good afternoon and welcome back we we got stuck on my item 9 and and that has to have to do with the draft resolution relating to the election and so I had asked some delegates to consults during the the lunch break I did my own bilaterals and but I would like to ask delegates to tell me what their suggestions are and I will tell you what mine is the floor is open the Germany have the thank you chair and good afternoon to everyone and since I think I take the floor for the first time let me also congratulate you again to your election and and we are looking forward to working with you very much with regard to item 9 thank you again for presenting this item the new draft resolution and also for explanations the reasons behind this new draft and let me just signal that we well understand the reasoning for for having drafted this resolution in another way and and we also share your your your viewpoint with regard perhaps to an earlier date for the election perhaps mid of May that would be also a preference perhaps for our delegation so again thank you very much for for this initiative and and we we hope we can soon find a decision on that and and adopt the resolution thank you thank you very much and me I see Mexico thank you very much chair we just want to take note that we would like to have had more time to undertake consultations on the new visions to the text as well to have had further clarifications on behalf of the secretariat on the reasons for why we cannot fix at the moment the specific date for the special session the total transparency and I think this is absolutely critical point that needs to be made aware of in the whole decision-making process within the IOM as we've said that in terms of the calendar of the holiday dates it's not convenient the special session takes place in the half a second half of June but we do feel that neither is June July is a desirable date because some delegations will have already begun their holiday summer period therefore unless we can find dates for the available meeting rooms to think of it be convenient to have a resolution to have a deadline at the end of June moreover we'd like to ask the secretariat to in coordination with the chair and other entities of the bureau to undertake every effort to identify a date for the election as soon as possible and to communicate this to the member states with a view to give certainty to this upcoming process thank you thank you Mexico I see Canada thank you chair we would support the comments made by Mexico alternatively because the the way the resolution is currently drafted it says the end of July but we're talking about possibly May which isn't clear then from the resolution and we don't really know what we've agreed to so if the possibility is to bring it forward as early as May we would maybe want to add a line to the resolution that indicated that that even if okay we know rooms might be a problem so maybe it needs to be something that says subject to availability of rooms it would come forward as early as May but needs to be done by the end of June maybe combining with the Mexican perspective because we also see July potentially being problematic with many delegations not present in Geneva for such an important event that so perhaps we need a little bit of time to get one that reflects what the what the organization is really agreeing to because the current draft doesn't seem to be what we're talking about this earlier today thank you thank you Canada any other flag raise most of the comment from the floor agrees Argentina and then Switzerland and then Argentina see thank you very much for all your efforts so a question that needs to be perhaps directed to the secretariat as it previous elections how did it work and how much period beforehand was necessary to elect the new DG or to reelect the incumbent DG that would be really useful information to kind of understand a little bit more about previous processes in this regard thank you thank you Argentina Switzerland and then Colombia and you I say in that order thank you chair I didn't mean this conversation to last too long but only wanted to point out as other delegates have that July I think the holiday season is already on for all the children in Switzerland so maybe moving it forward to May would be an interesting option for us as well thank you thank you very much chair in alignment with expressions made by the delegations including Mexico Colombia would prefer that the special session took place in the first half of 23 so they have a significant number of missions you'll be able to exercise their right to to vote thank you maybe have the chair's microphone please United States you have the floor thank you we agree that July would not be a good time for the reasons that have already been stated and think that we could probably change the current draft revolution from July to June we're also amenable to mid-May as others have agreed thank you very much any other flagraise I see that's the consensus we change July to June in the draft resolution and the from my own bilateral conversation the preference really will be made me and but that will be decided and will have to mandate the sectoria to do everything possible to make arrangements for a venue around mid-May so sectoria does your job and you must deliver oh is that do I have the floor Argentina oh I sorry you spoke see that yes thank you chair I did put forward a question and of course we are ready to align ourselves with the consensus even though we've heard only a few voices in the room but how has it worked in the past with the secretary it'd be in a position to answer my question thank you okay yes yeah according to the rules the director general has to be elected two months before the term of the current director general which means that the current term ends in the 30 of September so two months before the 30 of the September the election has to take place and the candidates can be put forward until two months before the date of the election the date of the election traditionally is set by the council but the problem today is that since there is a probability of the date falling on one official UN holiday that is depending on a mobile date which is the Eid that will only be determined by the appropriate mechanisms in the beginning of next year the council needs to take a decision about a certain time spam within which the bureau then will have to take the decision concerning the specific day for the election and in terms in practical terms we are depending on a critical issue which is finding a room for the meeting so we are already exploring that possibilities including the dates of May that have been voiced and I hope that even before the end of this council session we will have a more clear idea if the 14th 15 16th of May is available or not thank you thank you very much director general uh Senegal thank you chair Senegal this is the first time that we're taking the floor we would like to congratulate you for your appointment we the first resolution which we have received talked about June 2023 but now we're talking about July 2023 and you've just said that during your consultations you then talked about the month of May so in terms of venue availability my delegation would like to propose that we try to seek with the secretary between the end of May and the first two weeks of June if we if we try if we can find available venue and then we can settle on that date as long as it's between the end of May and the two first weeks of June as we have a director whom we know very well but another candidate might also might also need to undertake consultations and we need to check in with our capital and we need time so we would like to rest upon the availability of rooms for the end of May and the first two weeks of June if we have a venue that is available my delegation would be favourable to hold this meeting within that time frame thank you very much chairman thank you very much thank you very much chair good afternoon as is the first time that I'm taking the floor I'd like to congratulate you for your appointment and to ensure you at the same time our full support in your work during this council session chair director general and members of the secretariat distinguished colleagues I think there is consensus in the room and that we are in a position to adopt a decision but the most important here is the decision itself that we want to have this election before the end of the first quarter of 2023 and then the other question which is critical to raise that we give a vote of confidence to the secretariat to the dg and to all of his team that of course will undertake every effort to find the best date and a venue that is suitable to undertake the election so this is important we understand that it's a complicated process in the in the these months in Geneva because that there are many meetings which are underway but we are convinced that hand in hand with the secretariat you are very able that they are able to find a solution with your permission chair I would like to adopt this resolution and move on with our agenda thank you thank you thank you so the Philippines you have the floor thank you chair and just to just to be of help based on our records and perhaps the IOM secretariat can validate this during the IOM consult session in December 2017 what was agreed was a time frame last two weeks of June so we don't need to give an exact date and we can replicate that model for this upcoming elections and perhaps we can indicate in the resolution May to June 2023 so time frame similar to the one in 2017 then the IOM secretariat announced the exact date in early 2018 thank you very much thank you thank you very much any other race flag okay I see I mean clearly the consensus is that extending the deadline to July end of July there's a lot of room for flexibility within for an event that will happen within six months and then so we in this resolution we just changed July to end of June it seems again that the preference overwhelming preference seems to be for mid-May so but that decision will have to be taken and I mean except we we include in the resolution direct resolution demanded to the secretariat to find a venue for the election by mid-May we we I think we can probably leave with this flexibility before end of June and the council will decide early next year exactly when the elections will take place is that unagreeable because we need to adopt this resolution move on to other agenda items I see no objection so secretariat kindly change July to June so end of June I think that has been changed now so back to if there are no objections to that change may I declare the draft resolution C 113L 5 and the draft resolution C 113L 6 Rev 1 be adopted oh I am just reminded that this has to be revised with with a new title Rev 1 is the old one with July so so let's say Rev 2 I see no objection the draft resolution Rev 2 is adopted June to the end of June thank you that was fast certainly this is not WTO so we now move on to the afternoon's program proper item 11 which is the report of the director general I yield the floor to the director general I think it's a PowerPoint presentation so yes it's a clear sign that I should be brief now it's working excellencies friends and colleagues we are coming to the end of another turbulent year as we recover gratefully from the worst effects of the pandemic we need to take stock of the cumulative effects of COVID-19 on our societies and economies of the direct and indirect effects of war in Europe of growing food insecurity and of the impacts of climate change for people on the move whether internally displaced or seeking new lives and livelihoods abroad this morning I would or this afternoon I would like to outline a few of our most significant achievements in 2022 and offer some considerations for the future as you are all aware IOM has been on the front lines of responses to some of the most I profile and distressing humanitarian situations around the world our ability to maintain focus on these situations remains challenging as the shock of regime change in Afghanistan fight fades must we remain alert not only to the ongoing challenges but also in terms of finding more durable forms of recovery we must find ways to help the millions of afghans currently in need of humanitarian assistance to inch towards greater community stability and restoration of local economy in a manner that respects the rights of all members of afghan society particularly women and girls IOM's own work to provide shelter health services is integral to the broader humanitarian assistance provided to more than 24 million people in afghanistan in 2022 in ukraine ongoing fighting across much of the east of the country has left deep wounds within the population and on the infrastructure of the country IOM's most recent figures show that over 6.5 million people are still internally displaced across ukraine in addition to the millions displaced across europe many are struggling to obtain cash closing medicines and food and are contending with frequent disruptions through running water electricity gas and telecommunications in both afghanistan and ukraine we are looking with trepidation as winter takes hold a situation exacerbated by the destruction of energy plants across ukraine and the rocketing costs of fuel much of IOM's crisis response has been to extreme weather events across the world including as we have said during the last two days drought and floods in multiple countries in august floods in pakistan damaged or destroyed over two million houses and left millions displaced since receiving an official request for support from the government of pakistan IOMS established itself as a main responder to the humanitarian emergency working with local organizations and the pakistani authorities to distribute shelters and non-food items to nearly 20 000 households IOM works with thousands yes thousands of local partners across the world they are critical to our effective delivery of humanitarian assistance particularly in more remote regions we will continue to strengthen our efforts on localization as part of our commitment to the grand bargain to ensure consistent approaches which empowers communities there is a poignant familiarity to much of our crisis response as communities find themselves time and again amid disaster much of much of it exacerbated by changing in the climate but in 2022 we see warning signs of a further deterioration of conditions and deepening crisis situations leaving already exhausted communities with little respite in fact during 2022 record numbers of cholera cases have been recorded including in locations with few or no cases in recent years this growing else crisis is exacerbated by a lack of food poor egn conditions and inadequate access to vaccination at the same time several countries already entrenched in crisis are seeing increases in gang related violence in 80 85 96 000 of internally displaced persons in the country have fled insecurity in the capital due to the inter gang violence and social unrest which has tripled over the past five months many miles away in the democratic republic of the Congo at least 262 000 people are estimated to have been displaced since violence from armed groups broke out in march 2022 we must remain alert to such signals of social unrest and increased vulnerability to disease they signal us all tougher times to come more than this we must work to prevent