Governments should enhance cooperation in dealing with migration - UN secretary general

Governments and international organisations have been called up to enhance their cooperation in dealing with challenges concerning global migration

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who made the call during an address to the third global forum on migration and development, said migration was a modern challenge that could not be addressed unilaterally.

The ongoing financial crisis, climate change and human trafficking werethe three main challenges that “add to the urgency for action” in the issue of migration, he said.

He added that in times of financial crisis, migrants usually faced a higher possibility of unemployment. The number of migrants might also increase because of climate change.

At the Forum, Malta was represented by its ambassador to Greece, Richard Vella Laurenti, and Deborah Attard Montalto, senior policy officer at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Forum is an informal, state-led consultative process that enables governments to exchange ideas, experiences and good practices on migration and development issues in an informal and non-binding way.

Its recommendations focus on how migration and development can be better linked for the benefit of all.