GCC secretariat-general participates in Vienna Migration Conference

Vienna, Oct. 22 (BNA): The GCC UN ambassador Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh bin Ali al-Ghailani attended the 3rd Vienna Migration Conference: "From Crisis Management to Future Governance", organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Vienna, 18-19 October 2018.  In addition to about 300 decision makers and officials from the Austrian government, ministers from Europe and neighboring countries, as well as government experts, academics, media and civil society organisations from around the world also attended. The opening session included speeches by Dr. Michael Spindelegger, Director General of the International Center for Migration Policy Development, who stressed the need to face the challenges posed by the refugee crisis in Europe; despite the important steps taken in this regard.  Mr. Gernot Blümel, the Austrian Federal Minister of the EU, Art, Culture and Media, and Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in a televised speech, addressed  the importance of finding viable and effective solutions to the worsening refugee crisis through protecting  them and providing them with the appropriate means of living. They also called for the need to regulate various aspects of global migration. During its three high-level panel discussions and its side events, the conference discussed the most important achievements in the area of global migration, as well as the challenges and trends in this regard, especially as the phenomenon of immigrants has become a global crisis. According to UNHCR statistics for 2018 there are 258 million migrants around 20 million of them are refugees. It also highlighted the new policies and initiatives on future migration governance, as well as developments related to gaining the trust and support of citizens and voters, and discussed the progress made with regard to new migration governance, policies developed, actions taken and attempts to raise international cooperation.