United Nations, Dec 19 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for ensuring that migrants, irrespective of their legal status, are included in every country's response to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in health and vaccination programming.
"On this International Migrants Day, let us seize the opportunity of the recovery from the pandemic to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, reimagine human mobility, enable migrants to reignite economies at home and abroad and build more inclusive and resilient societies," Xinhua news agency quoted the UN chief as saying in a message on Friday.
In the midst of the global pandemic, societies have come to appreciate their dependence on migrants "who are too often invisible within our communities", said the secretary-general.
"Migrants have played an outsized role on the frontlines of responding to the crisis - from caring for the sick and elderly to ensuring food supplies during lockdowns.
"Just as migrants are integral to our societies, they should remain central to our recovery," he added.
Observed every year on December 18, the International Migrants Day was established by the UN General Assembly in December 2000, urging full respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants.
This year's theme was 'Reimagining Human Mobility'.
( With inputs from IANS )
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