(Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Geneva, 9 April 2026 - The global labour movement has issued a strong warning ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), urging governments not to weaken commitments to rights-based migration governance at a time of growing political backlash and restrictive migration policies worldwide.

In a joint statement released by the ten Global Union Federations (GUFs), representing workers across all sectors of the global economy, unions stress that the IMRF must remain a space to advance, not retreat from, the principles of the Global Compact for Migration.

The IMRF comes at a moment of clear regression. From expulsions and repatriation practices in the United States to tighter border controls, facilitated deportations and the expansion of “safe third country” approaches in Europe, migration policies have moved beyond deterrence and increasingly involve direct breaches of fundamental rights and of the commitments States have made under international migration frameworks. In this context, unions warn that migration is shaped by forces beyond workers’ control, including conflict, inequality and climate breakdown, and cannot be reduced to border management or labour supply tools.

Representing workers across borders, in every sector and at every stage of migration, across formal and informal economies, the ten Global Unions underline that migration is an issue that cuts across entire economic systems. Migrant workers sustain essential sectors worldwide, yet remain systematically excluded from protection and are often the first to lose income and security in times of crisis.

The ten Global Unions express deep concern about a shift away from a rights-based approach. The weakening of explicit references to international labour standards, labour inspection, and fundamental rights risks reducing migration governance to a narrow labour market tool, treating workers as commodities rather than rights-holders.

For the global labour movement, the message is clear: the IMRF cannot become a forum for retreat. It must reaffirm that migration governance is grounded in human and labour rights, decent work, and social justice.

“You cannot speak of fair migration while ignoring the right to organise. Freedom of association and collective bargaining are what make rights real. If migrant workers cannot organise, cannot bargain, cannot defend themselves, then all other commitments are empty. The IMRF must not legitimise a model that treats workers as disposable,” said Ambet Yuson, BWI General Secretary.

At a time of rising far-right narratives and growing pressure on multilateralism, the global labour movement’s message is unequivocal: there can be no step back on migrant workers’ rights.

Download the statement in English and Spanish.