rather than merely respond to humanitarian crisis at the time when so many are already struggling we are investing in early warning and preparedness to anticipate crises and build solutions in advance iom's presence and activities across so many countries and regions allow us to take a root-based approach to data collection and analysis which can provide valuable early warning for example in the orn of Africa our displacement tracking matrix is deployed in Djibouti Ethiopia Kenya and Somalia and these are lighting changing drought induced mobility dynamics both within countries and regionally the anticipatory action framework for Somalia that has been established by the United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OSHA as enable IOM to rehabilitate and upgrade the boreholes improving household finances and supporting livestock else these as in turn reduced water disputes and mitigated displacement but nevertheless the challenges in Somalia remain immense close to seven million people in the country currently face acute food insecurity and 1.3 million have been displaced over the past two years in west and central Africa our transhumans-directing tool provides early warning of potential conflicts and new movements since 2020 more than 6,000 alerts have been sent through the early warning tool across 10 countries in the region early warning including regarding outbreaks of infectious disease allows us to allocate rapid response funds more effectively we have dispersed funds to our mission in Uganda to support the response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in partnership with the World Health Organization and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network IOM's unique capability to map population mobility is helping to shape the response at the epicenter of the outbreak of Ebola and the other affected districts and we are also scaling up active surveillance support at high risk points of entry along Uganda's borders flexibly funding is needed more than ever the international community will be called upon to respond to increasing needs with less financial support as long-standing and protracted crises are joined constantly by new situations of acute humanitarian concern and proliferating food insecurity at the time when the costs are rising funding is being squeezed in all directions I'm particularly concerned by our continued dependence within the humanitarian sector on a small number of donors for a disproportionate share of our emergency response operations we must continue to strive for more adequate burden sharing within the international community and this is leaving certain regions behind the Sahel region is facing one of the fastest growing displacement crises in the world and yet it is one of the most forgotten the number of people exposed to food insecurity in the Sahel this year is 10 times 10 times higher than in 2019 while we focus our attention legitimately on the security concerns in the region this should not distract from the dire and immediate humanitarian situation faced there by so many in this regard I commend the German federal federal foreign office for their innovative funding initiatives which have enabled us to provide life-saving assistance in 10 countries across Africa including our responses to Ebola virus disease in the democratic republic of the Congo flooding Indonesia and the cholera outbreak in Nigeria this has allowed us to match our own efforts to anticipate needs with quick consistent and above all predictable humanitarian assistance I hope that these approaches allowing IOM to determine where we are needed most based on our extensive operational footprint can be expanded further and with more donors excellencies volatility across the world is increasing marked by changes in climate the risk not only of extreme humanitarian situations including famine caused by the combined impacts of drought and the rising of food prices but also of broader political and social unrest this means that international responses must address at the same time all vectors of vulnerability and in a world characterized by increasingly complex mobility patterns we will need to constantly adapt our responses this means first viewing and supporting the full range of IOM's work as a continuum of interventions spanning the humanitarian the development and the peace nexus we can no longer afford to divide our work into past sales of action devised according to different logics we and you member states must bring them together to ensure you can generate a positive multiplier effect from the combined wave of our powerful programming but second we must fully incorporate the mobility dimensions of crisis including the internal dimension into all our aspects of humanitarian response the united nation secretary general action agenda on internal displacement will be critical to further the approach in this regard and IOM is fully committed to ensuring practical concrete outcomes for internally displaced persons we must mobilize more agilely to respond to large-scale crisis and provide protection at all stages of the migration journey understanding the speed with which a national crisis can easily become a regional crisis IOM's approach to protection ensuring that individuals are not placed further at risk or at vulnerability as a result of the movement is intended to ensure that migrants rights are respected in all aspects of our programming even in the most difficult and challenging circumstances as such IOM has further developed its concept of humanitarian border management this approach is intended to support states to address cross-border migration crisis and ensure well-managed flows that reduce instability and risk of harm while maintaining national security and upholding the rights of those who find themselves stranded at the border we must also be pragmatic and recognize that these field interventions will not in themselves resolve all the challenges ahead that's why we have a responsibility to enhance societal community and individual resilience to current and future shocks we must empower ever more beneficiaries in addition to protecting them over the past year we have seen cross-border travel rebound in many parts of the world global air traffic for instance has reached nearly three quarters of the level of three years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic hit while we do not yet have comprehensive global data sets migration flows are also rebounding as many countries address visa backlogs and attempt a return to normality we have seen a concomitant increase in IOM else assessments in 2022 770 thousand health assessments assessments to date across Africa Asia Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East for both refugees and migrants demonstrating not only the resilience of migrants but all key migration remains to our societies and our economies regional mobility is beginning to bolster economies though across Africa and much of Asia medical measures such as testing and vaccination are still requirements for entry and this is relevant given the persistent inequities in access to vaccination one third of the world's population is still to receive a first COVID-19 vaccination predominantly in low and middle income countries IOM is working with the Gavi Alliance to facilitate access to COVID-19 and other vaccines for migrants and vulnerable populations at points of entry and across the migration continue many of the challenges stemming from the pandemic persist migrants are still confronting by backlogs in visa applications have to contend with increased costs of migration and consequently find themselves more vulnerable to unscrupulous recruitment practices still more are struggling to find work in very fragile economic circumstances we still see a symmetries of movement across the world and an increase in those attempting to undertake dangerous journeys including women and girls key drivers of human trafficking poverty and financial crisis have intensified in many parts of the world prompting an increased risk of exploitation particularly for those that are already marginalized over the past 20 years IOM and its partners have identified more than 150,000 victims of trafficking three quarters of um were women and girls and the majority of them were trafficked for sexual exploitation new populations are undertaking unfortunately dangerous journeys due in part to worsening conditions at home leading to the emergence of new trafficking routes increasing numbers of Egyptians and Lebanese nationals are joining those seeking to cross the Mediterranean too often with fatal consequences in Central America and in South America the number of people putting their lives at risk crossing the Darien gap continue to increase in this context I welcome the conclusions of the conference of South America on migration as well as the outcomes of the summit of the Americas in Los Angeles and the opportunity to take a regional approach to tackling the complex drivers that push people to move while protecting individuals before during and after their journey this desperation contrasts with continuing labor shortages in many high and middle income countries where the pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing structural labor limitations in this regard I welcome the efforts by a number of countries including Australia, Czechia, Portugal and Germany to invest in immigration reforms designed to simplify systems and make them more flexible to better attract migrant workers in the long term the pressure to find workers has spurred innovations and immigration policy such as multilateral labor agreements which bring together several countries of destination with a single country of origin we have examples of skills mobility and talent partnerships which seek to build skills capacity rather than drain communities of origin of their skills potential visa liberalization and multi entry visas is another example and allowing foreign students increased opportunities to find work after study all of these has been accelerated by new technology whether digital applications or e governance systems this increase the transparency and effectiveness of migrants access to visas also reducing the costs associated with intermediaries and recruiters who may not always act ethically but this contrasting picture reveal how stark the inequalities of mobility have become the pandemic has brought home both the need for and how unequal access is to migration as the global population reaches this year eight billion we must avoid focusing solely on the scale of migration but we should also consider each time more and more the quality of migration ensuring that those who move are doing so safely that should be our common ambition as should ensuring that migrants are equipped and empowered to contribute to all aspects of life both in their host country and in their country of origin this is core to IOM's mandate in addition to our commitment to you as member states to support your implementation of the global compact for safe orderly and regular migration we are consolidating our efforts to support capacity building across the world developing comprehensive responses to migration dynamics that are indeed becoming ever more complex and building stronger links between the two stories of migration that i have just described to you irregular and regular migration IOM has developed a corporate approach to capacity development for migration management known as cd for mm which brings together the sum of our decades decades of knowledge and experience in this area and this is complemented by our flagship training program the essentials of migration management version 2.0 which offers e-learning modules to help governments to better understand the interlinkage between different aspects of the work on migration we are building our outreach and networks to address ethical recruitment and reduce the risks of labor exploitation in addition to the global policy network on recruitment IOM is continuing its corporate responsibility in eliminating slavery and trafficking crest initiative which so far has had a positive impact for 200,000 migrant workers employed across several supply chains in Asia IOM is also developing greater consistency consistency across its operations whether through policy guidance such as the operationalization of our full spectrum of return readmission and reintegration or through common technical solutions such as our electronic readmission case management system funded by the European Union and Denmark migrants are not just economic units they are members of society rather than viewing education and skills development as a labor market necessity which they are of course but we must treat it as a global public good capable of contributing to the realization of the sustainable development goals and we can also use migration to address other global broader global challenges at IOM we see the potential of migration not only as a route of deteriorating situations but also as a means to build resilience in communities affected by climate change by diversifying incomes and bolstering opportunities both to stay or to move we see migration as an opportunity to contribute to better development outcomes this includes building skills and an alternative livelihoods promoting regular pathways and supporting social cohesion in this regard we are committed to expanding what we call complementary pathways and I commend the initiative of the governments of Australia and Canada together with the talent beyond boundaries the office of the United Nations I commissioner for refugees IOM and several other partners to establish the global task force on refugee labor mobility and as we look ahead we must look more closely at the way in which people are living across borders the pandemic revealed and accelerated new models of transnational living and we must understand them digital nomadism was a niche concept before the pandemic but as of June 2022 more than 25 countries and territories had created remote work or digital nomad visas including Brazil Georgia Italy and United Arab Emirates I know this is still a nascent innovation but it offers us all a glimpse at a new way of viewing mobility in which skills and expertise move while the person remains in one place at IOM we have revised our own flexible working policy understanding that increasingly people work across borders and live lives across several countries at once but to do this effectively will take more than a dream or a simple visa category we must look holistically at our visa and immigration systems can be further adjusted to facilitate transnational living understanding that to live in more than one country does not dilute participation in either that can enrich both what will the system of transnational mobility look like in some ways I think it is an extension of what we are already doing today we think of remittances as money sent home but we have seen that during the pandemic we witnessed the reverse of flows of money from home to support those abroad and increasingly remittances reflect cross border money management and investment choices as much as household financial support the success of Mpezza a mobile phone based money transfer service launched in Kenya in 2010 reflects these evolution traditional banking sectors have been slow to catch up our social security payments are hard to transfer from country to country and our pensions