World leaders meet to adopt compact on migration
World leaders from over 150 countries met in Marrakech on the 10th and 11th of december, 2018, to adopt the Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. Story by our journalist member of « Les Panafricaines » Afolasade Osigwe.
The high-level intergovernmental conference which is being held under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly have in attendance, heads of states and governments.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference on Sunday, the United Nations Special Representative for International migration and the Secretary of the conference, Ms. Louise Arbuour, said the global compact was developed as an initiative of the UN member states, as governments were compelled to respond to the increasing clear need to ensure that global migration is better managed.
She noted that intolerable sights of large numbers of migrants losing their lives, and from the growing perceptions that the government had lost control of their borders, led to the 2016 UN Declaration which called for the adoption of two compacts; the global compact for Refugees, and the global compact for safe, order regular migration.
Ms. Arbour who admitted that there was so much misinformation about the compact, however, explained that it is not legally binding on any nation, but a reaffirmation of collective commitment to national sovereignty and to universal human rights in the pursuit of an approach in international migration that will benefit all.
The UN Special Representative for International Migration said she believed that the effective implementation of the compact it would come to be universally recognized as the framework by which states can better manage migration.
Meanwhile, a few States including Austria, Australia, and. The United States of America have indicated that they would not adopt the compact, while a handful others said that their final decision on the compact would be made known after further internal deliberations.
Speakers at the opening ceremony include the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, and President of the General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces and the President of the conference who doubles as Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita.
The conference will feature debates and dialogues on encouraging creative and cooperative thinking around the compact’s objectives with specific discussion on implementation, innovation and partnerships.
