By STEPHANIE KUNDA –
THE Zambian Parliament has urged the United Nations (UN) to continue advocating safe, orderly and regular migration for millions of migrants forced out of their countries either by conflicts, economic reasons and climate change.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs Martin Malama told the UN that issues of migration should be handled in a humane manner and with due respect to human  rights.
Speaking during the UN 2018 annual parliamentary hearing themed: “Towards a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in New York, Dr Malama said member countries should ensure xenophobic tendencies are not perpetrated against migrants either in their country of origin, transit or destination.
Dr Malama, who is Patriotic Front (PF) Kanchibiya Member of Parliament, said parliaments across the globe were representatives of the people and that should therefore include migrants as well as refugees.
He said it was important that migration laws were formulated on the basis that migrants should be protected from all vices that infringed on human rights.
Dr Malama said it was critical that member States considered apportioning and committing reasonable resources towards the management of safe, orderly and regular migration because migrants are often vulnerable as they cross borders.
“We must continue to call for safe, orderly and regular migration and this should be done in line with human rights and an approach that defines humanity. As member States, we should not promote the skewing of the narrative that would encourage xenophobic and jingoism tendencies. As Parliamentarians, our role is to represent the people, including migrants and refugees,” Dr Malama said.
And President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajčák, said migration is a reality which is here to stay because it is not only a feature of the current generation but a fact of life.
Mr Lajčák said the only choice the world had, was to put in place a system that would effectively and humanely respond to migration which has become a global phenomenon.
President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron said migration was a reality and that stopping it was not an issue, but how best to manage it, because much of it was not voluntary.
Ms Barron told delegates that there was need to address the root causes of migration which she said was attributed to conflict, globalization and climate change.
And Dr Malama has said Zambia was proud of its troops deployed in various parts of the world for peace keeping missions under the auspices of the UN.
Dr Malama said Zambian troops on peace keeping mission remained one of the most disciplined and dedicated personnel without any adverse reports against any of the troops.
Dr Malama said this when he paid a courtesy call on Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Lazarous Kapambwe in New York.
He said Zambia was well known for her efforts in peacekeeping and that it was important that the country be engaged in promoting peace at the global level because a peaceful world would be a safer place for all.
This is according to according to a statement issued by Wallen Simwala, the First Secretary at Zambia’s Permanent Mission at the UN in New York.