are too often fixed by location and contribution by not creating more flexible social protection options we are tying people to a place and limiting the potential of migration what are the financial instruments that can be used to facilitate transnational livelihoods for sustainable development more importantly how can the aspirant groups be brought into this discussion as entrepreneurs and drivers of innovation some of these questions will need to be answered perhaps first at the regional level in partnership with multilateral development banks and other financial institutions but we cannot ignore the future of work or of mobility between migration and train the links will become increasingly important effective border and identity management are in my view critical to cross border trade which can bolster sustainable development and support border communities much of IOM's work is underpinned by advances in digital legal identity and border management infrastructure reducing time spent at the border and verifying identities quickly and safely at risk of sounding like a stuck record yes legal identity is foundational for so many aspects of migration cross border movement and accelerating assess to assistant including cash base assistance for those displaced and in need as well as those returning to facilitate their integration in the countries of origin excellencies why is IOM investing in tools and concepts in this way because IOM is investing in its support for member states for local partners and for migrants to create more effective migration governance and also crisis response because we recognize that we must work together in order to address daunting challenges already with us and those that lie ahead the international migration review forum in may showed us how since 2018 we have seen that far from bringing a threat to autonomous sovereign decision making the global compact has become a valuable tool to bring governments together at the global and regional level and the means for member states themselves to assess potential priorities for future decision making the progress declaration adopted by consensus sets out the some key areas for us to work in the future particularly the limited set of indicators to help review progress in the implementation of the global compact and make actionable recommendations on strengthening cooperation on missing migrants and providing humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress and the UN migration network and the multi-partner trust fund will go on being critical instruments in that respect I want to emphasize and thank Azerbaijan Bangladesh Kenya Luxembourg and the United States of America for their commitment in contributing to the multi-partner trust fund which is second only to the peace building fund in terms of the number of donors and we appreciate that eight out of the 20 contributors to the multi-partner trust fund are coming from non-traditional donors we look forward to engaging in the secretary general common agenda and we'll be integrally involved in eight of the work streams reflecting our own priorities responding to the risks of large-scale food insecurity to revisiting social protection and identifying measures to strengthen legal identity these elements will be key to the upcoming STG summit next year in September as well as for the summit of the future in 2024 while we continue to align our work with the debt of the broader United Nations system we also are concerned with several cross-cutting issues particularly we have taken steps to mainstream gender into all our work at IOM through the use of the IOM gender market we will review the use of the gender marker in 2023 to better ensure that gender considerations are hardwired into project development across the organization and similarly we are considering how to consolidate IOM's work on the use dimension of migration and amplify the voices of migrants across the organization we invest in use by building vocational training centers in the Middle East and North Africa or by bringing young people into our global discussions and I have just returned from Fesh in Morocco we are on the margin of the Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations I hope in the plural plus use video festival of IOM we are strongly engaged in advocating capacity development among young people and we will fully include a new use marker in our own programming. Excellencies we have built our capacity to contribute to key global debates and also to host them I believe that our discussion yesterday and today has shown our engagement and our commitment in terms of climate change and its impact in human mobility but in order to lead global debates we must also bring data to the discussion our flagship global data institute is now up and running in Berlin and will fully develop its program of work in 2023. Our World Migration Report continues to receive a prize having won the non-profit category of the Innova awards for excellence in corporate websites and in April IOM hosted the Global Diaspora Summit in partnership with the government of Ireland to set up an agenda for diaspora engagement in pursuit of objective 19 of the global compact and we will go on pursuing projects and initiatives of partnership with major international financial institutions such as the African Development Bank and as we have already discussed in the at the ACPF we are in the final stages of developing our private sector engagement strategy utilizing a three pillar approach that has been developed by the world for the program but nevertheless we have already engaged strongly with the private sector this year in terms of financial and material support and work with the private sector to address key concerns including related to ethical recruitment and human smuggling. Excellencies we have spoken a great deal recently about our efforts to further internal reforms including through the internal governance framework which will be bolstered by our implementation of the much needed budget reform of the the next five years. I am gratified by the positive assessments we have received over the past year from the membership including key donors as they review our progress. I do not want to dwell too long on the modalities and initiatives of these institutional developments but just to focus on a key a couple of key areas. As our staffing levels grow and we expect to reach 20,000 staff in 2023 we must endeavor to meet their needs and ensure their harassment fraud and other types of misconduct are identified and dealt with as soon as possible. We have consistently emphasized during last years the need to strengthen internal justice and this will continue through additional core support to the office of the inspector general and a near mark funding to enhance the capacities of our legal department and department of human resources. It is crucial to us that we take swift and appropriate actions on allegations of misconduct ensuring accountability protecting the organization from liabilities and enforcing disciplinary measures a well functioning internal justice system that will be fair clear transparent effective and responds quickly to the complex and diverse nature of allegations and staff misconduct is critical for the credibility of the organization. We are also investing in our own staff. In line with our views on how the future of work is changing across the world we have adopted a new policy of flexible working as well as a respectful workplace and protection against retaliation and we will roll out a new system of performance management in 2023 as part of our business transformation initiative. We will continue our efforts to diversify IOM's leadership and to ensure greater gender balance and representation across our missions and within senior management. The institutional strategies that have been developed over the past three years in line with the IOM strategic vision 2019-2023 are now being translated into action. Next year we will seek to strengthen the capabilities of our regional offices particularly in relating to data and climate while supporting shifts of missions and resource management officers with their ever growing responsibilities. We will also proceed to the review of the regional strategies of the different regions in which we operate and as we continue on the path of reform I have also asked our colleagues to look to the future. We will embark on a broad consultation process in advance of the next cycle of strategic planning and we look forward to engaging with all of you through the existing forums on the key issues that IOM will need to consider more deeply and where we may be called upon to act in the future. The findings of the assessment by Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network, the MOPAM that will come up in mid-2023 will be critical to guide our thinking and prepare for the next cycle of our internal reforms. The IGF 2.0 has high call it. As we come to the end of 2022 I have also reflected on the changes both internal and global that IOM has grappled within the four past years. Our organization prides itself on its agility, its ability to pivot to new crises and respond to the changes we see on the ground each day. It is perhaps less well known for its resilience but I am no less proud of that resilience, particularly the resilience of our staff. In 2018 we were at an inflection point with growing recognition among member states and among the United Nations system that migration is an integral issue in need of strong leadership and robust response. And the organization was poised to build further on its exceptional operational footprint and expertise. Since 2018 we have led a series of transformations across IOM to build out our capabilities to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The strategic vision. We have allocated 34 million to strengthening our internal governance capacity, ensuring accountability and consistency for your own investments. We have founded United Nations Network on Migration and successfully led the International Migration Review Forum. And the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly challenged our capacity to work and I think that we have proved our capacity to adapt. It is a testament to both the passionate dedication and ingenuity of IOM staff and the leadership of the organization. We were able to continue investing in institutional change at the same time as we were addressing urgent crises. Our growing budget and our growing staff are often taken as a bellwether of the growing challenges in the world today, which is true. But our increased programming in key areas strengthening migration governance speaks to needs that must be and continue to be met by IOM. I believe it is a validation of the organization itself. The reality that at times of crisis IOM is the first to respond and respond well is a characteristic that fills all of us with immense pride and drives us forward. Yes, I know. We are not always on the front page. Yes, but we are always on the front lines. My words today aim to convey the breadth of achievement of an organization whose work is not always well recognized. Weather responding to displacement caused by flooding, outbreaks of infectious disease, protection people who find themselves in situations of risk or vulnerability while on the move. IOM is working every day to support those in distress. The fact that we support communities can build their own resilience to the shocks of the world reminds us that we should be at our best a catalyst for development. IOM is witness to the humanity of migration. Migration are first and for most people. They are loved ones, neighbors, leaders. For all our systems and processes, concepts and agendas, our work is about people and for people. We believe in the capacity of safe, orderly and regular migration to transform societies and the need to support those who migrate. That's why I look forward to our discussions over the coming days about how we can work together to realize the full benefits of migration for all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Director General, for that very comprehensive report. I'd like to remind delegations wishing to comment on the report that they can do so in the next agenda item, the General Debate. Please also note that the DG's report will be available on the 113th Council webpage in French and Spanish as well as English. The French and Spanish versions of the report will be made available as soon as possible. I now suggest that the Council takes notes of the reports of the Director General, document C1139. It is so decided. At this point, I'll suggest we take a 10-minute coffee break. We'll be coming back for the General Debate, which will be a long sit. Thank you. See you back. See you at 20. Thank you. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. When I move on to the agenda item 12, the General Debate, I will advise statements from member states beginning with ministers and followed by regional groups and then observers. I'd like to remind speakers of the time allocated for statements on this agenda item, which is five minutes for ministers and regional groups, three minutes for member states, and one and a half minutes for observers. I'm hopeful that we will really keep to this time. At the moment, I have no way of enforcing it, except to play with you to do so. I can't stop me from speaking. That's above my pay grade, but I really would like to skip to it, otherwise I'll be here till midnight. To ensure the smooth running of the meeting, I would also like to request that all those taking the floor speak at a reasonable pace. That's not a contradiction in terms of being succinct and quick, to allow for accurate interpretation in particular if delegates are participating online. In all cases, to ensure accuracy and clear interpretation, copies of all statements should be submitted way in advance by all delegations to the Secretariat before the opening of the relevant morning and afternoon sessions. There is also note that the full text of statements given to the Secretariat will then also be published on the IRM website, unless the meeting's Secretariat is advised otherwise. That would be a preference to say, don't publish my statement, but routinely they will be. So here is the order. There will be member states' statements, and then the Director-General will reply after a bunch of speech statements. I wish to thank the delegations for their comment. We'll begin with ministers of member states. I have currently two on my list, and after they make their statements, the Director-General will make a few comments. So I begin with the Honorable John Russell, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Immigration and Labor Papua New Guinea, gentlemen of the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your elevation as a newly appointed Chairperson of the IOM Council. Your Excellency, Mr. Antonio Vittorino, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, esteemed members of the 113rd session of the IOM Council distinguished delegates from member states, observers, ladies and gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to be present here for the 113rd session of the IOM Council amongst distinguished members in this beautiful and historic city of Geneva, for which I am grateful to the Director-General of the IOM for the invitation. Warm Pacific greetings to each and every one of you from Papua New