 Distinguished representatives, dear colleagues, Director-General, it is my pleasure and honor to open this 107th session of the Council of the International Organization for Migration. My mandate will have been a short one, but also an intensive and constructive one. In particular, it has been marked by a major global event, the September 19 New York Declaration, which for the first time in the history of multilateral dialogue has brought migration firmly on top of the international agenda for years to come. We have, as you probably know, been expanding our cooperation in the Pacific region. With Tonga's joining IOM, we now have 11 member states among the Pacific Island nations. It is an honor to extend the sincere gratitude and appreciation of the Kingdom of Tonga to the IOM and all the member states for your endorsement and approval for Tonga to become a member of IOM. The Kingdom of Tonga, like many other countries, continues to receive numbers of irregular arrivals by sea and by air. Our region is small and vulnerable to all sorts of illegal activities and movement of people. Thus, our cooperation on border security and coordination will strengthen our law enforcement agencies to combat illegal migration and to be more proactive in managing our border and our region. We strongly appreciate and welcome excellent cooperation arrangements with all the member states and looking forward to a successful cooperation with you all.