of migrants is the global compact for safe orderly and regular migration. Wherever your government may be on the GCM we believe that its objectives are aligned with sound principles of human rights and sustainable development. We already know this because they are the outcomes of our thematic discussions in the IDM. DG we had a briefing earlier this week for my region led by Mr. Johnson Prentice on the UN Migration Network General Updates on the Migration MPTF and the Champions Initiative. These were very instructive so I wish just to take this opportunity to commend the DG's team in this regard. As part of the steering group of the Migration MPTF and one of the countries that has accepted the invitation to be a GCM champion I can say that the DG's team is working very hard to have these thematic discussions on importance of gender, equity and human rights in the context of migration converted into measurable targets. The Philippines will be participating as a panelist on panel two at this IDM at which time we will provide the details of what we have been doing in terms of government policy. At this stage as we just say that the Philippine government has worked to repatriate more than 200,000 of our workers overseas. In this regard let me just make a few points with respect to the earlier speakers. We are very appreciative of their efforts to share their experiences and we agree with them on many points. On the receiving countries we are not full of the aggressive forward assistance stance taken by countries such as Portugal and we are mindful of what the EU representative mentioned in terms of legal pathways. For sending countries we share the concerns regarding the importance of recognizing the full and comprehensive nature of migration and not be simply limited to security and also the call for change based on human rights as we move forward. In closing let me say that we remain concerned with the effects of the pandemic, the stigmatization of migrant workers continues and negative narratives have not stopped. We should in conclusion consider what the shortfalls and difficulties have been and we should consider how we as members of the international community can work together using the IDM and all other international platforms to strengthen our cooperation for the sake of the migrants, their families, sending transit and recipient countries. Thank you very much. Thank you dear Ambassador. I have now Chile on my list. Please you have the floor sir. Thank you very much moderator. We'd like to thank the IOM for calling this meeting of the IDM and we are facing a situation that has affected mobility of people and so it's important that we can share experiences and good practice. In Chile up to December 2019 we had a migrant population of 1.49 million people, 7.8 of the national total. When the pandemic arrived in March we set up public policy to protect the population and avoid the propagation of COVID-19. And so migrants independently of their migratory status were offered equal access to basic services as well as to health care and other assistance provided to the population such as food and financial assistance. Chile also never closed the borders to foreigners living abroad and they were still allowed to come in just as our citizens. We have also once the borders were closed started to assist periodically. Millions of migrants who were stranded at borders helping them in schools and other public places. We have given them all the health care assistance to treat them if they were positive for COVID and this has been in close collaboration with local government, civil society and the support of the IOM. We'd also like to mention the measures that are put in place to support Chileans who were stranded abroad. More than 60,000 Chileans were repatriated through consulate assistance and with collaboration and financial support from the private sector. In many cases these humanitarian flights left Chile with migrants who wanted to return to their own countries. So we're interested to see how the role of migration can be considered an element which helps to overcome and help with overcome the damage and help with the recovery and there is no doubt that there will be further pressure on the migratory flows in future. Thank you. Thank you very much. Distinguished representative of Chile. I have now on my list the representative of Tunisia. You have the floor, sir. Thank you, Madam. Thank you, moderator. I would like to congratulate the IOM on the wonderful organization of this session of the IDM. I would like to thank the eminent panelists at this first panel on the important subject and I share fully in their views that were expressed and the crisis linked to COVID-19 presents major challenges for people throughout the world. And the sharing of experience on this is extremely enriching. The restrictions on human mobility expose that many people who are displaced have major risks because of the impact on their rights and their wellbeing. And they can also damage the collective response to the pandemic and our capacities to recover and we must ensure that no one is left behind. Tunisia thinks that the situation of COVID-19 faces the international community with unprecedented challenges and we will have harmful effects on social and economic matters due to the measures taken to prevent the pandemic. And those who are most vulnerable to the pandemic are often exposed. So I would like to congratulate the IOM for having intensified its response plans to protect human mobility and also in their call for funds. We consider that the fight against coronavirus can only be won if all countries include migrants in their response plans, in particular marginalized and vulnerable migrants. This situation provides us with an opportunity to consider how migration can be managed in a more efficient and human manner during and after this crisis. We think that human mobility can be part of the recovery because migrants have an important role to play in host countries and can contribute to mitigating the impact of the virus. So we need to consider them in all responses to the pandemic. The health crisis provides the international community with a way in which to work with human mobility for the good of all and to use the skills and positive contributions to society of migrants. We consider that human mobility is essential for development and also to face up to the pandemic and we need to be showing solidarity and coordination in our response because everyone throughout the world is affected. Thank