Baghdad-18 December 2008-On 4 December 2000, the General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day (resolution 55/93).Ten years earlier the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (resolution 45/158).

Both these resolutions called on member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to observe International Migrants Day through the dissemination of information on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants, and through the sharing of experiences and the design of actions to ensure their protection.

It is in this spirit that UNAMI expressed its concern over the situation of over 1,000 foreign workers, some of whom have already been repatriated, brought by international contractors to Iraq and kept without job guarantees in warehouses near Baghdad’s international airports, without minimum respect for international labor standards.   The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said today "I am deeply troubled about the plight of those stranded in difficult conditions - some of whom are living in cardboard boxes in freezing night-time temperatures - and whose expectations, as they have been promised, for decent jobs have so far been shattered".  He voiced his support for the steps already taken by those concerned and encouraged additional concrete measures to swiftly alleviate these people's plight.