UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION
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President of the General Assembly, Secretary-General, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Four years ago, in Marrakesh, the United Arab Emirates joined Member States from around the world in committing to the Global Compact – an aspiration to strengthen the protection of migrants; and to improve the outcomes of migration.
We are honoured to be joining you again today, to reaffirm our commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration, and to highlight the progress that has been made in those four intervening years.
As a nation, we believe that migration should be a choice, not a necessity driven by poverty, or war, or climate change. That everyone should be able to fulfil their dreams of a better life and a decent job in their country of origin, that, in a global community, migration creates joint responsibilities, and that cooperation is the only lasting solution to its challenges.
The UAE is proud to be host to the sixth largest migrant population in the world.
For millions of people from every background, at every skill level, we are a second home, offering the stability and job opportunities that we all need to flourish.
Today, we are among the most diverse nations on earth.
As a result, our residents have turned the UAE into a remittance superpower, with forty-three billion dollars earned annually in the UAE helping sustain communities around the world.
Because migration is so closely integrated with our national development, the UAE has taken a lead in pioneering new approaches to the governance of migration.
Just last month, the Cabinet approved significant changes to create new visa categories, strengthen laws on entry, and enhance the residency rights of migrants.
During our Chairmanship of the GFMD in 2020, we introduced, for the first time, discussion of the impact of the future of work on migrants – and have championed a human-centric approach.
And as host of COP 28, we will ensure that understanding the links between climate change and migration remains high on the agenda.
But today we join you in recognising that more needs to be done, nationally, regionally and globally, and in committing to further action to uphold the value and dignity of migrants and their families.
We will continue to put data at the forefront of our labour and migration policy development; to reduce irregular migration by taking action to meet the Sustainable Development Goals; and to fight the evils of human trafficking and people smuggling.
In the aftermath of the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will work towards a more inclusive and collaborative world, including by promoting faster, more secure and cost-effective remittance transfers, which have been a lifeline for migrant communities.
We will pay particular attention to the needs of children and young migrants; and we will promote initiatives that are gender-responsive.
And, as Permanent Secretariat of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, we will continue to support other Member States’ implementation of the GCM and to advocate for the role of regional and global processes in building trust and establishing the partnerships that drive development.
We believe that, to be successful, the Global Compact must remain an aspiration for all.
Nonetheless, I am confident that the UAE has achieved a great deal in the last four years, and I would like to pay tribute to the Compact in helping to guide the way.
Allow me to conclude by congratulating the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Migration Network and IOM for their successful organisation of this International Forum.
We look forward to seeing you here again in 2026.
Thank you.