you. I'd like to thank the representative of Tunisia for his declaration and I now have four more requests for the floor and the list is now closed for speakers. I'm going to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Afghanistan. You have the floor. Thank you very much, Madam Moderator. Distinguished colleagues, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. Let me begin an outset to congratulate the International Organization for Migration for their works on the ground through research and also for facilitating safe and orderly migration at this crucial time. Convening of this global collaborative and solution oriented dialogue is yet another example of this important engagement. And it's indeed a landmark achievement that we are already making the 20th edition of this forum. The COVID-19 pandemic brought extreme challenges upon developing economies like my country, Afghanistan. The livelihoods erect diet economic conditions are exacerbated. Public services are overextended and vulnerabilities of the poor and disadvantaged communities, including migrants, come once again at the fore. We must fully apprehend that under the constraints of COVID-19 reverse progress in the fight against poverty and for economic growth is indeed a looming risk. That we have to take on decisively and in a multi-sectoral manner. This must necessarily include adoption and innovation in the field of migration governance. It's crucial, for example, that we reinforce our sincere commitment to the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for leaving no one behind, bearing especially migrants in vulnerable situations and the related protection challenges in mind. Currently many Afghan migrants experience either food insecurity due to the loss of income and soaring prices for essential commodities, or on the other hand the de facto exclusion from preventive health measures that health services resulting from the inability for the opportunities not received. This particularly puts at risk the urban migrant poor, those with uncertain employment and settlement, those with pre-existing health conditions and special needs, child as well as elderly migrants of those journeying undocumented. In some cases this situation is aggravated by unwarranted anti-migrants stigma, dangerous narratives and crumbling social cohesion within the host communities. To ensure the full enjoyment of migrants' rights, it's essential to implement an effective public health response as well as enabling migrants to live up to their true potentials as agents of recovery and development, as alluded by some of the distinguished panelists today. It is that important that the international community extends structure and inclusive access to assistance and services to all migrants translating this standard into operational reality. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in line with its commitment toward the GCM while being determined to put its whole strength into addressing these challenges grateful to its partners, which importantly added to soothing the situation on the ground through their flexible, rapid and generous support. We must dedicate ourselves to transforming and reinvigorate the spontaneous mixed migration movement during the pandemic, well into a managed and safe migration that can be instrumental to the COVID-19 recovery as well as the attainment of the SDGs. It's already forecasted that the pandemic will produce a major downturn in the remittances with dire consequences for those pending, depending on this revenue stream and especially for their potential expenses toward nutrition, health and education. It is crucial that we counter this problematic development, that we stabilize mobility regimes and remittances flow and thereby continue to tap into development potentials of migrants. As such, it has to be our highest priority to further our cooperation on international labor migration programs and to ensure the openness and the flexibility of the pathways as well as operational safety at border crossings. In retaining cross border markets and the value chains accessible, we do not only guarantee the circulation of essential goods at the appropriate price, but also enhance the active role played by migrants in the socioeconomic recovery and the long-term development. The benefits to be harnessed from this approach can be upgraded even further when we commit ourselves in a truly result-oriented manner to a long overdue issue area of human capital development and decent work conditions for migrants. In retaining migrants, in returning migrants, we have to persist at disavowing from involuntary returns while facilitating the voluntary journey of those stranded. Furthermore, we have to urgently reinforce our existing reintegration efforts to make sure that migrants' return will continue to be sustainable and beneficial for all involved. Finally, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, in proactively engaging in all these areas and partnering with development actors and the private sector, we do have the chance to transform the phase of COVID-19 recovery from an eight-model to a self-reliant model of economic growth and trade. For the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, this new agenda of migration governance coincides strongly with the developmental vision to put forward by Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework 2021-2025, which we look forward to presenting the national community to the international community at a greater depth in the upcoming 2020 Geneva Conference on Afghanistan. And I thank you very much. Thank you very much, Distinguished Representative of Afghanistan. I have now the pleasure to give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of Algeria. Thank you, moderator. First of all, allow me to congratulate the IOM for organizing this IDM meeting despite the difficulties presented by the situation. It shows the commitment of the organization to contribute to the world effort to fight COVID-19 and its effect and to manage the socioeconomic impact. I'd also like to thank the panelists for their contributions to this session. Madam moderator, like many countries, Algeria from the apparition of the pandemic took on urgent measures in order to ensure that we built capacity to help people and to track and trace the pandemic. And we were involved in the setup of a scientific community to follow the illness. And following our tradition of hospitality and international commitments, we included in our national