This year’s theme highlights how human mobility drives growth, enriches societies, and helps communities connect, adapt, and support one another. This year observance gives us a special opportunity to shine a spotlight on the invaluable contributions of millions of migrants around the world. It's also a day for us to highlight the increasingly complex environment in which migration occurs. Migration is a defining force of our century. Remittances to low- and middle-income countries are projected to reach a record USD 685 billion, and migrants are central to addressing labour shortages, driving innovation, and supporting demographic stability. Yet these contributions can only be maximized when migration is safe, orderly, and responsibly governed. Well-managed migration is a strategic asset: it strengthens resilience, fuels prosperity, and supports social cohesion. From documentation and skills recognition to integration and dignified return, effective systems ensure migrants can find stability, support their families, and build new futures, while helping communities adapt and thrive. Conflicts, climate-related disasters and economic pressures continue to drive millions of people from their homes in search of safety or simply opportunity. This past year, we saw record levels of internal displacement, rising humanitarian needs across ongoing and new crises, and, tragically, the highest-ever death toll of migrants in transit. Yet, alongside these challenges, are stories of resilience, progress and hope. Where safe and well-managed migration holds extraordinary potential. Migrants play critical roles in labour markets, filling skills gaps, driving innovation and entrepreneurship, and addressing demographic challenges in aging societies. Migrants boost economic growth and provide a lifeline to families and communities back home, driving development. The evidence is overwhelming that when migration is managed safely and strategically, it can be a powerful force for good. By supporting regular pathways for migration, we can enable opportunities for migrants, better protect their rights, and contribute to greater prosperity in the countries migrants come from and those that host them. Together, one step at a time, we can continue building a world where migration is safe, orderly, and beneficial – for everyone. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #InternationalMigrantsDay, #18December, #MigrantsDay, #safeMigration, #RegularMigration, #OrderlyMigration.
EVENTS: On December 18th, the UN Migration, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants and the specialized agencies will host a webinar to mark the day from the IOM Headquarter in Switzerland. Migration continues to shape economies, communities, and global development. On this International Migrants Day 2025, the International Organization for Migration calls for smarter policies, stronger cooperation, and a renewed commitment to making migration work for all. Because every migrant’s journey is a story of resilience and possibility, and because when migration is managed well, each personal story becomes part of a larger one that enriches cultures, strengthens development, and benefits us all. “My Great Story” is not only a migrant’s story—it is our shared story of building a fairer, more sustainable future through mobility. Register to participate!
Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on the International Migrants Day 2025; December 18th.
Migration is a powerful driver of progress — lifting economies, connecting cultures, and benefiting countries of origin and destination alike.
Yet when migration is poorly governed or misrepresented, it can fuel hate and division, endangering the lives of people seeking safety and opportunity.
Since 2014, nearly 70,000 migrants have died or gone missing along land and sea routes, with the true number likely far higher. Borders are tightening, smugglers and traffickers are thriving, and women and children are among the most at risk.
Seven years ago, the international community adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration — an effort to maximize migration’s benefits while managing its challenges.
We can and must harness the power of migration to advance sustainable development and build more resilient societies. This starts with challenging the narratives that dehumanize migrants, and replacing them with stories of solidarity.
On this International Migrants Day, let us stand together for the rights of every migrant, and make migration dignified and safe for all.
Statement of the UN Women on International Migrants Day 2025, December 18th.
Today, on International Migrants Day, we celebrate migration as a powerful story of resilience, connection, and shared progress. The theme — “My Great Story: Cultures and Development” — recognizes the profound ways in which human mobility shapes our world: enriching societies, sparking innovation, and advancing sustainable development when grounded in dignity and rights.
Migration has always been a force that binds the world together. Across borders and generations, the movement of people has driven cultural exchange, strengthened communities, and energized economies.
At the heart of this story are women.
Whether migrating themselves, supporting loved ones from afar, or adapting to the changes migration brings to their households, women play a vital and often invisible role. Their earnings sustain families. Their care work supports entire communities. Their leadership helps societies adapt and flourish.
Yet for too many migrant women and girls, the journey is marked by risk — not opportunity. Unsafe working conditions, discrimination, violence, and lack of legal protection continue to threaten their rights and safety. Even as they send life-changing remittances home, these contributions often come at great personal cost.
