Statement by the delegation of Belarus at the 116th session of the Council of the International Organisation for Migration

Madam Chair,
Madam Director General,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Belarus very much appreciates the Organisation’s efforts to deliver on its mandate at this very difficult time.

In recent years, Belarus has become an attractive destination for labour migration with its living and working conditions, equal access to social services, including healthcare and education.

The Government has implemented a number of measures to ensure safe, and orderly migration, to address labour shortage and maximize the benefits of migration for the State, employers and migrants themselves.

In 2023 improvements in the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On External Labour Migration” were introduced, simplified procedure for attracting foreign labour have been established. This contributes to the growth of regular labour migration. In the nine months of 2025, the number of foreign workers arriving in Belarus increased by 50%, and exceeded 32,000.

In order to encourage the recruitment of foreign workers, amendments were made to the Tax Code, which reduced government fees for special work permits for foreign workers.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection monitors the state of the labour market and, according to data on demand and supply, annually develops a list of occupations for the recruitment of migrant workers, regardless of restrictions on the protection of the national labour market. The 2026 list includes 46 professions of workers and positions of employees.

The Government of Belarus involves employers, including from the private sector, to strengthen legal pathways of labour migration.

In May of this year, a presidential decree was adopted on strengthening employers' responsibility for recruitment labour migration from abroad, providing legal protection to foreign workers and enhancing supervision of migration processes.  In particular, employers are obliged to monitor and secure proper living and working conditions of foreign workers, organize language tests, ensure the timely conclusion of employment contracts.

This October, Belarus hosted the III Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. Speaking at the conference, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that migration is a consequence of devastated economies, wars, and crises, including those caused by Western policies in Africa and the Middle East.

He also rejected double standard Western accusations that Belarus is using migration as a weapon. Belarus does not exploit migration processes for political purposes and has no intention of doing so.

Belarus has never been, and never will be, a country of origin for irregular migration due to the absence of the preconditions for this, thanks to the state’s sustained political and socioeconomic efforts.

Only 0.5%  of irregular migrants cross our territory, compared to other migration routes. And Frontex agency data demonstrates this clearly.

Our Western neighbours have abandoned dialogue by unilaterally blocking cooperation with Belarus. Instead, they build fences and practice brutal pushbacks. These actions lead to systematic human rights violations and deaths. Over the past four years, more than 90 migrants have died as a result of violent actions by security forces of neighbouring states, and hundreds more have been injured.

We call on our Western neighbours to immediately stop these brutal practices and resume dialogue with Belarus. Only through joint efforts will we be able to make the borders secure. By the way, the recommendation of the UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, following his visit to Belarus and Poland in July 2022, for the EU and Poland to resume dialogue with Belarus, is still open.

We also urge IOM to pay closer attention to this problem, to analyze violations and help prevent them.

Despite unilateral coercive measures imposed by the West, which limit our resources in combatting illegal migration, Belarus does its best in this field.

Belarusian law enforcement agencies take all necessary measures to identify and prevent violations. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, 169 groups of illegal migrants, totaling more than 1,300 people, were identified.

Being a transit country, Belarus works closely with countries of origin of migrants in order to prevent influx of illegal migrants.

Madam Chair,

We are very grateful to IOM for its active participation in the thematic event dedicated to the problem of mixed movements in contemporary international relations, which took place on the margins of the Conference on Eurasian Security. We believe that the event will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of growing global mobility on security and development in the Eurasian region.

We highly value our practical cooperation with IOM, including through its Development Fund. IOM technical assistance to the State Border Committee of Belarus is an important contribution to strengthening sustainable border management and protecting migrants’ rights in line with international standards.

We hope that our technical cooperation will continue despite of significant reduction in donor funding since the beginning of 2025. Approval of projects aimed at orderly recruitment of foreign labour, safeguarding victims of human trafficking and improving border control will contribute greatly to strengthening national capacity in the field of migration.

In conclusion, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to IOM for its long-standing work in promoting orderly, regular, and safe migration for the benefit of all.

I thank you.

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