response all migrants in our territory to ensure that they continue to benefit from free access to healthcare just as Algerian citizens do. We also appreciate the assistance of the IOM through their office in Algeria to ensure that the national awareness-raising campaigns were accessible to migrants. I would just like to conclude by joining the voice of my delegation to that of the Director General, who in his opening statement this morning highlighted the need to not forget our long-term goals. Despite today's context, we need to keep following with the programs and strengthen our programs to ensure that we have a careful assistance to migrants through efficient international cooperation. Thank you. Thank you, says the moderator. I would now like to give the floor to the representative of the International Organization of Employers. Thank you, Madame Chair, the International Organization of Employers. If there are three words that the linked COVID economic and protection crises have taught us to focus on, absolutely one of them is recovery. The other two words are essential and partnering. Across our 150 employer and business organization members in 140 countries worldwide, we are not only interested in these three words, we are invested in them directly. What is essential? The pandemic is reminding us every day what is essential. At the center, workers are essential. They always have been. We see in many countries new deepening respect for essential workers, many of them foreign workers and migrants that bring a range of skills. They fill demographic and labor market gaps worldwide, providing work and skills that are needed but not available for essential work in health care, tech work, farm work, food processing and meat packing, hospitality, transportation and construction among others. These foreign workers are essential in the crisis and essential for recovery too. The huge amount of earnings that so many send home to their families and communities of origin as remittances are essential in the crisis and essential for recovery too. The same as employment is essential, of course employers are essential too, public and private sector employers. The sustainability of decent work, employers and businesses is essential for healthy economies and societies. We will not recover without it. Partnering is also essential. In a world of constricting budgets, partnering is one of the most understated forms of capacity building. Partners bring resources, not only talent and competence but financial and in kind. What has been striking this year is the amount of shared interest and common ground across states, international organizations, cities, business and civil society, sometimes quite surprising to work together on responses to the crisis. Not every member of every group but many and more than enough to move forward concretely. Finally, recovery. Like workers, employers are essential to recovery even to building back better as UN Secretary Guterres has urged. Quickly, this is what our members tell us now, not before the COVID and economic crisis but right in the middle of them. A first need is for predictable and transparent legal frameworks for the mobility of skills. This includes responsible recruitment practices. There is need as well for skills development programs, skills recognition schemes and skills matching frameworks that respond to labor market realities. And technology should be leveraged to improve migration management. This includes making many of the widespread temporary regularization measures enacted for essential migrant workers during COVID time permanent. And this is not just for response, it's for recovery. Thank you. Thank you very much for this contribution. Now allow me to give the floor to the representative of the global policy inside this online contribution. You have the floor. To raise some of what my colleagues have actually said, but one important opportunity COVID-19 pandemic has brought forward is the opportunity to have a dialogue on the changing landscape of migration and also to further our discourse. Looking at what the United Nations Secretary General Paul Sebreff raised about unemployment and loss of livelihood that is expected to affect the livelihood of the people in the informal economy. And according to the International Labor Organization, it relates to about 85 to 88% of informal economy worker in low income and low middle income countries will lose their job as a result of COVID-19 impact. So, expectedly, one of the manifestation is the rural, young, low skilled workers that lose their job and would want to seek the opportunity to move to neighboring countries to explore new opportunities at the fortunes. So, in this way, I would feel that we need to reach regional migrant development centers. This will be an institution to help develop framework that is based on skilled, quiet by the drug market that will empower the set of young people to be able to contribute to sustainable development goals in the political country. As well, it could also have the chance of access to water and sanitation facilities and parole to migrant workers for migrants. So, in this way, since regional governments are enabling children the challenges of migrant flows, partnership is strongly important. In order for all of us to be able to ensure a safe migrant, to be able to ensure that the planet is safe, coordinated and inclusive and mobile. Thank you. Thank you very much. We have ended now the list of the speaker and allow me to thank all those who have taken the floor today. Our membership, the IA membership and then the civil society representative for contributing today and highlighting the importance of the global compact migration in the response of the COVID-19 and the long, the immediate, medium and long-term response needed to address the challenges posed by the COVID and the responses that should be anchored in the inclusion, comprehensiveness and current policies to avoid the impact of the COVID on migrant worker particularly and on the economic downturn that we are facing now. So I will with that close this panel and we are running out of time. The secretariat, if you have an announcement for the second panel, please do so. And thank you all for being here today for the first panel. And thank you so much for the panelists and particularly those who are traveled longer to join us today and to contribute to the debate. Thank you very much for those who are online and sorry for the IT issues that we experienced today. Thank you very much.