Statement by 23 EU Member States – UN General Assembly: Zero draft of the IMRF Progress Declaration

Statement by 23 EU Member States - UN General Assembly: Zero draft of the IMRF Progress Declaration

23 March 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of 23 European Union Member States delivered by Sweden at the UN General Assembly: General comments on the zero draft of the International Migration Review Forum Progress Declaration

I have the honour to speak on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden which are Member States of the European Union, bearing in mind that not all of them are participating in the GCM.

We would like to thank the co-facilitators for the zero draft, which is well-structured, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of the GCM. We are committed to engage in the negotiations constructively and in the spirit of cooperation.

While underlining some needed changes, we welcome the references to:

• strengthened international cooperation and balanced migration governance

• Human-rights-based approach and assistance to migrants in vulnerable situations, including women, children and persons with disabilities.

• coordinated approaches to safe and dignified return, readmission and sustainable reintegration. The obligation under the international law to readmit own nationals should be acknowledged and the role of effective return and readmission, including non-voluntary return, as an essential component of migration governance - more clearly reflected.

• strengthening cooperation to prevent migrants from going missing and to address cases of missing migrants.

• social cohesion, access to services for regular migrants and diaspora engagement as well as the whole-of-government approach.

• regular pathways, including labour and education mobility, and skills development. However, it should be clearly acknowledged that regular pathways are developed in accordance with national legislation, labour market needs and national competences.

• evidence-based policymaking and national capacity-building for data collection.

We would, however, see a need to more explicitly reaffirm that the GCM is non-legally binding and ensure that the reference to the sovereign right of States to control their borders is complemented with a reference to the rights of States to formulate migration policies in accordance with their national legislation and international obligations, while respecting the human rights of all migrants.

It is important to preserve the 360-degree vision of migration management and the guiding principles of the GCM. We also strongly encourage further strengthening the language on combatting migrant smuggling and trafficking networks and preventing irregular migration, as well as ensuring effective return and sustainable reintegration as key elements of credible migration systems.

We must continue to address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement, including conflict, poverty, human rights abuses, climate change and instability

Furthermore, we encourage the inclusion of a reference to effective migration diplomacy that focuses on strengthening cooperation between countries of origin and transit, within a whole-of-government approach to migration. This approach integrates migration-related objectives, such as effective return, into other policy areas, including development and trade.

Reference should be further made to the need to address abuses of asylum procedures, in full respect of international legal obligations. We stress the importance of including more references to Objective 3, "Provide accurate and timely information at all stages of migration", including on multi-lingual, gender-responsive, accessible and evidence-based information campaigns in order to promote safe, orderly and regular migration, as well as to highlight the risks of irregular migration and providing reliable information to counter false narratives promoted by criminal networks.

We would like the text to highlight the shared responsibilities of all actors, including countries of destination, transit and origin, and operational cooperation along migration routes, including through comprehensive and mutually beneficial migration partnerships, the joint exploration of new ways to prevent and counter irregular migration and a whole-of-route approach.

We would encourage inclusion of references to objective 4, 'legal identity and documentation' and maintaining a clear distinction between regular and irregular migratory status throughout the text, while preserving human rights for all.

We would encourage more references to Objective 16: Empower Migrants and Societies to Realize Full Inclusion and Social Cohesion.

Finally, the Progress Declaration should remain focused on practical implementation and concrete results.