Past and Present: The ongoing endeavour for migrants rights
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			The Section on International Migration and Multicultural Policies of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme identified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (hereinafter called the MWC) as central to the ongoing mission of MOST. The rights that are guaranteed in the MWC are an important step in the recognition of truly universal rights. These rights have to become reality to make sure that dignity, justice and social security are guaranteed for all people living in a country that is not the country of their origin. In this perspective, multicultural societies should become - or remain - places of equal rights for everyone. Currently, the issue of international migration is in the center of national political and also international attention. The UN and several UN Agencies try to contribute to more respect for the rights of migrants. Closing borders will neither stop the need nor the motivation to leave a country. This is why we encourage you to follow up the ongoing struggle for the protection of migrants rights, their legal status and hence the problem of their integration and related xenophobia. We have thus listed a brief survey of the ongoing international activities (conferences, discussion papers, political meetings) to provide an overview of the current political context in which UNESCO tries to promote the ratification of the MWC. 7th CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR MIGRATION AFFAIRS, Programme On Migrants & Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia: Durban Declaration & Programme of Action Inter-Agency document on "International Migration, Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia", prepared by ILO, IOM and OHCHR UNESCO against Racism, prepared for Durban Document 164EX/16 in regard to the follow-up to the Durban Conference, discussed and adopted by the 164th session of UNESCO's Executive Board in May 2002 On the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity The final version adopted by the 31st General Conference of UNESCO in November 2001 On the MWC: In February 2002, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 56/145 on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to remind States of the urgent importance to ratify the Convention. UN Convention on Migrants' Rights Fact sheet prepared by OHCHR Reports prepared by the Intergovernmental Working Group and presented at the Human Rights Commission: Report of the working group of intergovernmental experts on the human rights of migrants (1998) Report of the working group of intergovernmental experts on the human rights of migrants (1999) Working paper prepared by the Chairman/Rapporteur of the working group of intergovernmental experts on the human rights of migrants (1998) To obtain the full texts of the most important standard setting legal instruments in the field of the general protection of universal rights and in the field of the specific protection of migrants rights, please refer to our full text section.
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