The United Nations has launched the Network on Migration in Pakistan to enhance migration management and governance, facilitating safe, orderly, and regular migration. The UN Network on Migration (UNNM) in Pakistan is part of a global initiative established under the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migration.
The network seeks to address large movements of people and supports the implementation of two global compacts, including the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
The network aligns with international frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) serves as coordinator and secretariat, while the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan chairs the network. The initiative will strengthen policy coordination across the UN system and integrate migration strategies into broader development goals.
UN Resident Coordinator Mohamed Yahya said the network provides a platform to unify the voice on migration and foster solutions to complex mobility challenges, including protection of migrant rights.
Coinciding with the UNNM launch, Pakistan’s first Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund Programme (MMPTF) was introduced. The fund focuses on combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling and is jointly implemented by the IOM, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Pakistan government, with support from the private sector and civil society.
Jonathan Prentice, head of the UN Migration Network Secretariat, in a video message, congratulated Pakistan for its role in improving global migration governance.
The launch also highlighted the experience of a Pakistani migrant, Moazzam Ali, who voluntarily returned from Romania with IOM support. He said, “Life makes us move. But journeys, either from our home to new destinations or back, should become easier and more dignified.”
A high-level panel discussion titled “Enhancing Whole-of-Government Migration Governance in the Age of Complex Mobility Dynamics and Emerging Global Challenges” was held. The session, moderated by Dr Nasra M. Shah from Lahore School of Economics, included representatives from foreign affairs, interior, overseas Pakistanis, human resource ministries, the National Commission for Human Rights, IOM, and civil society organisations.
