2nd International Migration Review Forum 2026 Round Table 1

Statement on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

1: Esteemed Co-chairs, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

2: I am honoured to address you on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

3. The men and women who feed our world are under tremendous pressure - from a changing climate, conflicts, and socio-economic pressures. They struggle to adapt, facing hard choices - to try and stay or to migrate alone or with their families.

4. Some 1.3 billion people worldwide are directly employed by agrifood systems, and an estimated 3.8 billion people live in households reliant on them for their livelihoods.

5. Around 80% of the world's extreme poor live in rural areas, and a large majority of the food insecure depend on agriculture and other climate-sensitive livelihoods.

6: They are among the most vulnerable -depending heavily on natural resources, and facing limited access to finance, agricultural extension and technologies to help them adapt where possible.

7: For poor and food insecure rural populations on the frontlines of climate change, migration is often not an informed or fully voluntary choice.

8. For rural youth who look around and see no future at home, migration is seen as the only way to get ahead.

9. Concerted action is needed to ensure that migration becomes a matter of choice, not of survival, and that viable alternatives and role models exist at home.

10 : Efforts to address the adverse drivers of migration must consider their agricultural and rural dimensions, as rural areas are often the first step of departure in the migration journey.

11: Resilient and inclusive agrifood systems are a key component of the solution.

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12: Agrifood systems around the world also depend on migrant workers at destination; migrants fill many critical roles in our agrifood systems, yet the sector faces persistent challenges in providing decent working conditions and full respect for their human rights.

13. Coordinated and coherent agricultural, labour and migration policy is needed to address the structural drivers of vulnerability and provide a coherent governance framework.

14: The remittances migrant workers send contribute to rural development. One third of these flows goes to rural areas, where financial inclusion rates are lower, payment infrastructure is weaker, and where remittances play an essential role in preventing rural people from falling into poverty.

15: In this regard, FAO and IFAD call on Member States to:

1. Align policy frameworks considering mobility in agrifood system development, investment programmes and climate action;
2. Create safe, regular, and orderly migration pathways, especially for rural populations;
3. Ensure that the voices of vulnerable rural people and agrifood system actors are factored in the policy design of these pathways;
4. Step-up occupational safety and health measures for agrifood workers in a time of extreme heat, and ensure adequate housing and labour protections;
5. Leverage skills development and transfer for building migrants' and their home communities' resilience;
6. Foster transformative investment of remittances in agribusiness and climate action, to support the improvement of food security and nutrition, the adoption of climate-smart technologies, and the creation of sustainable agribusinesses and jobs.

16: This is not something that can be achieved alone, that any entity can do alone.

17: It is essential we work across sectors and levels of government and consider agrifood, labour and migration governance together.

18: FAO and IFAD reaffirm their commitment to work together with Member States, development partners and migrants to:

• protect rural livelihoods and enhance their resilience in a changing climate
• strengthen rural economies and create livelihood opportunities that provide alternatives to migration for young people, women, and small-scale producers in communities of origin, and
• make migration a safe and viable choice that supports adaptation, development, and dignity for all.

Thank you.