Welcome and Opening Remarks by Christina Meinecke, Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the European Union, on 30 October 2026 in Brussels.

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Good morning, it is a pleasure to welcome you all to this expert meeting on the implementation of the EU Screening Regulation.

The EU Screening Regulation, which entered into application in June as part of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, constitutes an opportunity to improve migration governance and enhance human rights protection for people on the move at EU borders and in the EU.

From a human rights perspective, screening should be understood as an important tool to ensure timely protection in particular for persons in vulnerable situations, and the channeling to appropriate procedures from the very first point of contact with the authorities.

This opportunity will only be realised if the dignity and rights of every individual are placed at the heart of this process. This includes ensuring that people are treated without discrimination, that adequate resources and procedures are in place to ensure their protection needs are identified and adequately addressed, and that the process is closely monitored from a human rights perspective.

OHCHR has long engaged on ensuring that human rights inform migration and border governance.