Media Advisory, 15 October 2014
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Representatives of the Global Coalition on Migration (GCM) will travel to New York to welcome the release of “Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders” during the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on October 22. They will also participate in two public launch events on October 23.
The document on human rights at borders was drafted under the auspices of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and will be announced in a report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon concerning migrant children as well as protections at borders. The Secretary General’s report is available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Migration/Pages/WSReportGA69.aspx.
The GCM is an international coalition of migrant associations and rights organizations, and advocacy, trade union, faith, and academic institutions. Several GCM members from Mexico, Argentina, the U.S., and Europe contributed to the drafting of the guidelines, along with other civil society groups. Catherine Tactaquin of the National Network on Immigrant & Refugee Rights (NNIRR) in the U.S. and a representative of the GCM will speak at the OHCHR launch event on October 23, highlighting the human rights concerns of migrant communities in the world’s major migration corridors.
…border governance is often prompted solely by national security considerations, and the human rights of migrants are often violated. International borders are not zones of exclusion or exception of human rights obligations. States have the duty to comply with their human rights obligations and all of the safeguards and checks and balances that are embedded in national legislation. — OHCHR
The GCM will host a celebration of the launch of the guidelines and a civil society dialogue on their potential for enhancing human rights protections on the evening of October 23 at the Church Center for the United Nations.
October 22
Circulation of the Guidelines during the 69th Session of the UNGA as a Conference Room Paper accompanying the report of the Secretary General on the Protection of Migrants (A/69/277)
October 23
OHCHR Side Event, “Human Rights at International Borders Recommended Principles and Guidelines”
Time & Location TBC
GCM Celebration & Civil Society Discussion: “Human Rights at International Borders”
5pm to 7pm, Church Center for the United Nations (777 UN Plaza, NYC – Boss Room)
For media inquiries, contact Karen Campbell – kcampbell@gcmigration.org