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.
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.
