A/HRC/32/40
I. Introduction
1.
The present report is being submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution
17/12. It briefly outlines the activities of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of
migrants from 1 April 2015 to 19 April 2016. The thematic section is dedicated to bilateral
and multilateral trade agreements and their impact on the human rights of migrants.
II. Activities carried out by the Special Rapporteur
A.
Participation in consultations and conferences
2.
The Special Rapporteur was consulted by the Special Adviser on the Summit on
Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants and provided oral and written
input towards the development of her report on that issue.
3.
The Special Rapporteur also participated and contributed to a number of
international and regional dialogues and conferences, including a meeting of the
Department of Economic and Social Affairs on international migration and a consultation
among international organizations organized by the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) in the framework of the Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative.
B.
Country visits
4.
Owing to the continued arrival of unprecedented numbers of irregular migrants to
European borders, the Special Rapporteur has remained engaged in the issue. He visited
Brussels in June 2015 to meet with representatives of European Union institutions and
debrief them on the findings contained in his report on European Union border management
(A/HRC/29/36). He provided suggestions on key European Union policy documents, such
as the European Agenda on Migration and the report of the European Parliament
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on the situation in the
Mediterranean and the need for a holistic European Union approach to migration. He also
briefed the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights of Italy and the European
Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights.
5.
The Special Rapporteur’s visit to Australia in October 2015 was postponed to
November 2016. He has reiterated his request to visit Nauru and looks forward to receiving
a response and confirmation of the dates for a visit in November 2016. The Special
Rapporteur looks forward to his visits to Angola and Greece in May 2016.
III. Impact of bilateral and multilateral trade on the human
rights of migrants
A.
Background
6.
The precarious status and widespread exploitation of migrants, particularly lowwage workers, continues to be a matter of ongoing concern for the Special Rapporteur. As
increasing attention has been given to the relationship between free trade and bilateral and
multilateral investment agreements on human rights generally, the Special Rapporteur seeks
to examine more closely the impact of trade on the human rights of migrants.
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