UN Women is working in partnership with governments, civil society, and migrant-led organizations around the world to uphold the rights and dignity of migrant women and girls — and to ensure their voices lead the conversation.
In Ethiopia, for example, a young woman from Tigray who survived exploitation as a domestic worker abroad returned home and began to rebuild her life. With support from UN Women’s partner, Agar Ethiopia, she accessed shelter, health care, legal aid, psychosocial support, and vocational training. Her journey toward justice and recovery shows what’s possible when services are survivor-centred and gender-responsive.
This is what it means to protect rights and unlock potential.
As we mark this day, UN Women honours the strength, leadership, and courage of migrant women and girls everywhere. Their stories are stories of hope, transformation, and global connection. Their contributions are essential — to families, communities, and the shared future we are building together.
Statement of the IOM Senior Leadership Message on International Migrants Day 2025.
Today we're celebrating something that touches all of us every single day, often without us even realizing it. Migration. It's in the food we share, the music that moves us. The ideas powering our businesses, our sports, our technology.
People on the move shape our world quietly, beautifully, and far too often without recognition. So this year's theme, my great story, reminds us that behind every journey is a story of strength, of someone who is seeking opportunity, building a better life, supporting loved ones, or using their talent to create something new. Migration is not simply about moving from one place to another. It is fundamentally about contribution. When migration is safe and well-governed, everyone benefits.
Workers fill essential roles. Students learn and innovate. Families find stability. Communities grow stronger. And achieving this means investing in systems that help people access documents, education, services, decent work for decent pay, and when they choose a dignified return home. But no country can do this alone. We need partnerships across governments, communities, the private sector, and migrants themselves. Today we celebrate migrants as builders of progress and bridges between cultures. Their stories are not stories of crisis. They are stories of possibility. So let's honor these stories. Let's work together to make sure that every person on the move can live, contribute, and thrive with dignity.
I'm America Ferrer and this is my great story. I like to think of my story as a migration story, but it's not just mine.
It's a story shared by millions of people who have left home. Sometimes because they had no choice and sometimes because they saw a chance. People who took risks in the hope of a better, safer, more hopeful future. For my family, that meant leaving Honduras and starting over in a place that promised opportunity, but demanded courage and hard work in return. My mother worked tirelessly so my siblings and I could grow up believing that anything was possible. I carry their journey and their sacrifices with me today. Every challenge, every audition, every achievement felt like part of a larger path, one built on courage, determination, and hope. And today when I look back from my humble beginnings to realizing my wildest dreams, I am reminded just how beautiful our stories are. Stories of overcoming hardship, beginning again, building homes and communities, and contributing even when the odds are against us. These are the stories that connect us, inspire us, and remind us that migration is at its core a human story and one that will always live close to my heart. This is my great story. What's yours?
Message of the IOM Global Goodwill Ambassador Dimash Qudaibergen Message on IMD 2025.
Through his encounters with migrants across the globe, IOM Global Goodwill Ambassador Dimash Qudaibergen shares how their strength, hope and resilience shaped his passion to stand with them and uplift their voices.
EVENTS: On December 18th, the UN Migration, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants and the specialized agencies will host a webinar to mark the day from the IOM Headquarter in Switzerland. Migration continues to shape economies, communities, and global development. On this International Migrants Day 2025, the International Organization for Migration calls for smarter policies, stronger cooperation, and a renewed commitment to making migration work for all. Because every migrant’s journey is a story of resilience and possibility, and because when migration is managed well, each personal story becomes part of a larger one that enriches cultures, strengthens development, and benefits us all. “My Great Story” is not only a migrant’s story—it is our shared story of building a fairer, more sustainable future through mobility. Register to participate!
Migration is a powerful driver of progress — lifting economies, connecting cultures, and benefiting countries of origin and destination alike.
Yet when migration is poorly governed or misrepresented, it can fuel hate and division, endangering the lives of people seeking safety and opportunity.
Since 2014, nearly 70,000 migrants have died or gone missing along land and sea routes, with the true number likely far higher. Borders are tightening, smugglers and traffickers are thriving, and women and children are among the most at risk.