Guinea. Mr. Chairman and your Excellencies, I join as a member of this important global organization and represent Papua New Guinea in my capacity as a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister-Responsible also for Labor and Immigration to discuss in this high-level segment on the cross-cutting issues of food security, migration and displacement caused by the impacts of climate change and also conflicts that we face throughout the world. As an island nation, Papua New Guinea continues to experience the displacement of its people whose livelihoods are affected by the rise in sea levels and climate change, causing our people to flee or abandon the island homes. The impact of this forced human mobility presents complex challenges and requires adequate and appropriate responses from our government with the continued support from our international partners like the IOM and other non-government organizations. The discussions and some notable progress made at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of COP 27 in Egypt is a positive realization that we must work together to address issues of climate change and its complex challenges that face all of us. It should not remain an issue only for our smaller island nations but should be an issue to be addressed by all nations great and small. Due to our geographical location, Papua New Guinea continues to experience cross-border movements of people across our land and sea borders also, mainly as a result of conflict in other countries. Our government has always responded positively but remains challenged by its capacity to adequately respond as we are still a developing nation constrained in our abilities to respond to such situations. Chairman and Excellencies, the government and people of Papua New Guinea acknowledge the work of IOM in our country which has positively impacted the livelihoods of individuals and our communities affected by various challenges. For this I say thank you. Our government further acknowledges the work of IOM in helping to build and strengthen resilience in our communities affected by various crisis situations. As an island nation in the Pacific Ring of Fire we are prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and climate-induced disasters that daily affect our communities. Excellencies, not long ago the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly challenged the world and our country's capacity to manage our health systems and our government's ability to respond. We are persevered with the assistance of many partners and bilateral nations. Even though we survived the pandemic and responded to the best of our ability it showed a deficiency in some of our health systems and health sector. It showed weaknesses that we as a government and our bilateral partners need to work together towards improving our hospitals. This has been a target for Papua New Guinea and in the last couple of years we have commenced with construction of new hospitals and training of new health workers so that we can alleviate and provide better health care for our people and our nation. The IOM in collaboration with the Papua New Government, other NGOs and community-based organizations assisted in many ways to build resilience and help our people to recover and live normal lives again. Chairman and Excellencies, Papua New Guinea further acknowledges the ongoing cooperation with IOM in the management of spontaneous arrivals within our borders, spontaneous arrivals across our borders that do not qualify under existing special protection regimes. As referred to IOM for assistance to repatriate them through the assisted voluntary return program to resettle them in third countries. This has been working well over the years and we would like to maintain our cooperation with IOM positively. Through the counter-trafficking programs the IOM is working closely with the Papua New Guinea Government to ensure we prevent trafficking of innocent people including migrants and punish the perpetrators. Through our collaborative work we ensure the protection of regular migrants and any victims of trafficking are called a necessary protection and assistance in the spirit of the global compact on safe regular and orderly migration. The continued support and assistance by IOM to the Papua New Guinea Government institutions in specific target areas is well recognized and appreciated. We will continue to work closely with the IOM to ensure that our refugees or migrants are processed properly. There has been tremendous efforts and collaboration made in the past to build capacity in the public sector in both policy and operational areas. The Papua New Guinea Immigration and Citizenship Authority and IOM is now looking into further capacity building and collaborating in the form of establishing and operating service delivery centers at main locations throughout Papua New Guinea to better improve our client service experiences. This arrangement is now being formalized. Mr. Chairman and your Excellencies we also in Papua New Guinea face an issue of violence against women. Our government has made this a priority and we are now working together with IOM to ensure that our women folk are protected and have the place in society. Your Excellency Director General esteemed members of the 113rd session of the IOM Council distinguished delegates from Member States observers ladies and gentlemen. I would like to conclude by expressing my sincere gratitude on behalf of my government and the people of Papua New Guinea for their invitations to attend this session of the IOM Council and I pledge my government and my country's commitment to support the ongoing work of the IOM in our country and in our region in the Pacific in all areas of mutual cooperation and ensure that we continue this partnership towards the future. We look forward to receiving and implementing the relevant outcomes of the 113rd session of the IOM Council soon. God bless you all thank you. Thank you Papua New Guinea thank you very much Excellency. Now the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Broken Abbey abroad Excellency Ms. Livia Rumbaugh, Broken Abbey so you have the floor. Thank you Chair. Chair of the Council, Director General of the International Organization for Migration, dear participants Burkina Faso would like to welcome Barbados and would like to join its voice to those who have spoken before in congratulating you warmly on your election to the role of Chair of the Council of the IOM as well as to congratulate the other members of the Bureau and to wish you every success in your work. I would also like to congratulate Ambassador the Permanent Representative of Mexico the outgoing President Chair for the efficiency in which he has carried out the and led the work of the Council. For the Director General we would like to state the congratulations of the Government of Burkina Faso for his leadership where he leads an organization with such large missions and which are very complex. The full report that was presented at this Council highlights the progress made and the challenges that remain before us in the light of the unprecedented degradation of the conditions of living of millions of people throughout the world, in particular in the Sahel region that Burkina Faso is part of. As you know Burkina Faso due to its geography and its sensitive security situation has many challenges linked to migration. It is a country of transit of departure and of destination for many migrants. In the desire to respond to the more and more growing flows in the country the government set out in February 2070 a national migration strategy and that vision is consistent with that of the IOM which says that migration which is safe and orderly is beneficial to all of society. In addition in April 2019 we adopted a national reference mechanism document for migrants in transit. It's a practical guide which helps facilitate collaboration between government and non-government partners in their mission of protecting migrants transiting in Burkina Faso. These efforts show the strong commitment of my country to seize the issues linked to the management of migration on a national and international level. This is the opportunity for me to express the recognition of the government of Burkina Faso to the IOM for its assistance not only in drawing up guideline documents on the management of migration but also with their implementation in the field. Burkina Faso like its brother countries of the Sahel region suffers fully from the harmful insecurity effects which are brought about by the growing number of violent extremist groups whose actions fully go against the basic rights of the populations that are affected and destroy the efforts for sustainable development in all the countries concerned. This of course has consequences on the mobility of rural populations who are faced at the same time with food insecurity and caused by the inability to continue agricultural production. Despite the major efforts made by the government of Burkina Faso to overcome this scourge there remain many challenges to cover the management of internally displaced persons who number some two million. This context of insecurity and precariousness is also the cause of the choice to migrate to other countries given which is considered an adaptation strategy for thousands of households who face these hard realities. In the face of these difficulties Burkina Faso through its multilateral agreement framework is appealing to all countries to work on the effective implementation of the global contact on migration for safe, orderly and regular migration. The principle of common responsibility will allow the international community to more efficiently tackle the challenges of migration. Whilst the security crisis linked to the terrorist threats persists with its consequences on internal displacement I would like to take this opportunity to draw the IOM's attention to the need to intensify its action in response to the results of this phenomenon which is extremely concerning and it is by far the most significant factor in human mobility in my country. That is why I would like to insist on the need for the IOM to not lose sight of its mandate taking into account all of the factors that lead to migration and ensuring that there is protection of all migrants in particular the protection of their social economic rights. To conclude I would like to once more renew the gratitude of the government of Burkina Faso towards the IOM and the bilateral partners and their multilateral partners for the many forms of support that have been given to Burkina Faso in order to find solutions to migration challenges and the internal displacement which we see. I would like once more to repeat Burkina Faso's commitment to work along with the IOM to find efficient and effective solutions so that we can achieve sustainable human development through a coherent integrated and agreed management of migration. We also fully align ourselves with the statement that will be made by Nigeria on behalf of the African group. Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you very much. I yield the floor now to the President. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. First of all, I would like to express our honor we are to have with us the Honorable Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. I know this is your first official trip in this capacity and we appreciate very much that you have accepted coming to Geneva to the IOM Council. Papua New Guinea, as we have said, is a critical country in the Asian Pacific Islands region for all the reasons that you have mentioned. It's a country where we can see the impacts of climate change in displacement and mobility. In spite of the fact that Papua New Guinea is also the third largest rainforest country in the world, so a little bit of the hair that we breathe here in Geneva is thanks to Papua New Guinea and your remarkable biodiversity. So your voice is very authoritative when it comes to the discussions of climate change and we appreciate very much your engagement and your commitment in that respect. As you mentioned, we are from our side totally committed to support you in building capacity to better manage migration aligned with the values and the principles of the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration. We have signed today a Memorando of Understanding that will definitely leverage our bilateral cooperation to a new stage of cooperation. And as you said, we will go on engaged in the voluntary return and in the resettlement processes with the government of Papua New Guinea and as well as protecting the victims of traffic and avoiding and preventing gender-based violence fully aligned with your concerns. So we very much appreciate your presence here. Thank you. Excellency. When with regard to Burkina Faso, I've had the opportunity to say that the Sahel region is for the IOM a part of the world where we sometimes find the perfect storm, where all the reasons that cause forced migration and forced displacement are there, whether it's global warming, security crisis or development issues. And in addition, as you have said, Minister Burkina has around two million displaced, internally displaced persons, which is a significant, a very significant burden for the state. That having been said, we aim to assist you in facing up to the immediate and essential humanitarian problems of these populations and when the security situation allows it, we wish to support the internally displaced to be able to return to their regions of origin and rebuild in the future. So to conclude, Minister, we with the international community aim to really target the situation in the countries of the Sahel region to reduce the suffering of people and to work towards sustainable development. So you can continue to count on the support of the IOM. Thank you. Thank you, DG. We now move on to original groups and we begin with the European Union. It's excellent to see Mr. Thomas Wagner. You have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states, the candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and the potential candidate countries Bosch and Herzegovina and Georgia align themselves with this declaration. We thank the Director General for his statement and the update on IOM's current activities. We highly value our partnership with IOM and appreciate this opportunity to discuss organizations' work and priorities. Yet another year has passed and once again, we stand here not to celebrate our achievements but to express grave concern at the emergence of new humanitarian crisis and the terrorization of many longstanding protracted crises. On 24 February 2022, just as we were starting to recover from the pandemic, Russia's unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms, has caused the fastest ever movement of forcibly displaced persons at the EU's doorstep. From the onset of the war, the EU and its member states have been providing considerable financial and in-kind resources for the response in Ukraine and neighboring countries. We appreciate the excellent cooperation with IOM on several fronts, including supporting the protection, transit and voluntary returns and reintegration of Ukrainian citizens and third country nationals affected by the conflict in Ukraine. The EU and its member states recognize the essential work IOM is doing on the ground and will continue work with organization also in light of