The United Nations General Assembly, on 18 December 1990, adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The convention is a United Nations multilateral treaty governing the protection of migrant workers and families.
The United Nations, through the UN-related agency International Organization for Migration (IOM), uses International Migrants Day to highlight the contributions made by the roughly 272 million migrants, including more than 41 million internally displaced persons and the challenges they face.
This global event, supported by events organized by IOM's nearly 500 country offices and sub-offices as well as governmental, international and domestic civil society partners examines a wide range of migration themes, Social Cohesion, Dignity, Exploitation, Solidarity to advocate for migration guided by the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.
2022: the year of migrant conflict
Afghanistan: The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, and the events leading up to the change of regime, intensified instability and violence in Afghanistan – causing even more human suffering and displacement. Today, more than 6 million Afghans have been driven out of their homes or their country by conflict, violence and poverty, the UN refugee forum has said.
Ukraine: In October 2022, the UN listed 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, including 2.85 million in Russia—many of the latter were sent there by Russian occupiers and were subjected to a “filtration” process with credible reports of war crimes emerging, including evidence of executions and torture. Some 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees have registered for the EU’s temporary protection scheme or other national programs