By Rani Punnaserril
New Delhi, June 2, 2022: The International Catholic Migration Commission has elected Christine Nathan, the first Asian and Indian, as its president.
The election took place of when the commission’s council met May 30-June 1 in Rome.
The council has members from all national bishops’ conferences in the world and other Catholic organizations concerned with migration and refugee issue. As many as 58 of them attended the Rome meeting. The council is the commission’s policy making body.
The commission is an international non-governmental organization working in the areas of migration and refugee assistance and advocacy. It was founded in 1951, in the wake of the massive human displacement caused by the Second World War. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The commission’s mission is to protect and serve uprooted people, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, victims of human trafficking, and migrants — regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality.
Nathan, the new president, is a member of Bombay archdiocese. She is the first Asian to hold the post. She is a senior education specialist in Adult and Workers Education with experience of more than 40 years. Nathan has worked with the International Labour Organisation (ILO – UN) with governments, employers and workers.
A regional specialist on adult education, occupational safety and health, she has engaged with NGOs and Civil Society Organizations on several social issues at the national and international levels.
She states her vision is to eradicate child labor and poverty, enact laws and legislations for migrant workers, strengthen labor inspection on trafficking of children of migrant workers, ensure decent work for workers and their families and gender equality and equity.
She says she believes following this is following the path of Jesus who liberated the people from every form of exploitation.
Nathan is into trade union activities to raise the issues of women and children. She is a working committee member of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha, a prominent trade union in India.
While addressing the council after her election, Nathan recalled that her association with the commission began in 2016 where she was asked to attend a meeting in New Delhi to understand the work done by a few NGOs on different issues, including migrants and refugees as well.
Since then, she has attended meetings organized by ICMC in the Asian Region — India, Thailand, Malaysia — and Geneva. She was involved when the commission took on the ILO issues of decent work, future of work, labor after Laudato Si. Having worked with the ILO for more than 10 years she was familiar with the issues and role of the tripartite constituents and stakeholders on the subject.
She assured the council her full support and agreed to work with the secretary general and his team to enhance the commission’s work.
She explained the council is engaged in multifold work in the area of refugees, the support and protection provided to children of refugees, the fight against harassment and discrimination against refugees and migrant workers. The commission also stands for the right of migrant workers and their families and works towards permanency of employment and residency of migrant workers, the application of international norms and standards that apply to refugees and migrant workers.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, Capuchin Bishop Giorgio Bertin, and Father Fabio Baggio, co-undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development also attended the meeting.