Ukraine's accession process to the EU. We are concerned to see that 2022 has again brought a spike in numbers of people embarking on dangerous routes managed by smugglers and traffickers. Regrettably, the journey is often and fatally, especially on the central Mediterranean route. The EU and its member states remain strongly engaged with the African Union, partner countries and relevant stakeholders such as IOM through comprehensive tailor-made and mutually beneficial partnerships and by using synergies of multilateral, regional and bilateral work. Only through a comprehensive, whole-of-route approach can we address all aspects of migration and mobility, including the root causes of forced and irregular migration, into alia by contributing to poverty reduction and improving the living conditions of populations in the relevant countries, providing legal migratory pathways in line with national competences ensuring return and sustainable reintegration while at the same time ensuring the protection of the human rights of migrants as well as addressing smuggling and trafficking and consequently saving lives. In line with this, we continue to support IOM as the lead UN agency on migration whose role is better coordination of migration-related work within the UN, notably as the coordinator and secretariat for the United Nations Network on Migration. In this vein, we would like to thank IOM for its leadership in the preparation of the International Migration Review Forum and to take note of its results, which is an example of working together on migration in a functioning rules-based multilateralism. Despite the war in Ukraine, the EU has demonstrated that our resources are not diverted or reduced from other important crises. The EU remains strongly engaged to support migrants and forcibly displace people in other parts of the world. As foreseen is the establishment of the multi-annual indicative programs 21-27 for the sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific regions and bilateral programs in key countries of origin, transit and destination. In 21, over 1.5 billion euros of EU development funding under the financial instrument Global Europe has been spent on migration and forced displacement. Mr. Chair, the extent of human suffering caused by natural disasters is a stark reminder of the devastating effect of climate change. In this respect, we commend IOM's work within its institutional strategy on migration, environment and climate change for the year 2030. The EU has mobilized more than 35% of the 100 billion global commitment for climate action, and will continue raising awareness and mainstreaming the topic in all suitable frameworks in line with its priorities and role as chair of the platform on disaster displacement. Reusing poverty goes hand in hand with food security. The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has come on top of the effects of the pandemic and of climate change-induced disasters, further destabilizing the global food markets. The worst has been avoided thanks to international cooperation and efforts, such as under the Black Sea Grade Initiative or the Food and Agricultural Resilience Mission and the Safe Crops Initiative. The EU is also responding to the current food crisis in a Team Europe approach as part of the global gateway investment in partner countries autonomy and resilience with more than 8 billion euros until 2024. Mr. Chair, as strong supporters of IOM and the collectively the EU and its member states, the biggest contributors to IOM's budgets, we welcome the adoption of the budget reform which will further strengthen IOM core budget and will contribute to making it fit for purpose to deliver on its multiple responsibilities. Here, we strongly call on the senior management to prioritize the internal justice system when allocating the budget reforms funds. During the last years, the partnership between the EU and its member states and IOM has strengthened them even further, and we remain very committed to support IOM in its important work. Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. Thank you. Now to the Gula Group, Ms. Marie-Alexandra Kostapier to deliver two statements, one on behalf of the Gula Group and the other our own country. You have the floor. Thank you very much, Chair. I'm honored to make this intervention on behalf of GULAC to express our recognition of the leadership shown by the International Organization for Migration against a complex international backdrop with impact on migration movements at the international level. GULAC expresses its appreciation for the work undertaken by the Director General, Ms. Antoine Vittorino, and for his team, and emphasizes that the joint work of all states at the multilateral level is essential for the fulfillment of the organization's mandate and offers a way to achieve sustainable results that have an impact on a robust global migration governance and to improve the living conditions of migrant populations around the world. According to the World Migration Report of 2022, the last 50 years have seen an increasing trend in the number of migrants reaching 281 million people in 2020. This reflects the fact that population movements are not a contemporary phenomenon and that they change according to the contexts, times, and socio-political conditions of countries generating new dynamics each time. International migration has been a central and in several part of the history of Latin America and the Caribbean. The region continues to be a point of origin, transit, destination, and return of migrants, and our countries have demonstrated their commitment to initiatives that promote safe, orderly, and regular migration in this context. And that is why we remain committed to coordinated work at the universal, regional, and national levels through debate and constructive dialogue as a driver that will facilitate coordination to find lasting responses to the needs of migrants under a shared responsibility approach. Latin America and the Caribbean have contributed to the global debate on migration, ensuring, mainstreaming, human rights of migrants at various regional fora. Moreover, Grulak has significantly contributed to global migration governance through the adoption of new national policies and legislation in accordance with today's dynamics of migration, as well as with a number of regional and sub-regional mechanisms that allow for the exchange of information sharing best practices and the identification of and response to common challenges. The work undertaken by IOM in particular and the UN system in general is fundamental to improve the understanding of the migration phenomenon and thereby identify effective solutions. In this regard, we support actions aimed at achieving regular, orderly, and safe migration through technical assistance from IOM, the UN migration network, and other relevant initiatives to achieve our objectives in a sustainable manner. Similarly, Grulak highlights the essential role that the private sector, academia, civil society and non-governmental organisations play in international migration as well as the importance of generating strategic partnerships. All entities involved, especially states, must join forces to address common challenges through the implementation of positive migration governance that is reflected in effective frameworks and policies with respect for human rights and with channels for dialogue and international cooperation. Finally, we are mindful that safe, orderly and regular migration is a powerful driver of sustainable development as recognised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We welcome and support the application of Barbados for membership to this organisation, becoming the 175th member state and bringing IOM even closer to universal membership. Our region reiterates its commitment to step up efforts to work together with IOM, an issue that will result in a better quality of life, not only for migrants, but for societies as a whole. Thank you very much. And now Chair, if you'll allow me, I'd like to make a statement in my national capacity. Director-General, it is a pleasure for me to participate in this new general debate of the Council with an aim to discuss the recent trends in the area of international migration. We are witnessing geopolitical changes, technological, economic and environmental changes that have generated a deep-seated impact that we cannot just address alone. Its causes and effects require national, regional and global pooled efforts. The way to achieve sustainable development and sustainable well-being, which allows us to address this impact, that is why you guys is welcome as the leadership of the IOM and the UN system, both its active role in dealing with emergencies and crises as well as its support and strengthening national structures to ensure due protection and rights of migrants. In this vein, allow me to underscore quite briefly some initiatives which, with the support of the IOM mission in Uruguay, shows our commitment of our country to continue taking measures to achieve this protection, ensuring that migrants are not discriminated against and that they have a rapid social integration. One example is the Migrant Refugee Integration Plan, which the country guarantees a safe, orderly and regular responsible migration to the country as well as council and technical training which is delivered through the National Action Plan of 2022-2024 for the prevention and combating against human trafficking and exploitation of people which is crafted by the National Council, which broadens and strengthens the protection of migrants. In this same vein, setting up a meeting place in an area of Montevideo, which works as a one-stop shop, gives centralized information and integrated and comprehensive information to migrants on their access to rights and different services throughout the country. For these and a number of other initiatives, I would like to stress that the analysis that we've had through data, through the annual displacement tracking matrix information which received has been absolutely critical. To close, I would like to step up its commitment to continue fostering opportunities for migrants, ensuring their protection and their human rights and bolstering the potential that they can bring to bear on the socioeconomic lives of the country. Of course, this is not free from challenges and that is why we underscore that coordinated action of the international community under the principle of shared responsibilities, together with open dialogue and technical cooperation that is available. These continue to be essential tools to strengthen migratory governance. Thank you very much, John. Thank you. Thank you very much. Good luck. Thank you, Chairperson. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the African group. The group congratulates His Excellency Ambassador Lancenegreire on his election as Chairperson of the Bureau and assures him of full support in the fulfilment of the mandate. The African group also commends the former Chairperson for her leadership in guiding our work during her tenure. The African group commends IOM, particularly the Director General, His Excellency Mr Antonio Vittorino and the entire leadership of the organization for their efforts. The group further commends Member States for the collective resolve to increase the financial strength of IOM towards enhancing the efficiency of the organization in fulfilment of the objectives of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. Chairperson, a number of global challenges, including but not limited to conflicts, inflation, climate change and several natural disasters, have negatively impacted national infrastructures and economies, leading to movement of several nationals for improved livelihood. These challenges present existential difficulties and threats to realization of the objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063. While expressing concern on these challenges, the group wishes to stress that a holistic approach to addressing the drivers of migration is pertinent to ensuring that human mobility is carried out in a safe, orderly and regular manner. The group acknowledges the expanding responsibility of IOM, given the complexities of migration across the world, and commends the organization for its effort in establishing and sustaining partnerships with other humanitarian and development actors to address the subject of human mobility. Migration challenges should never be addressed in isolation, and it is for this reason that the group calls for improved collaboration as we work assiduously on sustainable solutions to realize the many benefits of migration to the global economy. Migration is a time-honored practice across regions. Decidedly so, human mobility will remain a continuum many centuries from today. In view of this, it has become pertinent to highlight that IOM, as the lead organization on global migration, takes requisite measures to address the prevalent negative perception on migration across the world. Indeed, a number of African migrants have continued to experience racial profiling and discrimination, xenophobia, trafficking and other inhumane treatment, while seeking migration opportunities. It is therefore pertinent and most rational for IOM to take necessary measures to ensure that rights of migrants are protected, in lines with the aspiration of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. In this regard, it is important for IOM to partner with organizations in promoting shock-responsive social protection mechanisms for vulnerable populations affected by forced migration. Chairperson, consequent upon the agreement by member states to increase the financial contributions to IOM despite fragile economies, the group wishes to underscore that solutions preferred to address migration challenges must take due cognizance of local context in Africa. In this regard, the group recalls the Seventh Pan-African Forum on Migration held in Rwanda in October 2022 and reminds IOM of the need to align its programs to regional perspectives and policies on the impact of climate change on migration and forced displacement and the protection needs of displaced persons. Furthermore, Chairperson, the African group urges the IOM to strengthen its collaboration with member states in implementing the resolutions of the recently concluded COP 27 held in Egypt in addressing issues related to climate change and mitigating its effect. Other areas of importance and interest to Africa include data and research gaps on climate change and human mobility, accountability, adaptation, as well as resilience on climate-induced migration. Finally, Chairperson, the African group extends this warm welcome and congratulations to Barbados as the new member of IOM. The group assures the organization of its continued support in meeting the increasing needs of migrants globally. I thank you. With the Chair's permission, I will now read delivered statements in my national capacity. Thank you, Chairperson, for giving Nigeria the floor. Nigeria aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African group. At the outset, my delegation extends hearty congratulations to his Excellency Ambassador Lanson Aguirre on his election as Chairperson of the Council Bureau and assures of Nigeria's support during the tenure of this versatile ambassador and commends the past Chairperson, her Excellency Ambassador Catalina Devandes Aguila, for her commitment to the work of the Bureau. My delegation commends IOM for its continued efforts in providing global migration governance at a time where our world continues to contend with multidimensional challenges, particularly in the spheres of climate change, conflict, flooding, and several socioeconomic disparities with adverse effects on displaced persons and human mobilities across many regions of the world. So far in 2022, climate-induced occurrences in Nigeria, including droughts and unprecedented flooding in many parts of the country, has exacerbated humanitarian crisis resulting in forced migration, loss of lives and livelihoods, including damage to infrastructure and environmental degradation. In this regard, my delegation wishes to underscore the overarching need for IOM to remain a relevant and fit for purpose organization, pointedly positioned to address climate-induced displacement by providing assistance and practical solution to climate change-related migration. As a global organization on migration issues, IOM remains best suited to engage in discourse on impact of climate change on human mobility, bearing in mind the global commitment and outcome of the Climate Change Conference of the Party's COP 27, on the loss and damage fund to be set up and dedicated to addressing the adverse effect of climate change on developing countries. Chairperson, the imperative for migrants to feel safe while traveling across countries of origin, transit and destination has become more pertinent. We must therefore underline the rights of migrants and their families as a crucial mandate of IOM and a center point of the work of the organization. IOM must therefore take concrete steps to continuously engage member states on dynamic and mutually beneficial pathways that reflect ever-increasing migration needs and salience of promoting safe, orderly and regular migration. Finally, Chairperson, the rest assured that Nigeria will continue to support you in implementation of the mandate of IOM to address the needs of migrants. I thank you. And I thank you very much, Ms. Papua, my dear sister. