IOM joined the City of Johannesburg and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) to commemorate International Migrants Day on Tuesday the 20th of December 2011 in Newtown, Johannesburg.  The celebrations were presided over by Johannesburg Ward 60 Councillor, Mrs. Nokuthula Xaba under the theme of celebrating migrant women.

“We have to work together, we have to unite,” said Councillor Xaba, remarking on South Africa’s divisive history of apartheid which has contributed to the intolerance of some population groups by others.

“Although we live in an era of the greatest human mobility in recorded history, migration remains one of the most misunderstood issues of our time. This day gives us the opportunity to promote respect for the basic human rights of migrants and also an opportunity to recognize the contributions made by migrants to the South African economy, and that of their home countries,” explained Dabea Gaboutloeloe, Migration Health Coordinator for IOM South Africa.

This view was supported by Alphonse Munyaneza, senior regional community service officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who encouraged migrants to form united and cohesive associations that would enable them to speak with a common voice.

Through poetry, storytelling, music and dancing, migrants and locals shared their stories of joys and challenges brought about by migration.

A strong message coming out of this event was that migrants and refugees are human beings with potential to contribute to any society if given the chance.

The United Nations International Migrants Day is observed annually on December 18 to recognise the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants worldwide. This date was chosen because it was on this day in 1990 that the UN adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families.