Special Day for Migrants: Nearly 300 million people in the world are migrants

The number of migrants worldwide is estimated at 300 million, according to the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Moving from one country to another and remaining in constant transit is a human right.

Among these 300 million migrants, many have left their homes in search of better economic opportunities, family reunification, and study; However, another group moves or flees their home countries out of necessity due to conflicts, political persecution, abuses, terrorism, human rights violations, natural disasters and other reasons.

This group of people represents 3.5% of the world’s population. Women represent 48% of the migrant population, and almost three in four migrants are between the ages of 20 and 64, but the very relevant fact is that 41 million are under 20 years old.

The Inter-Agency Coordination Program for Refugees and Migrants in Venezuela identifies that 7,722,579 Venezuelans have left their country, including 6,538,756 living in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Of the more than seven million people, 4,485,470 have regular residency and residence permits in host countries, 1,184,889 have pending asylum applications received by national authorities, and only 300,759 Venezuelan people have been recognized as refugees by receiving countries.

Migrants are more vulnerable, more likely to suffer from limited access to basic needs such as health, and tend to face stigma. According to the International Organization for Migration, workers obtain temporary and informal jobs or without any kind of protection, which exposes them to greater risks.

The UN specifies: “Migrants have proven to be a source of prosperity, innovation and sustainable development for countries of origin, transit and host countries. “Your financial contributions through remittances provide a lifeline to families and stimulate local markets, especially those in low- and middle-income countries.”

A person who has changed their country of residence is defined as an international migrant, according to the United Nations. This concept includes all migrants regardless of their legal status or reasons for their movement.

For the United Nations, the contribution of migrants to host countries is fundamental. The goals of the 2023 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognize the inclusive growth of this population and the Agenda’s core principle of “leaving no one behind,” and migrants are included in this group.

The specific objectives are: “to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and movement of people, including through the application of well-planned and managed migration policies.”

Migrants Day is celebrated on December 18 every year, after the General Assembly declared December 4, 2000 as World Migrants Day, in view of the increasing migration flows in the world.

However, ten years earlier, on the same day in 1990, the Assembly had already adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

The countries that make up the gathering, including governmental and non-governmental organizations, are working today to disseminate information about the rights, freedoms and experiences of these people in the host countries.