Bold Commitments, Transformative Action on Human Mobility Needed to Rescue SDGs

(This text was originally published on IOM's website) 

“As the world faces multiple crises, the SDG Summit is a moment of truth and reckoning for the international community,” IOM Director General, António Vitorino said on the eve of the Sustainable Development Goal Summit during the UN General Assembly in New York City.  

“Human mobility in all its dimensions is essential to our efforts to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. We see it every day, and everywhere. People on the move are a cornerstone of development, innovation, prosperity and progress.” 

At the mid-way point of the 2030 Agenda, the promise to Leave No One Behind and achieve the SDGs is in peril, and our ways of working are inadequate. People on the move can be part of the solution. IOM’s report, released as part of the SDG Action Weekend, developed in partnership with recognized research entities, provides clear evidence that unequivocally shows that migration supports sustainable development. 

The report calls upon all politicians, practitioners and changemakers to: 

• Extend social protection and universal health coverage to all; 
• Further develop safe and regular migration pathways; 
• Reduce remittances transaction costs; 
• Listen to, and include migrants’ voices into national and local development plans; 
• To invest in their skills development and recognize their qualifications and competences; 
• Reduce the digital access gap for people on the move, and 
• Invest in means to address loss and damages, reduce conflict and climate induced displacement. 

The sobering picture of the reversal of progress towards achieving the SDGs is a wake-up call demanding Member States redouble their efforts and utilize every available solution to overcome the multiple crises facing our communities. None of today’s challenges, from climate change to conflict, can be tackled effectively without considering human mobility. The evidence is clear. 

The SDG Summit is the venue for Member States, local governments, youth and others to identify concrete commitments to ensure that human mobility is a central element of the Rescue Plan for the SDGs.  

We need action. And we need it now.