ISLAMABAD: The United Nations (UN) has launched its Network on Migration (NM) in Pakistan to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling, Pakistani state media reported on Monday.
The body, set up in 2018 and led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), unites over 30 UN agencies to help governments promote safe migration and address trafficking, smuggling, labor rights and migrant access to services.
Thousands of young Pakistanis migrate illegally in search of jobs every year. A 2023 UN Office on Drugs and Crime and European Union (UNODC-EU) study found that 24,000 Pakistanis unlawfully entered EU states in the past three years.
The Network on Migration launch was announced at a UN-hosted event in Islamabad that also featured Pakistan’s first Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund program, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
“The establishment of this network is a testament to our collective resolve to ensure that migration is safe, orderly and regular,” APP quoted UN Resident Coordinator Mohamed Yahya as saying.
“It provides a crucial platform to shift the narrative on migration, amplify a unified voice and foster the innovation needed to address complex challenges related to mobility and protecting the rights of all people on the move.”
The development comes amid a crackdown on human smugglers in Pakistan after multiple boat tragedies resulted in the loss of lives of its citizens in recent years.
Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey each year to opt for a better life as the cash-strapped country navigates a tricky path to economic recovery from a macroeconomic crisis.
The Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund program will be jointly run by IOM and UNODC, in collaboration with the Pakistani government, private sector, media and civil society, and contribute to efforts in the areas of migration, governance, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
“The network will leverage partnerships across the UN system to promote policy coherence and integrate migration policies into the broader development goals,” the APP report read.
On the occasion, head of the UN Migration Network Secretariat Jonathan Prentice, congratulated Pakistan for playing its role globally to help improve migration governance.
The launch aims to align Pakistan’s migration policies with global frameworks, with officials urging sustained cooperation among government, partners and communities.
“Life makes us move. But journeys, either from our home to new destinations or back to our country, should become easier and more dignified,” Moazzam Ali, a Pakistani migrant who recently returned from Romania to live in his home country, said while sharing his experience at the event.
