Access to Services

Migration contributes to positive development outcomes and to realizing the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But migrants cannot contribute to society at their full potential unless their universal human rights, including access to basic services, are respected, protected and fulfilled at all times. In objective 15 ‘Provide access to basic services’ of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)1, Member States commit to ensure that all migrants, regardless of their migration status, can exercise their human rights through safe access to basic services. They further commit to strengthen migrant-inclusive service delivery systems, notwithstanding that nationals and regular migrants may be entitled to more comprehensive service provision, while ensuring that any differential treatment must be based on law, proportionate and pursue a legitimate aim, in accordance with international human rights law. 

Working Group 6 (WG6) of the UN Network on Migration aims to support Member States, partners and the UN Network on Migration through providing technical guidance and expertise for the implementation and follow-up of actions as stated in objective 15, with the aim to ensure all migrants, regardless of migratory status, have equitable access to quality public services. WG6, in its current work plan, initially focused on education, health, housing, on-job and vocational training and other public services including water and sanitation. WG6 later expanded its work to cover other services such as child protection and social protection services in order to provide a better support to Member States in COVID-19 preparedness, response and recovery activities. WG6 seeks to provide technical support to national and local governments to put in place laws, evidence-based policies, inclusive gender and child responsive services for migrants regardless of migratory status on paper and in practice, address migrants’ specific needs and vulnerabilities, and support them to integrate and contribute to the communities where they live.