States are concerned with issues of sovereignty, preserving the welfare of their own citizens, ensuring social cohesion and social, cultural and economic development, and fighting against transnational organised crime. Similiarly, governments, international organisations and civil society have a vested interest in ensuring that the rights of asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons─and their families─are duly protected.

In part to achieve this, an impressive body of international and regional human rights norms and standards has been established.  Governments voluntarily commit themselves to a series of obligations upon ratifying some or all of the human rights treaties listed below, which demand repect for the rights, dignity and integrity of individuals and families.

International Instruments

Core human rights frameworks

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights< (1948)
• International convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families< (1990)
• Convention on the rights of the child <(1989) and its optional protocols <on the involvement of children in armed conflicts and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2000)
• Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women< (1979)
• International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights< (1966)
• International covenant on civil and political rights< (1966)
• International convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination< (1965)

Geneva conventions and related protocols

• 1949 Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols< (1949)

1951 Refugee convention

• Convention (1951) and additional protocol (1976) relating to the status of refugees <

International Labour Organisation conventions and recommendations

• Convention concerning the worst forms of child labour C182< (1999)
• Convention concerning migrantions in abusive conditions and the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment of migrant workers C143< (1975)
• Recommendation concerning migrant workers No.151< (1975)
• Discrimination (employment and occupation) convention C111< (1958)
• Protection of migrant workers (underdeveloped countries) recommendation No.100< (1955)
• Migration for employment convention C97< (1949)
• Migration for employment recommendation No.86< (1949)

 Additional UN human rights frameworks

• Convention against transnational organised crime and its protocols< to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons and against the smuggling of migrants by land, air and sea (2000) 
• Declaration on the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities< (1992)
• Guiding principles on internal displacement< (1998)
• Declaration on the human rights of individuals who are not nationals in the country in which they live< (1985)

Regional Instruments

 Americas

• American convention on human rights< and its additional protocol (1988)
• Cartagena declaration< (1984)
• American declaration on the rights and duties of man< (1948)

Africa

• African charter on the rights and welfare of the child <(1990)
• African charter on human and peoples' rights< (1981)
• Convention governing the specific aspects of refugee problems in Africa< (1969)

 Europe

• European social charter< (Revised 1996)
• Convention on the participation of foreigners in public life at local level< (1992)
• European convention on the legal status of migrant workers< (1977)