Al-Nasr Participate in International Immigration Conference

Geneva, December 07 (QNA) - HE the President of the united ions General Assembly Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Nasr has praised the tireless efforts made by the International Organization for Immigration (IOM) over past years in order to maintain the dignity of migrants, wherever they might be. In his speech he gave at at the opening of an international conference organized by the International Organization for Immigration in Geneva on the occasion of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the the organization's foundation, Al-Nasr underlined the importance of the immigrants contribution to development efforts in their countries of origin through the remittances they send back home. He noted that the future of immigration is closely related to the future of international migration, which is one of the most important international issues in the21st century in terms of the increasing growth of immigrant population over the last twenty years . He pointed to the emergence of new poles of attraction to immigration such as Asia, Africa and South America. HE Al-Nasr explained the positive aspects of international migration and the immigrants' contribution to development efforts when they return to the country of origin, as they bring back the experiences and skills they acquired during their work abroad. HE Al-Nasr cautioned that the debate on immigration and its effect lacks balance as it is dominated by prejudice against immigrants who have become a target of racist practices against them, especially after the financial and economic crisis. He stressed that the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa have significantly highlighted the risks to which immigrants were subjected and the urgent need for cooperation and coordination at all levels to address this problem. The theme of immigration and its relation to sustainable development is one of the main topics on the agenda of the 66 session of the United Nations General Assembly which is chaired by HE Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Nasr On the sidelines of his participation in the Conference on Migration immigration, HE Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al Nasr held several meetings in Geneva including a meeting with Director of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy. He also met with Director of the United Nations Office in Geneva Cacciam Tokoyev. During his meeting with Lamy he revealed the the United Nations General Assembly's intention to hold a high-level meeting on international immigration, in addition to the possible holding next year s meeting with the participation of the public and private sectors to discuss the global financial crisis. An official source in the delegation of the United Nations General Assembly's presidency said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that Al-Nasr-Bascal talks addressed the financial and economic crisis and the role that can be played by the General Assembly, in its capacity as the biggest international forum, in dealing with the crisis to find executable solutions through the consensus of member states. The talks also touched on to the next round of Doha negotiations, which will focus on trade liberalization and global markets. HE Al-Nasr General Assembly is ready to provide all support for these negotiations