Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena calls for dialogue on human mobility and presents Mexican Model of Human Mobility at the UN

Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena calls for dialogue on human mobility and presents Mexican Model of Human Mobility at the UN

• She reaffirms Mexico's commitment to a comprehensive approach to human mobility to ensure that migration is safe, orderly, regular, and humane
• Mexico is working to improve its conditions as a country of origin, transit, destination, and return for irregular migration through development cooperation and by expanding labor mobility pathways
• Foreign Secretary Bárcena was joined in the dialogue by the Foreign Secretaries of Honduras and Colombia, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration

During the high-level week of the 79th United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena presented the Mexican Model of Human Mobility at an event titled "A Dialogue on Human Mobility in the Americas with the UN System."

In her remarks, Foreign Secretary Bárcena said, "Human mobility has become a top priority worldwide. We are experiencing unprecedented levels of migration, and we want to show that this region, the Americas, has made enormous efforts to advance towards safe, orderly, regular, and humane human mobility."

She added, "Migration is a phenomenon, not a problem, and migrants are people striving to improve their future through work." Addressing an audience of government representatives, international organizations, and civil society, she emphasized, "What we want is to ensure that migration is a choice and not an obligation."

The event renewed calls for enhanced multilateral cooperation and continued exchange of best practices among regional countries and UN agencies to improve migration governance in the Americas. Effective collaboration between regional governments, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is essential for a comprehensive response to migrant and refugee challenges. This joint effort enables countries to tackle migration's root causes, enhance human rights protections, and expand safe, orderly pathways for labor mobility.

This approach to migration takes a regional-hemispheric view. The Secretary outlined the Model's four action pillars: regularization and empowerment of Mexican communities abroad; addressing the root causes of migration through cooperation and mitigating external pressures; safe, orderly, and regular pathways for labor mobility; and coordinated actions for the humanitarian management of irregular migration.

Secretary Bárcena emphasized, "The model embodies Mexican Humanism as envisioned by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It's based on the principles of fraternity and solidarity, centering on the needs and wellbeing of all individuals."

Andrew Seele, President of the Migration Policy Institute, moderated the meeting. Speakers included Foreign Secretary Enrique Reina of Honduras, Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo of Colombia, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío of Cuba, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, and IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels. The event also drew representatives from other countries, along with business leaders, academics, and civil society partners working to enhance migration management.

By presenting the Mexican Model of Human Mobility, the Government of Mexico reaffirmed its commitment to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees. The meeting also served as an opportunity to advocate for stronger international cooperation on migration.