A/58/275
(e) From 7 to 12 April 2003, the Special Rapporteur travelled to Geneva to
present her report (E/CN.4/2003/85 and Add.1-4) to the fifty-ninth session of the
Commission on Human Rights. She also held consultations with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR staff and other relevant actors,
including representatives of IOM, ILO, migrant groups and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), as well as government representatives. The Special
Rapporteur’s main report focused on the issue of administrative detention of
migrants, while the addenda were devoted respectively to communications to and
from Governments and her visits to Mexico, the border between Mexico and the
United States of America and the Philippines;
(f) From 6 to 9 May 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in the second
Regional Workshop on Counter-Trafficking and Human Rights, organized by IOM
and others in Bogota. The seminar was attended by academics and representatives of
Governments, Latin American, North American, European and Asian NGOs and
media from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Thailand and the United
States. The meeting’s objective was to define clearly, according to international
standards, the concepts of trafficking and smuggling, acknowledging the links
between the two phenomena. During the meeting the Special Rapporteur briefed
participants on the provisions of the International Convention on the Protection of
the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and its relevance
vis-à-vis the vulnerability of many migrants;
(g) From 7 to 9 May 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in the first
Continental Meeting on Globalization, Migration and Refuge (I° Encuentro
Continental Sobre Globalización, Migración y Refugio) organized by the Latin
American Council of Bishops, also held in Bogota. The meeting discussed the
impact of globalization on migration and asylum in the Americas and provided an
opportunity for an exchange of experiences on how the Catholic Church, in
cooperation with civil society, could assist in improving the quality of life of
migrants and refugees;
(h) From 26 to 30 May 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in the
seventh meeting of the Regional Conference on Migration — also known as Puebla
Process — which was held in Cancún, Mexico. The Conference is a regional forum
for dialogue and discussion on the phenomenon of migration in North and Central
America;
(i) From 23 to 28 June 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in the
annual meeting of special rapporteurs of the Commission on Human Rights in
Geneva;
(j) On 1 July 2003, she participated in an event to celebrate the entry into
force of the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families;
(k) On 2 and 3 July 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in the Berne
Initiative consultations on an international agenda for migration management;
(l) On 10 July 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in a meeting with
the experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) organized by the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) in New York;
7