His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Minh Vu - Assistant-Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Distinguished participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the International Organization for Migration – IOM, it is my pleasure to jointly open this conference today with Assistant Minister Nguyen Minh Vu.

I would like to welcome all delegates today who are joining us in the meeting room and online, to discuss and review the implementation of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) of Viet Nam. 

Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen

According to the World Migration Report this year, the estimated number of international migrants has increased over the past five decades. Currently, approximately 281 million people are international migrants living in a country other than their country of birth. Every year, people migrate for various reasons, many for better economic opportunities, but also due to devastating impacts of conflicts, diseases, disasters, and climate change that force them to migrate.

As you know, COVID-19 has brought to light the essential role that migrants play to our society and our economic, but also that they are one of the most vulnerable groups. Many countries now recognize that as we build back better from COVID-19, we must strengthen our efforts to ensure migration take place in safe and regular manners and migrants are properly protected and assisted.

Migrant’s safety and well-being will not be fully ensured until a voluntary, strong and comprehensive cooperation toward migration is uphold by all relevant actors. And in that way, as the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement, covering all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner, the GCM has been rolled out since December 2018.

The GCM is an effective tool for States to discuss how best to address challenges to human mobility without compromising the human rights of people and states’ sovereignty.

By actively contributing to the development process of the GCM and the adoption of the GCM’s National Implementation Plan, Viet Nam has demonstrated its strong commitment in promoting the common understanding, shared responsibilities and unity of purpose regarding migration, “making it work for all”.  Furthermore, Viet Nam’s Voluntary Review on GCM’s implementation presented at the Asia-Pacific Regional Review meeting in March 2021 and its participation in the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) at the UN HQs in New York, USA in May this year give a good picture of what has been done in Viet Nam in relation to international migration and the government’s efforts achieving its objectives of the National Implementation Plan.

Viet Nam’s participation in these two events is also viewed as part of a process of multilateral engagement and international cooperation on migration that helps identify challenges, opportunities, and emerging issues related to the implementation of the GCM, especially in the context of post Covid-19 pandemic.

In the past years, IOM is proud to partner with many Viet Nam Government agencies to ensure we are better placed to respond to growing challenges facing migrants. Well-managed migration allows states and individuals to maximize the benefits and potential of human mobility.

It is the time to look back and reflect the outcomes of the GCM implementation under the National Implementation Plan, draw good practices, identify challenges and areas for improvement, and discuss area of priority for the next cycle.

I believe that, with the same spirit demonstrated during the last two years, Viet Nam will continue to be active and effective in the next cycle of the GCM implementation. And that very earnest effort is being reflected through the great presence of so many of you here today.

In closing, I would like to wish you a very fruitful workshop filled with the spirit of sharing, listening, and constructively responding.

Thank you.