Entry into force of the Migrants Rights Convention

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR ATTENTION OF: CHIEFS OF STAFF

Tuesday July 1 2003 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Entry into force of the Migrants Rights Convention

1 July 2003 marks the entry into force of the International Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (the Migrants Rights Convention). This is the first international human rights treaty to come into force since 1990 when the Convention on the Rights of the Child came into force.

Amnesty International welcomes the coming into force of this Convention since it is an important human rights tool for the protection of the human rights of the around 175 million migrants in the world, and urges all states to accede to the instrument.

The Migrants Rights Convention is an instrument that will be of increasing importance in the 21st century as the movement of people across borders becomes more complex, and can provide a solid framework for the increasingly heated and negative international debate on these issues.

For more information please contact: Pia Oberoi, Refugee Officer, Amnesty International, Geneva, Switzerland, on +41 79 366 8168;

Lars Olsson, Refugee Officer, Amnesty International, London, UK, on +44 77 7377 5928;

Or visit the AI refugee website at http://www.amnesty.org/refugees-eng.

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