A/HRC/38/41 7. In three working visits to Geneva and one to New York, the Special Rapporteur held initial consultations with multiple stakeholders relevant to his mandate, including the cofacilitators of the global compact, the co-chairs of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, representatives of OHCHR, the International Organization on Migration (IOM), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, special procedure mandate holders, ambassadors, academics and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. 8. During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur sent 30 joint communications (see A/HRC/37/80). He also issued several press releases on the situation of migrants in Israel, Libya and the United States of America, and on, inter alia, the international days of migrants and against racism, prior to the stocktaking conference in Puerto Vallarta. III. Study on the return and reintegration of migrants A. Introduction 9. In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the return of migrants to the detriment of other migration policy options, such as regularization, social inclusion or the expansion of regular pathways. In general, the political sensitivity of irregular migration and the increasing securitization and criminalization of cross-border movements of people outweigh the actual scope and impact of irregular migration. 2 In this context, the proliferation of readmission agreements is an issue of concern. Under the broad auspices of more efficient and effective migration management, States increasingly conduct push and pull-back operations and adopt bilateral and regional readmission agreements. Furthermore, countries of origin and third countries with weak rule of law and poor asylum systems continue to turn back migrants, counter to international human rights norms and standards, which include the prohibition of collective expulsions and the principle of non-refoulement. 10. Returns are often not desirable or even feasible options for migration management. Return efforts are expensive, difficult to implement and problematic to carry out in accordance with human rights law. Moreover, if return programmes are not coupled with robust reintegration programmes, and where root causes for irregular migration persist, migrants, including those previously returned, would still undertake perilous journeys (A/72/643, para. 39). 11. In his 2035 agenda for facilitating human mobility, the previous mandate holder proposed eight mobility goals, inter alia, goal 3, on ensuring respect for human rights at border controls, including return, readmission and post-return monitoring, and establishing accountability mechanisms (A/72/643, para. 40). 12. In his study, the Special Rapporteur examines current return and reintegration practices, their compliance with international human rights norms and standards, and their impact on the human rights of migrants, including migrants with particular protection needs. He also makes recommendations on ensuring that returns are conducted in safety, with regard to dignity and respect for human rights, on the basis of the primacy of voluntary returns, cooperation between countries of origin and reception, and enhanced reception and sustainable reintegration assistance for those who are returned. 13. The study was informed by submissions from international organizations and nongovernmental organizations, and contributions from international experts. The Special Rapporteur also participated, on 6 March 2018, in an expert meeting on protecting the 2 4 Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), submission to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, April 2013.