Brazilian President-Elect Pledges To Withdraw Country From UN Migration Pact

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2018) Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has pledged that his administration will withdraw the country from the UN Global Compact for Migration and introduce tough immigration rules.

Last week, Brazil's foreign minister designate Ernesto Araujo similarly said that the country would pull out of the migration pact under the new administration, which saw the document as "an inadequate instrument to deal with the problem."

"Unfortunately, incumbent Foreign Minister [Aloysio Nunes] signed the UN migration pact. I think everyone knows what's going on with France: living in some places in France has become unbearable ... We don't want that for Brazil. We are not against immigrants, but there will be very strict criteria to enter Brazil. We will cancel the migration pact [for Brazil]," Bolsonaro said in a video address, posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

On December 10, 164 countries, including Brazil, adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The pact represents the international community's attempt to establish a common global approach to all aspects of international migration. It comprises 23 objectives for better managing migration at local, national, regional, and global levels.

The pact however triggered division in light of tough migration situation across the world, with a number of countries, including Austria and the United States, pulling out of the document over concerns that it would put constraints on their national migration policies.

Bolsonaro represents the right-wing Social Liberal Party in Brazil, and won a run-off election for president in October. His inauguration is scheduled for January 1, 2019.