Strasbourg, 15/02/11 – "Protecting the human rights of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees while managing migration flows is one of the greatest challenges which Europe currently faces. A sustainable policy to address these challenges should entail a more humane approach to the need to protect migrants and foster integration" said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, announcing a Seminar on the "Human rights dimensions of migration in Europe".
The Seminar is organised in Istanbul on 17-18 February by the Commissioner and the Turkish Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. The aim is to exchange views on the most important discrepancies between European migration laws and practices and human rights standards, as well as on optimal ways to provide assistance to states in reflecting on and revisiting their migration policies.
Representatives from Council of Europe member states, migration experts from intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations and academics will discuss topics such as the general human rights challenges of migration in Europe, the protection of unaccompanied migrant children and measures to combat smuggling. The opening session of the Seminar is open to the press.
The respect of migrants' rights and the ways in which states manage migration flows have been among the main fields of action of the Commissioner. On the occasion of the Seminar, a page dedicated to this topic has been launched on the Commissioner's website. It contains all the documents published by the Commissioner in relation to the human rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The page is regularly updated.