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Commenting on the recent photo of a migrant father and his 23-month-old daughter who had drowned trying to cross into the United States from Mexico, the President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, today (27 Jun) said “we cannot have more people die because they decide to migrate.”
Talking to reporters in New York, Espinosa said, “that’s precisely why member states came together and crafted the Global Compact on Migration. That is precisely why we have a very strong international framework on human rights. It so happens that people on the move are human beings, and as such they are entitled to have their fundamental rights respected.”
The GA President said, “if we succeed to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, it would be the biggest service and the biggest preventive strategy to dangerous and unsafe migration.”
She noted that the Compact, formally endorsed by the General Assembly last December, precisely establishes “a framework for orderly, safe, and regular migration.”
Turning to the situation of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and other countries in the region, Espinosa said this was a “symptom of the crisis” and stressed “the only outlet for Venezuela is a true negotiation with all parties involved.”
The Ecuadorean diplomat also said she was “very proud that starting in June” the United Nations Headquarters in New York are “a single use plastic free venue.”
She said the next step would be “to multiply that same effort in all UN offices worldwide.”
Espinosa’s term ends in September and will be replaced by Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria. |
