UN General Assembly
2015

We cannot speak about development or about peace and security without considering the increasingly disturbing phenomenon of migration. The flow of international migrants has continued to grow exponentially since the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, which was held in New York in October 2013. Conflict, political instability and poverty are the main push factors for migration from developing to developed countries, as evidenced by the thousands who continue to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in search of economic opportunities. The grave conditions to which migrants are exposed, along with the unprecedented levels of humanitarian crises to which their movements contribute, are cause for great concern. It is wrong to blame any single European country for its immigration policy, since each country has to assess its own ability to accommodate such influxes. Nor should Europe be blamed for the tragic drownings at sea, which are the fault of migrants’ countries of origin. Botswana believes that the issue of migration warrants the urgent attention of the international community, with a view to developing a comprehensive 15-29664 3/25 A/70/PV.23 01/10/2015