By Gary Raynaldo / DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The United Nations General Assembly Wednesday adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to help ensure the safety of refugees and migrants.
“I welcome the adoption by the General Assembly of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Compact is a non-legally binding agreement that affirms the foundational principles of our global community, including national sovereignty and universal human rights, while pointing the way toward humane and sensible action to benefit countries of origin, transit and destination as well as migrants themselves.”
U.N Secretary-General António Guterres statement Dec. 19, 2018
The General Assembly endorsed the Global Compact on Migration that was adopted in Marrakech in the Kingdom of Morocco on Dec. 10, 2018 by 164 Member States that Gueterres characterized as a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos.”
United States Among 5 Member States Voting Against The Global Migrant Compact
According to the U.N., the document is the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. The goal of the Migrant Compact is to clamp down on dangerous and illegal movements of people across borders that have led to massive human smuggling operations globally. The Compact was adopted by the General Assembly with 152 Votes in Favor, 12 Abstentions, and Five Votes Against (United States, Israel, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland.) The Compact is not legally-binding, but provides a strong platform for cooperation on migration, drawing on best practice and international law, according to the U.N. The United States withdrew from negotiations on the Compact in December 2017, citing concerns over America’s sovereignty.
“While the United States honors the contributions of the many immigrants who helped build our nation, we cannot support a compact or process that imposes or has the potential to impose international guidelines, standards, expectations, or commitments that might constrain our ability to make decisions in the best interest of our nation.”
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Andrew Veprek during U.N. GA Vote Dec. 19, 2018
