IMMIGRATION, REFUGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS. RECLAIMING HUMANISM.

Abstract

Migration is one of the most complex and formative social processes in contemporary history. Its multifactorial nature—economic, political, environmental, and cultural—makes migration a phenomenon that transcends borders, ideologies, and historical periods. Throughout human history, and especially in the last two centuries, human mobility has decisively shaped demographics, national economies, and collective identities. This paper offers a historical perspective on the main migration dynamics between the mid-19th century and 2025, integrating an analysis of their structural causes, recent transformations, and institutional responses, particularly those promoted by the UN, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). It also examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the humanitarian emergency in Gaza as factors that have redefined the migration landscape and the international refugee protection system. Finally, the need to strengthen a global humanism based on multilateral cooperation and the effective defense of human rights is raised.