ECLAC urges actions to protect immigrants rights

A senior official of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Friday called for greater cooperation between immigrants' native and destination countries to guarantee immigrants' rights. Addressing the Second High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development at the 68th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, ECLAC Deputy Executive Secretary Antonio Prado urged governments to seek a better interaction of factors related to the making and implementation of migration policies, according to a statement issued by the Santiago-headquartered ECLAC said. "Immigrants who are in an irregular situation are especially vulnerable to different forms of abuse. They have difficulties to receive social services such as health, education and housing," Prado said. "International migration should be included in the UN's post-2015 agenda and in the post-2014 regional population and development initiatives," he added. He also participated in a roundtable themed "The effects of international migration in sustainable development and identifying priorities before the making of post-2015 Development Framework," held on Thursday at the UN headquarters, the ECLAC statement said. The ECLAC is one of the five regional commissions of the UN. Its main mission is to contribute to the economic development of Latin America, coordinate actions directed toward this end, reinforce economic ties among regional countries and with other nations of the world, as well as promote regional social development.