Press Play on the video below to see and hear Ambassador Swing's statement in advance of the World Humanitarian Summit.
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Words are the most precious things we have. We've been using them pretty appallingly of late, creating a world where people are castigated for trying to get their families out of the way of falling bombs. Where chasing your dream has become a nightmarish navigation of insults and abuse.
Any attempts to ameliorate, to placate and to try to find a more inclusive, tolerant world are met with disdain and distrust. "It’s all been tried before," say the naysayers. “We need action, not words.”
Yes, there is a lot of talk of walls and fences going up again. The message to migrants is clear: You are not welcome.
Does it have to be thus? Words are powerful – mightier than swords. My long career has taught me that iconic moments like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of Apartheid, and peace in the Balkans are slow and incremental in coming. They may appear to race up to us and be a moment in history as they recede but in fact they were years in the making. The process becomes the substance.
That is my hope for the World Humanitarian Summit. While the international community is, understandably, approaching the upcoming Summit with realistic expectations, I do know that the millions of words spoken in Istanbul will mark a shift in our world. It may be imperceptible at first, but the dialogue we create and sustain will open new avenues, change our direction, or keep us on steady courses.
"Conflict and natural disasters, climate change, a deepening imbalance between the rich and the poor, new and re-emerging diseases are combining to put many more millions of people on a journey not of their own making."
We must hold firm to what is working and remedy what is not. Conflict and natural disasters, climate change, a deepening imbalance between the rich and the poor, new and re-emerging diseases are combining to put many more millions of people on a journey not of their own making, in addition to the millions who move for work, for family or for adventure.
Everyone, regardless of their background, skin color, language, education, gender or status needs has a right to the same opportunities. No one must be left behind; no new inequalities should be created on top of injustices suffered.
Migrants are the most determined and driven people you will ever meet. The venomous "they don't want to work" couldn’t be further from the truth: remittance flows to developing countries are expected to reach $459 billion this year according to the World Bank, and 'diaspora savings', those held in their destination countries, were estimated at $497 billion in 2013.
The associated comment “coming over there, taking our jobs” is equally fallacious – Migrants stimulate demand, they bring knowledge, skills and services; yes, migrants create jobs!
So we need to keep talking about migrants and to migrants. Face to face. That blows away stigma and inspires trust. But we need also to understand migrants and migration. We have the tools now to investigate, analyze and predict as never before. Let's use those analytics to dissect the big data migration presents us to improve our immediate responses and our planning for the future.
Migration isn't a problem, it is a challenge. And a solution. Migration is humanity’s oldest, time-trusted coping strategy. It is time for the world to seize the opportunity it has been presented and harness this entrepreneurial, creative and renewal human resource for the betterment of all.
"Everyone, regardless of their background, skin color, language, education, gender or status needs has a right to the same opportunities. No one must be left behind; no new inequalities should be created on top of injustices suffered."
William Lacy Swing, DG IOM
