The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to advancing safe, orderly, and regular migration, while strengthening diaspora engagement as a strategic pillar for national development. The Minister made this known at the ongoing International Migration Review Forum (IMRF 2026) taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, where he is leading Nigeria’s delegation and preparing to deliver the country’s official statement on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
The high-level Nigerian delegation includes the leadership of the Nigeria Immigration Service, National Population Commission, National Human Rights Commission, and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons. Their participation reflects Nigeria’s whole-of-government approach towards migration governance and underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to coordinated institutional responses to migration, humanitarian affairs, and social protection challenges.
Serving as Co-Chair of Roundtable 3 on Diaspora Engagement, the Honourable Minister emphasized the growing need for countries to adopt more integrated and development-oriented migration systems capable of responding to contemporary realities. He noted that migration governance must move beyond fragmented interventions and instead prioritize coordination, data-driven systems, and stronger partnerships capable of delivering measurable outcomes for citizens.
According to Dr. Doro, platforms such as the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit and diaspora-focused financial instruments are already being leveraged to promote investment, innovation, and skills transfer among Nigerians abroad. He stressed that these initiatives reflect a broader strategic shift towards recognizing diaspora communities not merely as beneficiaries of protection systems, but as active partners in national growth and socio-economic transformation.
The Minister further stated that deliberations at the Forum have reinforced key priorities around expanding migrant access to healthcare and education, strengthening diaspora engagement, improving remittance systems and financial inclusion, advancing portability of social protection benefits, and promoting inclusion and human rights within migration systems. He noted that such priorities strongly align with Nigeria’s ongoing reforms aimed at integrating migration governance with broader humanitarian and poverty reduction frameworks.
Drawing from ongoing conversations at the Forum and recent national policy engagements, Dr. Doro reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to ending fragmented humanitarian interventions and building a unified system that connects humanitarian support with measurable development outcomes. He stressed that migration governance must ultimately contribute to economic inclusion, resilience, and long-term stability for vulnerable populations.
The Honourable Minister also called for stronger international cooperation and practical implementation mechanisms capable of translating policy commitments into tangible impact. “This roundtable provides an opportunity to collectively strengthen preventive protection mechanisms, improve coordination, and identify scalable solutions that support a more proactive and inclusive migration system,” he stated during the engagement.
He further encouraged participating countries, development partners, civil society organizations, and all stakeholders to share concrete experiences and innovative models capable of addressing emerging migration realities. According to him, global migration governance must increasingly be built on collaboration, shared responsibility, and sustainable partnerships that protect migrants while unlocking development opportunities.
The Honourable Minister concluded by reaffirming Nigeria’s resolve to continue championing migration systems that are safe, dignified, people-centred, and development-driven. He noted that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. Nigeria remains committed to strengthening institutional coordination, deepening global partnerships, and ensuring that migration contributes meaningfully to national development and shared prosperity for all Nigerians.
The International Migration Review Forum (IMRF 2026), which runs from May 5–8 at the United Nations Headquarters, serves as the principal intergovernmental platform for reviewing global progress on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). The Forum brings together Heads of State, Ministers, development institutions, academia, civil society, and private sector actors to strengthen cooperation and advance migration-related commitments under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Janet MCDickson Noah
Director, Press and Public Relations
