Today is International Migrants Day and migrants, NGOS and grassroots movements as well as international organisations commemorate the day when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the “International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families”. This was on December 18 1990, meaning that the 25th anniversary is approaching next year. To quite literally “step up” the so far disappointing number of ratifications of the conventions, a new initiative has been started today:
The global campaign “Step It Up: Dignity, Rights, Development” wants to “reinvigorate efforts for ratification” and encourage “all stakeholders – States parties, trade unions, employers’ organizations, civil society organizations, migrant workers and members of their families to take part in this yearlong global initiative, beginning today, 18 December 2014 to 18 December 2015.”
The center of the campaign, which is the result of a gathering of civil society organizations, trade unions and human rights advocates that trokk place in Dubai in November this year, is a new online platform that can be found here:
So far, the website provides background information, a “labour migration timeline”, a calendar of upcoming events and a section “ratification by numbers” – status today, December 18 2014:
47 States ratified the UN Migrant Workers Convention
19 States signatories
131 States taking no action….
Among the organisations behind the campaign are Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), the OHCHR Secretary of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the International Labour Organization (ILO), South Asian Regional Trade Union Council, Diplomacy Training Program, Arab Network for Migrants Rights, Solidarity Center, and Migrant Rights International.
The GFMD, Migration, Development and Human Rights 
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