ODIHR Director Link calls for humane and co-ordinated approach to migrant integration ahead of International Migrants Day

WARSAW, 16 December 2016 - Protection of the rights of migrants and their integration remains a challenge that OSCE participating States must face with co-ordination and commitment to humane treatment, Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said today, ahead of International Migrants Day on Sunday.

“Regretfully, the death count on dangerous migratory routes continues to grow, while authorities and civil society actors in many participating States continue to struggle to deal with large migratory flows and inclusion of new migrant communities,” Director Link said. “I call on states to address these issues in a humane and comprehensive manner, ensuring the respect of human rights and international obligations.”

In response to a surge in interest and requests since 2015, ODIHR has stepped up its activities in relation to the protection of migrant rights and migrant integration, delivering migration-related training to over 500 men and women representing public bodies across the OSCE region, based on existing OSCE commitments related to migration, freedom of movement, tolerance and non-discrimination and others.

“To achieve better synergy and co-ordination of migrant integration efforts, our Office has designed and organized various training workshops, capacity-building tools and good practice sharing platforms to address some of the specific challenges states are currently experiencing,” said Director Link. “It is my hope that all participating States will leverage these programmes to better serve the needs of their societies, including new and existing migrant communities.”