India adopts 'holistic' approach to migration governance: Minister at UN

India has adopted a "holistic approach" to migration governance that places the welfare, protection and empowerment of emigrants at its core, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has said.

Addressing a special event organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN on Thursday on the margins of the second International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), Singh highlighted India's "pioneering" digital initiative aimed at facilitating mobility and protection of its migrants.

"The Indian migration story is both vast and dynamic. We have a diaspora of over 34 million people spread all across the globe, encompassing more than 200 countries, and our global community has served to connect economies, cultures and ideas through many centuries," he said.

 

Singh said the contribution of the Indian diaspora through remittances, investments and knowledge exchange continues to play a vital role not only in India's development but also in the countries they've integrated in.

"Over the years, India has adopted a holistic approach to migration governance - one that places the welfare, protection and empowerment of emigrants at its core," he said.

"This approach recognises that migration is not merely a movement of the people, but it is a continuum that spans pre-departure preparation, safe transit, dignified employment and eventual return and reintegration back in our societies," he added.

Singh shared with the UN audience and member states India's "pioneering initiative" of the 'e-Migrate' platform, highlighting ways in which the country is harnessing the power of digital innovation.

He added that the e-Migrate mobile application allows users easy access to major services available on the portal, which includes tracking of application status, obtaining a list of registered and as well as blacklisted recruitment agents and filing of grievances.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said the IMRF gathering is happening at a time when "migration and migrants have become a politically contested terrain".

Parvathaneni said that India is "firmly committed" to legal and regular migration pathways.

"With an Indian diaspora of 34 million spread almost in all parts of the world, we have a firm and vital interest in ensuring regular migration pathways are encouraged, solidified and strengthened.

"Yet we are also very clear that the distinction between migrants and refugees should be very, very clear," Parvathaneni said.

The envoy also highlighted the use of the India digital stack to develop practical solutions for migrants at population scale and conveyed India's readiness to assist other nations and partners in adopting such open-source digital platforms for migrant welfare and management.  MoS for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh meets UN Chief Antonio Guterres

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has held a "productive meeting" with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Singh, who is here for the second International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) currently underway here, met Guterres on Thursday at the UN headquarters.

"Had a productive meeting with Secretary General of the United Nations HE Mr Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the IMRF," Singh said in a post on X Thursday.

The Union minister of state, who arrived here Sunday, is leading the Indian delegation for the Second IMRF, being held under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly from May 4-8.

Earlier in the day, he also delivered India's national statement at the plenary session of the IMRF and addressed a side-event organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN titled "Leveraging Digital Innovation in Migration Governance-The e-Migrate Experience of India".

Singh also addressed Heads of Delegations to the 2nd International Migration Review Forum, as well as UN Ambassadors and senior officials at a reception hosted at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.

"Called for a more agile, effective, and impactful United Nations, equipped to meet the challenges of our time," Singh said.

During the day, the Indian Permanent Mission hosted a solemn meeting commemorating the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had killed 26 civilians.

The mission expressed gratitude for Singh's presence at the solemn event and "for his guidance as we keep working for furthering and defending our national interest" at the UN.