Govts should ‘face down’ intolerant rhetoric on migrants: UN
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, had this advice for governments at the UN High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development held in New York this month:
Governments have to protect migrants against discrimination, racism and xenophobia, in particular by taking effective measures to protect migrants from human rights violations and abuse.
It is also vital that Governments educate the public about migrants through communication strategies that articulate and explain how existing migration policies are consistent with society’s needs and its ability to accommodate and integrate migrants. Strategies to manage diversity and promote cross-cultural learning have to be part of any migration policy.
Above all, Governments should deny demagogues a monopoly in shaping public opinion regarding migration and face down the threat of intolerance. No country can afford to have its social fabric torn by irresponsible rhetoric and the actions of opportunists seeking political advantage by exploiting public anxieties regarding migration.
Migrants have been and continue to be indispensable to the prosperity of many countries and their leaders have the responsibility to take up the task of shaping public opinion accordingly.
(What if the government is the demagogue . . ?)
