A/HRC/56/54 bolster workforces, pay taxes and invigorate consumer markets. Their remittances are a financial lifeline for low- and middle-income countries. Diaspora bonds offer countries a way to fund development projects while supporting origin countries’ economies. 112. Migrants’ continued contributions and the enormous benefits that they bring are clear. Nevertheless, several factors have enabled a shift in societal perceptions of migrants. Once viewed as a positive economic and social force, migrants are now increasingly viewed as a security threat that must be controlled. Concurrently, many countries have adopted selective immigration policies, cementing a divisive view of “desirable” and “undesirable” migrants and creating gross inequalities in terms of access to regular migration, with people in lower-income countries, in particular African countries, most severely restricted in their access to the benefits of migration and their ability to contribute as migrants around the world. This exacerbates inequalities. 113. The narratives that have subsequently emerged, particularly surrounding migrants in irregular situations and asylum-seekers, have become hostile, dehumanizing and criminalizing. Political figures and influencers exploit economic anxieties, incorrectly attributing job losses or lower wages to migration, despite evidence suggesting the opposite. During economic slumps, it is easy, yet erroneous and destructive, to scapegoat migrants. To do so deflects from genuine societal issues that require informed policy responses. 114. The troubling rise in far-right disinformation attacks often peaks before national elections and around migration-specific events. These malicious attacks against migrants and societal cohesion must stop. 115. Despite the potential that migrants have to enrich societies, they face multiple barriers and human rights violations and, often, discrimination and xenophobia. Those in irregular situations are frequently exposed to rights violations, abuse and exploitation, inadequate working conditions, lack of social and health-care services and squalid detention conditions. The rights enjoyed by temporary workers play a significant role in ensuring their access to housing, food, health care, social security, family life and freedom of association. Asylum-seekers and refugees frequently arrive with trauma and injuries, impairing their full participation in host countries. Legal complexities and slow bureaucratic processes often obstruct their path to regular status. 116. Migrants often encounter significant obstacles in the labour market and substandard working conditions, despite filling essential labour shortages. Difficulties in securing or renewing work permits often drive them into irregular situations, unemployment or the informal economy, heightening the risk of exploitation. The lack of recognition of foreign qualifications and skills often prevents migrants from working in the fields in which they were trained. Migrants face considerable legal and practical obstacles to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, as well as to social protections and economic, social and cultural rights more broadly. 117. Governments and civil society actors submitted information on initiatives that support migrants’ contributions. The key focus areas include safeguarding migrants’ human and labour rights, regardless of their status, through: anti-discrimination laws and initiatives; strategies to curtail debt-financed migration, including anti-trafficking legislation; incorporation of international labour standards; empowering migrants by ensuring freedom of association and collective bargaining, and participation in policymaking; and guaranteeing migrants’ access to legal remedies for human rights violations. Additional efforts include expanding regular pathways and regularization programmes; legislation and initiatives aimed at migrant integration; and grass-roots projects, supported by civil society and the private sector. 118. Supporting an evidence-based narrative on migration is crucial for upholding migrants’ rights and ensuring that their contributions are acknowledged and valued. Personal testimonies play a significant role, and narratives rooted in values such as family, freedom and fairness are more effective in connecting with the public. Although social media has served to fuel disinformation on migration, it can also serve as a GE.24-07075 19