Remarks by the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Nathalie Ndongo-Seh, at the UN75 Dialogue with Migrants

Honourable guests, UN colleagues, brothers and sisters,

A very good morning to you all.

It is with solidarity that I join you this morning, as you discuss important issues pertaining to your lives, challenges and aspirations at a time of great distress affecting millions of people across the world.

I wish I could stay longer but this is one of those mornings when I have back-to-back meetings that are all equally important. Nonetheless, I will follow these discussions, which will be recorded and live streamed for audiences beyond this room.

This year, the UN is marking its 75th anniversary at a time of devastation due to an unprecedented global health crisis that bears severe economic and social impacts. The questions that we may all have in our mind at present are: will we survive this crisis and will we emerge from it stronger or more vulnerable than before it struck us?

To commemorate its 75th Anniversary, the UN has launched a series of dialogues across the world to hear the views, concerns, dreams and recommendations of individuals and communities on “The future we want, the UN we need” – which is the theme for the UN75 dialogues.

Particularly important to these conversations are the voices of marginalized and vulnerable groups, including yours as migrant populations. To create an inclusive and equal world, we need to pay attention to the voices of the voiceless. Let your voices be heard today. We invite you to express yourself freely and give us your candid views and suggestions.

Your feedback from today’s dialogue will be consolidated with the views of other groups across the world and presented at the 75th session of the General Assembly in September 2020  in which the Kingdom of Eswatini will hold the privileged and prestigious position of Vice President. We wish to congratulate His Majesty, King Mswati III, once again, for Eswatini’s election.

The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the lives and livelihoods of millions of people on the move, who are forced to flee their homes for reasons of violence, persecution, disaster, lack of opportunities and are struggling to make a living in the informal economy.

The rights and the health of refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons and stateless must be protected. Tens of millions of such vulnerable people on the move live in cramped, unsanitary quarters where social distancing is an impossible luxury. Those working in the informal economy are without access to social protection and are among the first to lose their jobs.

People on the move such as you must be able to access safety and protection, including health care and have their human rights duly respected.

In fact, millions of migrants and refugees are unsung heroes, working as essential workers. They tend to the sick and work in farms to keep up the food supply. In this regard, countries need to maximize these contributions by validating migrants’ work, lowering barriers, and exploring options to regularize migrants.

A total of 33,263 Emaswati (3% percent of Eswatini’s population of 1.1 million people), were living as migrants in 2019, most of whom resided in South Africa. 48.2 percent were women. As COVID-19 pandemic worsened living conditions and opportunities, this resulted in loss of income, loss of livelihoods and unemployment, in particular for migrant workers who work in the mining, construction, and transport industries.

Returning migrants from South Africa and other nations often suffer the consequences of bias and stigma, accused of bringing the coronavirus into our nation. In addition to such unfair treatment is the stressful uncertainty regarding home, work, separation from family, lifestyle changes and restrictions of movement. Migrants and returning migrants experience stigma, social and psychological impacts on as they struggle to integrate or reintegrate into communities.

In June, the UN Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres, launched a policy brief on the COVID-19 pandemic, reminding countries of their obligation to protect people on the move, who are more than 70 million globally according to UNHCR. He highlighted that “no one is safe until everyone is safe” and that medicines to diagnose and treat COVID-19 must be accessible to all people.

As the UN, we believe in the safety, health, and equal opportunities for migrants, as well as stateless, internally displaced persons and refugee brothers and sisters. Throughout the pandemic and beyond, we will continue to advocate for the recognition and the respect of their dignity and human rights.

It is critical that we hear from you today. Each of your voices is invaluable. Through a small glimpse at your experiences, together, we may start building a better future.

I wish you lively, very engaging, and fruitful discussions. I thank you.