Human mobility can be part of the solution to the economic and social recovery from the COVID- 19 pandemic if the movement of people takes place in a safe, coordinated and inclusive manner. As noted in the United Nations Secretary-General’s policy brief on COVID-19 and People on the Move, the COVID-19 crisis presents the international community with an opportunity to rethink human mobility for the benefit of all and to recover better through the socioeconomic inclusion of people on the move, making use of their skills and positive contributions to societies. According to the Secretary-General, there are four principles to advancing safe and inclusive human mobility during and after the pandemic: a) exclusion is costly in the long run whereas inclusion pays off for everyone; b) responding to the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the human rights of people on the move are not mutually exclusive; c) no-one is safe until everyone is safe; and d) people on the move are part of the solution. This session will provide an opportunity to exchange views on the implications for and the future of migrants and human mobility during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.

Speakers:

• Malek Deng Dau Deng, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, South Sudan
• Cláudia Pereira, Secretary of State for Integration and Migration, Portugal Ahmed M Saleheen, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bangladesh
• Stefano Sannino, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues at the European External Action Service of the European Union