Migration integral to global economies: Naresh Gujral at UN

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 20

Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Member of Parliament Naresh Gujral has sought global cooperation for safe migration calling it integral to economies today.

Gujral was addressing the second committee agenda item on Globalisation and Interdependence at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). India aligned itself with the statement delivered by Egypt earlier on behalf of the Group of 77.

“While economic and financial integration has significantly helped global economic growth, including in developing countries, the impacts of globalisation and emerging technologies have been uneven causing discontent in certain sections,” said Gujral.

“Such as the ongoing conflicts in many regions that force people to flee their homes; and terror networks that continue to expand their reach through cross-border recruitment, propaganda, financing and targeting of innocents. Spread of disastrous pandemics in recent years as also many global health issues such as Anti-Microbial Resistance, HIV/AIDS or Tuberculosis point to another serious challenge,” he added.

In times of hyper-nationalism with walls closing in for migrants, India batted for mobility of persons required by today’s knowledge and innovation-driven economies. Incidentally Gujral’s statement on migrants and refugees comes at a time when India finds itself in a controversy over its stand on Rohingya in the country.

“During the last one year, the United Nations has focused its attention on the large scale movements of migrants and refugees in response to events unfolding in certain parts of the world that are having ramifications far and wide. Most nation states and societies have been built upon waves of migration over the past several centuries. Migration has continued to expand and now in a globalised world it is an integral aspect of the integration of economies over the last few decades,” said Gujral.

The SAD MP welcomed the  Inter-Governmental Negotiations on Global Compact on Migration to provide framework that ‘facilitates international cooperation on safe, orderly and regular migration’. The Global Compact will be adopted in an international conference in Morocco later in December this year.