Seven years ago, the international community adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration — an effort to maximize migration’s benefits while managing its challenges.
We can and must harness the power of migration to advance sustainable development and build more resilient societies. This starts with challenging the narratives that dehumanize migrants, and replacing them with stories of solidarity.
On this International Migrants Day, let us stand together for the rights of every migrant, and make migration dignified and safe for all.
Statement of the UN Women on International Migrants Day 2025, December 18th.
Today, on International Migrants Day, we celebrate migration as a powerful story of resilience, connection, and shared progress. The theme — “My Great Story: Cultures and Development” — recognizes the profound ways in which human mobility shapes our world: enriching societies, sparking innovation, and advancing sustainable development when grounded in dignity and rights.
Migration has always been a force that binds the world together. Across borders and generations, the movement of people has driven cultural exchange, strengthened communities, and energized economies.
At the heart of this story are women.
Whether migrating themselves, supporting loved ones from afar, or adapting to the changes migration brings to their households, women play a vital and often invisible role. Their earnings sustain families. Their care work supports entire communities. Their leadership helps societies adapt and flourish.
Yet for too many migrant women and girls, the journey is marked by risk — not opportunity. Unsafe working conditions, discrimination, violence, and lack of legal protection continue to threaten their rights and safety. Even as they send life-changing remittances home, these contributions often come at great personal cost.
UN Women is working in partnership with governments, civil society, and migrant-led organizations around the world to uphold the rights and dignity of migrant women and girls — and to ensure their voices lead the conversation.
In Ethiopia, for example, a young woman from Tigray who survived exploitation as a domestic worker abroad returned home and began to rebuild her life. With support from UN Women’s partner, Agar Ethiopia, she accessed shelter, health care, legal aid, psychosocial support, and vocational training. Her journey toward justice and recovery shows what’s possible when services are survivor-centred and gender-responsive.
This is what it means to protect rights and unlock potential.
As we mark this day, UN Women honours the strength, leadership, and courage of migrant women and girls everywhere. Their stories are stories of hope, transformation, and global connection. Their contributions are essential — to families, communities, and the shared future we are building together.
Today we're celebrating something that touches all of us every single day, often without us even realizing it. Migration. It's in the food we share, the music that moves us. The ideas powering our businesses, our sports, our technology.
People on the move shape our world quietly, beautifully, and far too often without recognition. So this year's theme, my great story, reminds us that behind every journey is a story of strength, of someone who is seeking opportunity, building a better life, supporting loved ones, or using their talent to create something new. Migration is not simply about moving from one place to another. It is fundamentally about contribution. When migration is safe and well-governed, everyone benefits.
Workers fill essential roles. Students learn and innovate. Families find stability. Communities grow stronger. And achieving this means investing in systems that help people access documents, education, services, decent work for decent pay, and when they choose a dignified return home. But no country can do this alone. We need partnerships across governments, communities, the private sector, and migrants themselves. Today we celebrate migrants as builders of progress and bridges between cultures. Their stories are not stories of crisis. They are stories of possibility. So let's honor these stories. Let's work together to make sure that every person on the move can live, contribute, and thrive with dignity.
Happy International Migrants Day.
I'm America Ferrer and this is my great story. I like to think of my story as a migration story, but it's not just mine.
It's a story shared by millions of people who have left home. Sometimes because they had no choice and sometimes because they saw a chance. People who took risks in the hope of a better, safer, more hopeful future. For my family, that meant leaving Honduras and starting over in a place that promised opportunity, but demanded courage and hard work in return. My mother worked tirelessly so my siblings and I could grow up believing that anything was possible. I carry their journey and their sacrifices with me today. Every challenge, every audition, every achievement felt like part of a larger path, one built on courage, determination, and hope. And today when I look back from my humble beginnings to realizing my wildest dreams, I am reminded just how beautiful our stories are. Stories of overcoming hardship, beginning again, building homes and communities, and contributing even when the odds are against us. These are the stories that connect us, inspire us, and remind us that migration is at its core a human story and one that will always live close to my heart. This is my great story. What's yours?
Message of the IOM Global Goodwill Ambassador Dimash Qudaibergen Message on IMD 2025.
“Every story is a great story.”