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next on my list is Asia-Pacific Group. The Republic of Korea is excellency Sate Ho Lee will deliver statements on behalf of the group and then in its national capacity, you have the floor, Excellency. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, Director-General, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group. First of all, I would like to express our appreciation for Director-General Antonio Vittorino's overview on IOM's activities undertaken and progress made during this year. As we look back at this year, 2022, there were significant achievements we consider was highlighting. First, IOM's response to the situation in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has presented profound challenges, principally for the people of Ukraine, but also for its neighbors and across the globe. IOM has been at the forefront of the international community's response to these challenges. We commend IOM for its ability to respond with agility and flexibility to new emerging challenges, not only in Ukraine, but also in response to the devastating plodding in Pakistan and in response to the ongoing situation in Afghanistan while continuing to deliver on ordinary daily activities in support of migration management globally. Secondly, the decision we collectively took on budget reform with the adoption of Standing Committee Resolution No. 31 in June was a significant endorsement by member states of IOM's increasing relevance and value, including as the leading international organization on migration. Through adoption of this resolution, we have set a course for the progressive strengthening of the organization's core resources. In relation to this, we support the organization's flexible approach on assessed contributions, as well as the approach for the allocation of the additional budget capacity in 2023 across delivery, oversight, and advancement. Through increased investments in oversight and accountability and the progressive incorporation of chief of mission and resource management office positions into the core structure, we encourage IOM to continue to strengthen internal governance and its ability to deliver in support of member states' efforts to realize safe, orderly, and regular migration, including in countries of origin, countries in transit, and destination of migrants, as well as in developing countries. Thirdly, we commend IOM for the successful delivery of the inaugural International Migration Review Forum in May. The IMLF was an important opportunity for the international community to come together to consider the state of global migration governance. It would not have been possible without the dedication and the leadership of the United Nations Network on Migration with IOM at its core. Mr. Chair, Director General, looking ahead next year 2023 continues to present ongoing operational and reform challenges for IOM. Member states demand for IOM work is likely to continue to increase as a result of climate change, de-gestures, conflict, and socioeconomic and other crises. This Council will be entrusted to elect the organization's next Director General before the end of June. The hope and expectation of the Asia-Pacific Group would be continuously enhancing cooperation among stakeholders and ensuring efficient management and implementation of the organization's mandate, notwithstanding the forthcoming Director General election. We look forward to discussing as a Council better ways to strengthen and facilitate safe, orderly, and regular migration, including identifying global skillscapes and the portability of migrant social security entitlements as proposed by the delegation of India. We also look forward to participating in ongoing discussions regarding the organization's language requirement for staff. IOM's international staff should have geographically diverse backgrounds and nationalities so that they can contribute to IOM's valuable work in a flexible manner. The Asia-Pacific Group encourages IOM to champion inclusiveness by embracing a more diverse and competent staff. Now, Mr. Chair, with your permission, I would like to proceed to the intervention in my national capacity. Joining others, let me extend my delegations' congratulations to you on assuming the chairmanship of the Council. It is a pleasure for Korea to serve as the second vice chair of the Bureau under your able leadership. I also convey my appreciation to the outgoing chair, Ambassador Francisco Mendes of Mexico. Mr. Chair, this year the international community has witnessed an ever-growing number of displaced people and increased humanitarian needs across the globe due to various challenges ranging from conflict to climate change. The interlinked nature of the crisis calls for a more sophisticated and collaborative approach to both global mobility and humanitarian response. Despite these daunting challenges, we are pleased to note that IOM has successfully fulfilled its core mandates. First and foremost, IOM has excelled in responding to various humanitarian crises across the world, maximizing its strengths and agility and expertise on the ground. Meanwhile, the organization has never neglected its distinctive leadership role in promoting safe, orderly and regular migration. The global diaspora summit, the IOMRF and IDM have all provided us with the opportunities to reiterate our commitment as the international community to mainstream human mobility in the context of sustainable development and climate change. Building upon the outcomes of COP 27, the high-level segment which took place until this morning once again brought member states together to seek concerted efforts to attend the challenges of our times, climate change, food security, migration and displacement into new opportunities. Along with IOM's organizational growth, the Republic of Korea has been placing a growing emphasis on its cooperation with the organization. Our increased voluntary contribution to IOM's emergency responses and multi-year unearmarked funding demonstrate my government's deepening trust in the organization. I would like to encourage IOM to keep up with the good work to meet the expectations of the member states. The transparency and effectiveness of the organization, especially in accordance with its budget reform, should be ensured in order to translate the forward-looking stance of member states into benefits for people in need. The vulnerability of people in a protracted and forgotten crisis also needs to be duly addressed. Last but not least, member states and IOM should seek ways to narrow the growing funding gap in ever-challenging changing humanitarian landscape. Mr. Chair, let me conclude my remarks by reiterating the government of the Republic of Korea's strong commitment to join the efforts of IOM to carry out our shared responsibility in the years to come. I thank you, Mr. Chair. And I thank you very much for your excellency. Thank you. Thank you for the warmest support. Thanks. I have one last group statement. The Arab group will be delivered by my good friend Ambassador to His Excellency Ahmed Kamaladin on behalf of the Arab group. And the one for Egypt will be immediately delivered by Ms. Nooran Atiyah immediately after the Arab group statement. You have the floor, Excellency. Mr. President, Egypt is honored to deliver this statement on behalf of the Arab group. The Arab region plays a constructive role in promoting multilateral efforts towards effective and sustainable migration policies. As countries of origin, transit and destination, Arab states have always been keen to ensure sound migration, governance, and enhanced safety and legal migratory pathways that would contribute to the sustainable development of migrants and their host communities. In 2020, the number of migrants and refugees hosted by Arab countries amounted to 41.4 million persons, constituting nearly 15% of the world's migrant and refugees. More over 12 countries in the region hosted 14% of the world's migrant workers. These numbers are expected to rise given the intricate links between migration and displacement to deteriorating economic conditions, poverty, and political instability, climate change, among other drivers in the regions and beyond. They underscore the need to address those critical issues in a collective and holistic manner that tackles the adverse drivers of migration and takes the rights and well-being of migrants as well as their host countries into account. The Arab group welcomes the IOM activities and efforts during this challenging period, including its work in a number of humanitarian crises. We continue to support the Director General's ambitious reform agenda, intended to make the organization fit for purpose, taking into consideration its increased responsibilities following the adoption of the global compact on migration. We note the importance of continued commitment of IOM's leadership to ensuring efficiency, transparency, and accountability, including through strengthening the internal governance framework. We also welcome the outcome of the working group on IOM partnerships, governance, and organizational priorities, and the consensus that was reached on the outcome of the working group on budget reform. We hope that the new proposed budget reforms will allow the IOM to meet the increasingly complex challenges while reflecting the priorities and needs of countries in which it operates. The Arab group wishes to once more reaffirm the IOM's important role in supporting states to safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants and develop a positive discourse on migrants' contribution, which helps combat intolerance, racism, and xenophobia. The Arab group, the majority of whose members adopted the GCM in Marrakesh, reaffirms the importance of implementing the global compact on migration in accordance with national priorities. We welcome the progress declaration adopted at the International Migration Review Forum, which acknowledged the shared responsibility of states to respect each other's needs and concerns over migration, and reaffirms the importance of international cooperation to facilitate safe, orderly, and regular migration through the implementation of well-governed migration policies. The Arab group believes that well-managed migration can contribute significantly to inclusive and sustainable development in countries of origin and destination. In this context, allow us to thank the IOM for the role as coordinator of the UN Network on Migration, and to thank the Director General and the Secretariat for their important role as the leading organization in the field of migration in the UN system. Finally, the Arab group would like to recall its request to add Arabic as an official language of the organization in line with UN-wide standards and practice, especially in light of IOM's accession to the UN in 2016. With this steadily increasing cooperation between members of the Arab regional and the IOM, we look forward to ensuring equitable geographic representation and continued engagement with the region's priorities. I thank you. Thank you so very much, Excellency. Ms. Noran Atiyah, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chairperson. Egypt aligns itself with the statements delivered by the regional groups to which it belongs. The issues of migration and displacement, and the strong links to sustainable development, climate change, poverty, food security, and political instability continue to pose some of the most complex humanitarian and socio-political challenges of our time. As a country of origin, transit, and destination, we believe that migration should be addressed in a holistic and interdependent manner that puts the rights and dignity of migrants, as well as the hosting communities at the center of its endeavors. Egypt expresses its gratitude to the IOM and its staff for their tireless efforts to respond to the needs of migrants and displaced persons and promote the implementation of the global compact for migration in the midst of unprecedented global challenges and a continuing gap between humanitarian needs and financial resources. Egypt welcomes the progress made towards achieving the organization's reform objectives and the implementation of the internal governance framework. Egypt has been actively engaged in consultations pertaining to the IOM budget reforms and while recognizing the importance of the proposed reforms to enable the IOM to fulfill its ever-evolving responsibilities, we encourage the IOM to enhance its partnership with non-traditional donors and to ensure that solutions to migration challenges are reflecting the context-driven priorities and needs of the countries in which it operates. Sound migration governance is an issue of top priority for Egypt. According to the latest IOM estimates, Egypt hosts more than 9 million migrants and refugees originating from 133 countries. While this poses dire political and socioeconomic challenges for the country, we remain steadfast in our commitment to respect the rights of all migrants and refugees present on Egypt's soil, providing equal and non-discriminatory access to healthcare and education services. We also remain committed to addressing migration in a comprehensive manner. As a champion country for the implementation of the global compact for migration, Egypt believes in the critical importance for tackling and minimizing the adverse drivers that compel people to leave their countries and enhancing pathways for regular migration that will benefit countries of origin, destination, as well as the migrants themselves. Egypt took note with appreciation the discussions on the intersection between climate change, food security, migration and displacement during the high-level segment of the council. As the African co-president, Egypt welcomes efforts aimed at bridging the gap between global processes relating to migration and climate change and enhancing inclusive adaptation and resilience action to avert the adverse effects of climate change and strengthen the integration of migration and displacement issues into climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies. We welcome IOM's important engagement in COP 27 and commend its ongoing efforts to implement its institutional strategy on migration, environment and climate change. In closing, Egypt would like to renew its appreciation to the IOM's role as the leading organization on migration in the UN system and in supporting countries' efforts in addressing complex and intricate issues relating to migration and displacement in a spirit of shared responsibilities and cooperation. I thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Egypt, thank you Arab group. I now yield a plot to the various generals to make some comments. