The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families is the culmination of many years of discussions, reports and recommendations on the subject of migrants’ rights. The United Nations first voiced concern about the rights of migrant workers in 1972, when the Economic and Social Council, in its resolution 1706 (LIII), expressed alarm at the illegal transportation of labour to some European countries and at the exploitation of workers from some African countries “ in conditions akin to slavery and forced labour.” In the same year, the General Assembly, in its resolution 2920 (XXVII), condemned discrimination against foreign workers and called upon Governments to end such practices and to improve reception arrangements for migrant workers.