UN Calls For Putting First-ever Global Migration Pact In Motion
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published December 13, 2018 | 12:46 AM
A senior UN official has said that the adoption by more than 160 governments of the first-ever global migration pact was a triumph of multilateralism and highlights the importance of dispelling myths and fear-mongering over the issue, as the key two-day Marrakech conference ended Tuesday.
The Member States who took part in the intergovernmental conference in Morocco committed to a global migration framework based on facts not myths, Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration, told a press conferencenin Marrakech, adding that the framework would protect their national interests and enable better cooperation.
She said the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is designed to enhance safety and order in migration management, and reduce recourse to dangerous, chaotic migratory routes, revealing that it seeks to maximize all the benefits of human mobility and mitigate its challenges.
A central promise of the non-binding pact is that it reinforces, unambiguously, the fundamental principle that migrants everywhere should be treated with dignity and fairness, Ms. Arbour said.
She called on the governments who did not join to reconsider their position. She told them, I urge you to read it carefully and of course form your own opinion. In doing so, listen to the Secretary-Generals dispelling of the myths about the Compact.
A former top Canadian judge, who also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Arbour, told sceptical nations who had decided not to be in Marrakech that under international human rights law citizens of a country have the right to enter, stay and leave their country but they dont have a right to go anywhere else unless they seek asylum, or are authorized by another country to enter its territory.
Ms. Arbour reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterress call to banish the myths surrounding migration, and the international accord, saying that it is not correct to suggest it imposes obligations on Member States and infringes on their sovereignty. It does nothing of the sort, and it is not binding, as a treaty would be.
The Compact also does not create any new right to migrate, she added.
She reminded developed economies that migration is a net gain, and a boost to the work force. On the other hand, when countries host refugees and those forced to flee, they should be assisted and celebrated, as they make the world a better place for all of us.
Ms. Arbour thanked the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting the conference and enabling this historic moment for migration and multilateralism to unfold in Marrakesh. We leave Marrakesh full of energy and conviction. With the Global Compact, we have an opportunity to embark on a new phase of cooperation on migration, she said.
More than 2,000 delegates made the trip to the Moroccan desert and the specially erected conference facility, including government officials, representatives of business, labour unions, civil society, mayors and many others who have a vital role to play in ensuring that migration is managed in a manner that benefits all.
The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, stressed the importance his country attaches to multilateralism in addressing migration and other pressing international issues.
He told reports that Member States had demonstrated in Marrakesh, that migration unites more than it divides. He said adoption of the pact represents only the first step, which must be followed now by implementation, urging everyone to maintain momentum. Mr. Nasser hailed the Secretary-Generals initiative to launch the UN Network on Migration, describing it as the cornerstone to the Compact.
Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told UN news in an interview, how the adoption of the pact would be of benefit to Africa.
She said it should help stop some of the ill-treatment faced by Africans on the move, “the small numbers that have tried to cross borders illegally, she said, and maintain the fight against poverty to try and stop young people from leaving home in the first place.
Ms. Sirleaf, who chaired the High-Level panel on International Migration in Africa, admitted that the Compact will also enable African countries to find ways to ensure that “the people who cross the borders are given humane treatment, the dignity they deserve.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 20 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 20 April 2024
Tennis: ATP Barcelona Open results - 1st update
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Vondrousova stuns Sabalenka
Arandu's roads closed due to flooding
Oil tanker catches fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area
Pakistan committed to ensure safety of foreign nationals: FO
Tennis: WTA Stuttgart results - 1st update
Four passengers injured as train hit an empty vehicle
Over- speeding bus crushed to death two bike riders
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
More Stories From World
-
Second Ecuadoran mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
2 minutes ago -
Togo lawmakers approve contested political reform
2 minutes ago -
Verstappen blasts past Hamilton to win Chinese GP sprint
3 minutes ago -
Taylor Swift, tortured poet, exorcises demons with new double album
3 minutes ago -
In historic election, Volkswagen workers in Tennessee vote to unionize
13 minutes ago -
US agrees to pull troops from key drone host Niger: officials
32 minutes ago
-
US agrees to pull troops from key drone host Niger: officials
33 minutes ago -
Like a bad movie: Argentina's culture industry agonizes under Milei
33 minutes ago -
Pogacar aims to halt Van der Poel's bid to emulate Merckx 1975 record
42 minutes ago -
Golf: PGA RBC Heritage scores
43 minutes ago -
Glowering, threats and Al Capone: what faces the Trump jury
43 minutes ago -
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Sabalenka, Gauff crash out
52 minutes ago