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. First of all, I would like to express my thanks to the European Union for the very strong support that we have received immediately in the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis. And I must say that that support was extremely critical and timely for us to be on the front line of the response. IOM currently is the largest UN agency inside Ukraine. We are delivering humanitarian assistance, particularly to the 6.5 million internally displaced. And we are also engaged in creating the conditions to prepare for the winter in spite of the very negative impacts of the attacks on the electric grid. But we are each time more and more focused also on creating the conditions for the reconstruction of the country. Because in fact, one of the critical movements for displaced, internally displaced people to return to the regions of origin is precisely to create the conditions for them to be able to live in those regions of origin that have been severely eaten by the conflict. And we are counting on the support of the European Union in that respect. And I would like also to emphasize that the decision taken by the European institutions to adopt the Temporary Protection Directive has been extremely relevant to deliver protection to the almost 5 million Ukrainians that have fled the country. The majority of which are women and children and elderly people, particularly vulnerable group of persons. One remark I would like to make to call your attention upon is that nowadays the critical element of the international situation is the distribution of food that is available. But we look very with eye concern about what is going to happen next year in 2023. And we might be confronted with the situation where we go from a distribution crisis to an availability crisis. The prospects of production of food for next year look very grim. And this will have definitely an impact on the functioning of the international community as a whole. And also will have impact in countries that are particularly dependent of food imports. That's why in this high level segment we try to bring together climate change, food insecurity and forced displacement because we do believe that these things need to be addressed in an integrated manner. In relation, like following the statement from Grilak I would like to highlight the very relevant contribution from countries in the region and the regional conference on migration and also at the South American conference for migration. And I'd like to really highlight this because I believe that the communication at both the conference on the relationship between climate change and forced displacement have been very important in helping with the discussions on the subject at the COP in Chamele Shake because these are regions that are being seriously affected by climate change and situations of extreme natural disasters. And this has a direct impact on displacement and movement of people. And I also wanted to stress that the situation in Latin America continues to be one where we have mobilization by the international community in particular when it comes to the situation with Venezuela and it's important that we continue with the work on receiving and registering those coming from Venezuela. And that's why I welcome the work of Uruguay to work on the integration and regularization of migrants to ensure that they can contribute to the national development of Uruguay and we'll keep working on that. And it's important that we work on the collection and analysis of migration data. I'd like to thank particularly the efforts made by the African group in joining the budget reform of IOM. We appreciate highly appreciate that effort and we expect that you will have also noticed that in the first year of the implementation of the course of the support to the core structure of the organization, Africa has been a continent that has particularly benefit from the implementation of the budget reform. I could say about Africa exactly the same thing I've just said about Latin America, the conclusions of the seven Spaniard African forum on migration that took place in Iqigali in Rwanda as well as the Kampala declaration from East and orn of Africa countries have been extremely relevant to create the conditions for the Egyptian presidency to be able to make a real breakthrough in the COP 27 when it comes to human displacement, human mobility, forced displacement and climate change. Apart that we will go on supporting the efforts of the continent in building capacity, in collecting data, particularly the three centers that the African Union has created in Raba in Bamako and in Cartoon. And we are pleased that during this year we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the African Union Commission that is coupled with an action plan for the next three years. Nigeria I would like to express my thanks for the cooperation with the government of Nigeria particularly in dealing with the very critical situation of internally displaced people and the impacts of the flooding and of the drought in the Nigerian territory and providing protection to IDPs and migrants. I want also to thank the commitment of the Asian group in the budget reform this year and I can assure you that we will go on engaged in the implementation of the internal governance reform. We expect to arrive to the current to the end of the current year with something like in between 80 and 90 percent of the three major work streams of internal reform fully accomplished and for the time being I must say that the ERP the Informatic Platform is on the right track and we take note of the remarks about the language policy as I said already in the working group and we are revisiting that issue inside the organization and the critical issue that India has raised about the portability of social security though being a very complex issue is a very critical issue to guarantee safe orderly and regular migration and we will be willing to consider the concept note that India has put forward and to introduce it in the discussion within IOM. I also want to thank the Republic of Korea for the financial contributions for different crises all over the world starting with Ukraine but also in Central and Latin America and for paying tribute to the very nature of IOM as a triple nexus organization dealing with humanitarian development and peace and security. In terms of the Arab group I would like also to reiterate that we go on pursuing a very close cooperation both with the League of Arab States as well as ESQUA and we believe that the support of the Arab group to the global compact of migration through the regional review has been essential for the success of the International Migration Review Forum and we particularly appreciate the generous support of a number of Arab countries of the Gulf in spite of the fact that those countries are not member states of the IOM but they are very much supportive of our humanitarian intervention in other geographies and to conclude I would like very much to congratulate now on its specific national capacity Egypt for the leadership of COP 27 particularly of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Shukri and I would like to emphasize that in the re-operatory of best practices of the UN migration network five of the best practices are coming precisely from our joint cooperation with Egypt. Thank you so much. Thank you DG. We now move on to member states and on my list we begin with Portugal. The Excellency Mr. Ryu Machiaro you have the floor. Thank you chair and congratulations on your assuming your new functions. And let me also warmly welcome Barbados to the IOM family. Portugal aligns with the statement delivered by the European Union. We thank the director general for his statement and update on current activities. We salute his continued commitment with the reform agenda crucial to keep a growing IOM fit for purpose. Let me reiterate our government's strong support to DG's Antonio Vitorin's bid for a second term and his leadership member states agreed on an important set of reforms first on senior management then on the budget. He is therefore particularly well placed to develop and implement what we decided on the second mandate which has been the long lasting tradition for many decades at IOM. Chair Portugal sees migration as a powerful driver for the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Historically we were a country of origin and we have a very large diaspora worldwide but over the last 50 years we became also a country of destination. We believe migrants all over the world play a vital part in their communities and provide a positive contribution both in the countries of origin and of destination. We are pleased to see that this was recognized in the progress declaration adopted by consensus at the first IOM which marked with success the completion of the first cycle of GCM implementation. As champion country Portugal remains engaged in this process. We are committed to reviewing our national implementation plan in line with the priorities of the progress declaration. The government the governance of migratory movements means establishing clear and sustainable regular migration routes tackling irregular migration and fighting human rights human trafficking networks therefore we'll continue to advocate for a multilateral approach to migration based on solidarity and human rights to consolidate the integration of immigrants and refugees in society with a humanistic approach and the simplification of procedures. This is reflected in the amendments to our law on foreign nationals which includes entirely of facilitating residents visas for digital nomads and higher education students as well as job seeking visas. To strengthen our cooperation with countries of origin and transit we have signed several bilateral labor migration agreements with key partner countries and negotiating more and finally to implement measures at the national level to promote migrant labor integration and facilitate the recognition of qualifications skills and competences. We remain engaged in engaging in providing international protection to those who choose our country to pursue their lives in safety. Since last February almost 55,000 people of different nationalities fleeing the Russian war in Ukraine arrived in Portugal under the temporary protection directive. We approved special measures including education, health and housing to protect and integrate them in our country. The already large Ukrainian diaspora in Portugal played a crucial role as well as the municipalities showcasing a whole of society and of government approach. To conclude Portugal has been making voluntary and earmarked contributions to IOM providing a much necessary flexibility to the organization. We have also contributed to the UN multi-partner trust fund and invite others to join on this effort. I thank you. Thank you. Excellent. Thank you, Portugal. I have Ecuador Deputy Permanent Representative Mr. Alexandre de Valos. You have the floor. Thank you, Chair. I would like to congratulate you on your election and you can count on our support with your work. My delegation would like to repeat Ecuador's support for the work of the IOM as well as its strong commitment to progressing towards the full implementation of the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration and in achieving all of its goals. Migrants face new and growing challenges including the increase in inequalities and vulnerabilities. Within this context it's relevant that we pay attention to the links between migration, climate change and the sustainable development goals so that we can suitably manage displacement brought about by environmental crises and that is why we support the IOM initiatives in this field. For Ecuador it has always been a priority to give sufficient assistance to persons in situations of mobility and to the host communities. We recognize that the IOM plays an ever more relevant role when it comes to cooperation and technical assistance on the subject. Ecuador is one of the three main countries receiving migrants from Venezuela in the region and we work closely with the IOM in spaces such as the Quito process and the international conference for donors in Solidarity with Migrants and Refugees from Venezuela. At the same time Ecuador has implemented a new regularization process which mainly benefits Venezuelan citizens and we have a socioeconomic element to this process so that we can ensure there is sufficient livelihoods. There is no doubt that the international community must redouble its effort to face up to the challenges and that means that we have to tackle in a suitable way global governance of migration guaranteeing the human rights dignity and security of all migrants in line with the global compact and the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. We are convinced that it is only through shared responsibilities can we which will strengthen cooperation solidarity between states be they of origin transit or host states it's only that way we can achieve the management of migration in an equal and fair way. It's also important that we continue to explore the potential offered by various alliances and cooperation mechanisms amongst states international organizations civil society and the private sector to conclude Ecuador will continue to support the work of the United Nations migration network and will insist on the importance of the trust fund for the for migration will receive a suitable contributions and sufficient contributions to finance this portfolio of projects and we will redouble our efforts on the activities within the area of the global compact. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you chair. President chair director general ambassadors colleagues so we align ourselves with the statement made by the European Union this 113th in IOM council is an opportunity to first of all welcome the role of the frontline role of the IOM and the work of their teams in helping the most vulnerable displaced population. We are holding this council once more in the context of the war in Ukraine France condemns most firmly the aggression led by Russia against Ukraine in response to this human tragedy we have hosted more than 100 000 Ukrainian and Ukrainian and schooled 20 000 children and students who have fled the war this tragedy shows the need for strong international cooperation which is coordinated and efficient in Ukraine and elsewhere because we mustn't forget other crisis it is our responsibility and our moral obligation to migrants host transit countries often these are vulnerable countries these recent years have seen an increase in diversification of migratory flows conflicts inequality including gender inequality poverty environmental disasters and the effects of climate change are all factors which worsen the current crisis and lead to ever more intense migratory flows Syria Venezuela the RC Afghanistan Sudan Sudan so many places that require our attention and our commitment within this alarming context we see active participation in achieving our joint goal of having safe orderly and regular migration that is the goal of the global compact on migration that the IOM is guaranteed of and I welcome the partner share partnerships that are ever growing between countries of origin transit and destination these are the specific expressions of it at the same time we must not forget what leads to worsening and difficulties in managing these migratory phenomena be it these dangerous and ever growing crossings be they of the Mediterranean or the channel these lead to ever greater problems and we must in particular fight against the scandal of people smugglers people traffickers by acting on against the whole chain of this criminal network this year has also been marked by the transformation of the IOM the statutory reform of statutory resources approved by the standing committee in last June has approval and support and it's important for the financial consolidation of the IOM and it's essential for our work France firmly supports your efforts director general and I would like to remind you of some of our commitments over the last three years beyond our assessed contribution our voluntary contributions have moved and increased from 7.7 million US dollars to 13.5 million euros in 2022 and that means we've moved from the 22nd to the 16th ranking in terms of state donors France also participates in financing several projects implemented by IOM in particular in Ukraine in the Horn of Africa and on the central Mediterranean route our participation in the activities of the UN network for migration and our presidents of the global forum on migration development up until December 22 23 show clearly that we are committed to this director general the major challenges we face mean that we must have a full support and continue to working together based on trust director general you can count on the resolute commitment of France which congratulates you on your candidature for reelection and we would like to share our support for you to continue working on our joint objectives at the IOM thank you thank you I now have Cuba Excellency Mr. you are Antonio Quintilla Roman you have the floor thank you chair chair director general the world migration report 2022 tells of a sustained increase in the number of migrants over recent years and the ever-growing precarious situations which forces people to migrate the number of more than 280 million migrants on an international basis shows that it is essential to deal with the structural causes of migration so it is essential that we turn around the situation of poverty inequality that affects a large part of the global population in order to find a lasting solution to this phenomenon the economic crisis which follows the pandemic international conflict and the environmental deterioration negatively impact on migratory flows and this complex situation is worsened by the policy of some states which ignoring multiliterism multilateralism and the United Nations Charter impose illegal quest unilateral measures in order to worsen the socioeconomic situation of entire populations subjecting them to a constant deterioration of their living conditions on the other hand it's extremely concerning that in developed countries irregular migration is identified as a threat to security and the sovereignty of states in this context we see a promotion of racism and xenophobia we see repression and the closing of borders at the same time that migration of highly qualified personnel is promoted which takes so it creates a brain drain for developing countries kuba repeats its commitment to the global compact for safe orderly and regular migration the challenges for kuba in the implementation of the pack are made more acute by the application and strengthening of the economic trade and financial blockade by the united states government this policy aimed at provoking disquiet amongst cubans and bringing about privation leads to a flagrant violation of the most basic human rights and stimulates irregular immigration various u.s. administrations have implemented policies which stimulate irregular migration from kuba to their country and this favors criminal activities such as illegal trafficking of my migrants these policies have been meant to high cost for human life and provoked the separation of families the current situation shows ever more the need for cooperation between states as a basis for the drawing up an implementation of migration policies that is why kuba advocates for a true multilateral cooperation in this area so the work of the iom is extremely important there and i would like to conclude by repeating to you director general and to the iom in general the support of my country in achieving the important role of the organization we appreciate the work you carried and wish you every success kuba will continue to work nationally and jointly with other countries for regular orderly and safe migration and i'd like to finish by congratulating the government of barbados on joining the organization thank you gracias excellency um i now have united republic of tanzania my good friend excellency my mona heibana tarish here you have the floor mr chair thank you for giving me this opportunity on behalf of my country tanzania and i'd like to apologize the title is the deputy permanent representative uh ambasada hoist demo my delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by nigeria on behalf of the african group in the context of the united republic of tanzania the migration environment and climate change nexus is closely linked to pastoralists livelihoods due to drought conditions limiting the amount of viable grazing land and water sources in the country this trend shows a pattern of southward migration of cattle headers and their cattle as a result of climate change and reduction of grazing land in the north west regions although pastoralists have migrated season seasonally as a method of adapting to their surroundings for a hundred years the uncertainty brought by unpredictable seasons in combination with demographic demographic change and land use change has exacerbated exacerbated the tensions between pastoralists and the rest of the society in a fight to access dwindling natural resources another relevant hazard that has been greatly impacted by climate change is a regular and increased amount of precipitation precipitation in certain parts of the country resulting in floods and displacing thousands more than 3000 people were displaced in the south southern tanzania due to floods resulting from an unprecedented amount of rain it is clear that increased human mobility is inevitable and that it should therefore be incorporated into policy and practice and utilized as an adaptive strategy over the past decade the links between migration and environment and climate change has risen into the international police agenda and have been studied by academics debated by policymakers and negotiated by state representatives in several months later of fora mr chair in july 2022 16 countries from east african cooperation and regions came together and signed the compiler ministerial declaration of migration environment and climate change in the compiler declaration the united republic of tanzania committed to strengthen climate resilience and adaptive interventions for communities living in fragile ecosystems apply indigenous knowledge into adaptation responses and integrate gender and human rights based approaches into migration climate change and environment known as mech policy this was a huge stepping stone in recognizing the importance of the mech nexus and the need for regional cooperation we welcome the study that was conducted by iom in 2021 that explored the causes impacts and relationships between pastoralist migration and climate change as well as the capacity building program for disaster risk reduction that is currently ongoing both of which were funded by iom development fund however we are still in dire need of useful data relating to pastoralist movement and flood displacement we strongly encourage and support our development partners effort including iom in their leadership of the kigoma joint program planet pillar which aims to address the mech nexus through activities such as the implementation of the transhumans tracking tool to gain a better understanding of pastoralist movement other initiatives within the kigoma joint program include conducting a normalized different vegetation index and dvi analysis to establish the extent to which climate variability and change specifically affect passenger availability and would assess change in land use and land coverage we also support initiative to conduct participatory land use planning initiatives need to address the changing demographics of resources availability to combat flood displacement in kigoma region we encourage and support iom tanzania in their efforts to implement community-based flooding mapping exercise along leg tanga nika mr chair outside the the region of kigoma we are looking forward to further cooperation with iom in our attempt to strengthen cross-border collaboration for disaster risk reduction within the sardic and the eac regions we support and appreciate efforts by iom to conducting joint stimulation joint stimulation exercise and caring our joint vulnerability and risk assessments and community-based mapping on border communities community participation and traditional knowledge need to be incorporated into all interventions to ensure sustainability and institutionalization of knowledge women and people with disabilities need to be included in forming the solutions that ultimately affect them the most without a community-based participatory approach we can never hope to strengthen resilience to climate change mr chair allow me to conclude by underscoring the imperative of international cooperation in addressing the challenges of the environment climate change and migration communities and countries that are affected need urgent help in order to mitigate the impacts but even more important to adapt to the new realities thus the united republic of tanzania calls on the international community particularly developed countries to live up to their commitments to provide the required funding for both climate mitigation and adaptation i thank you mr chair i thank you so much excellent now i yield a plot so the rest of general for some comments thank you mr chair i i start by thanking the statement by portugal and express our appreciations for the reforms that have been recently introduced in the legal framework for regular migration channels particularly the bilateral labor agreements that have been established with some countries of origin and i would like to reiterate our willingness to go on supporting those reforms as well as the resettlement and relocation activities and the support to the implementation of the temporary protection directive to the ukrainian beneficiaries para ecuador kiri for ecuador i'd just like to extend our appreciation of the work undertaken jointly with the migrant registry and their regularization this is a really important piece of work to guarantee the better can better knowledge but also to have more support geared towards migrants especially towards venezuela migrants in the country i'd also to allow myself with the delegate of ecuador stressing the importance of the donor conference for next year not only which will assist humanitarian assistance to displace venezuelans but also in terms of helping the welcome countries i'd also like to thank the delegate of the ambassador of france for his support and his personal capacity and also to underscore that france has played a critical role in the european mobilization by supporting ukrainians whether that is in ukraine or across other EU member states with the adoption of the directive that's been recently adopted i'd also like to thank the france's commitment and in particular the president macron on the climate change agenda that was addressed in charmel shake which allowed for the inclusion of the loss and damage fund and the links between climate change and forced displacement i'd also like to share the concern in the channel and the mediterranean areas also to ensure that we mustn't forget other crises that are stemming from ukraine now turning to cuba i'd like to thank them for the intervention that in collaboration with the authorities we are working on the integration of the fundamental aspects of the global compact for migration of global safe orderly regular migration together with the support of cuba we also understand that combating human trafficking whilst developing the national cuban plan on prevention and challenging and addressing human trafficking and also victim protection public of tanzania we fully share the importance of monitoring the situation of the transhumance pastoralist communities particularly in those areas where there is scarcity of natural resources notably water to avoid tensions and conflicts among the communities and we will go on from our side investing in the two idf projects in the country the rising of the water levels of lake tanga nica and the trans water disaster resilience in the somewhere river basin area thank you so much mr president thank you director general we um it's past six way above our we we still have six countries line up um we spent quite a bit of time to the um another agenda item but tomorrow we the list is shorter i may propose um maybe we break up at this point and continue tomorrow um i'm hoping the delegations who are here to do a statement is today we'll understand all right thank you there's no objection i think we'll do that tomorrow i will be assisted part of the time in chairing the general debate by my colleague the vice first vice-president of bro the ambassador of journey um i will be hovering around but she will be assisting me it's it's not i'm not thought that this is a for me has been very interesting but i do need to share with colleagues on the bureau again if with a permission i thank you so very much it has been a very interesting uh day and i'm glad we were able to do the the resolution and we have heard from all the regional groups and um many member states um the perspectives have been extremely interesting very informative and and and extremely useful uh and where i shall see you tomorrow or you may not see me but you i will see thank you very much so we we end the day