Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is an intergovernmentally negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, that describes itself as covering "all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner".[3]
On 19 September 2016, the nations of the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. The Declaration recognized a need for more cooperation between nations to manage migration effectively.[6] The declaration set off a process leading to the negotiation of the Global Compact for Migration.
A resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 6 April 2017, which decided on the modalities and timeline for the compact.[7] The agreed upon process consisted of the following three phases:
Stocktaking (December 2017–January 2018), leading to a first draft ("zero draft")
Intergovernmental negotiations (February–July 2018) at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
On 9 March 2017, Louise Arbour was appointed by Secretary-GeneralGuterres as his Special Representative for International Migration and was thus tasked with working with the nations and stakeholders to develop the compact.
On 19 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the compact through a vote. 152 countries voted in favor of the resolution to endorse it, while the United States, Hungary, Israel, Czech Republic and Poland voted against it. 12 countries abstained from the vote.[10]
There are 23 objectives and commitments listed in the draft agreement. These include collecting and using accurate and anonymized data to develop evidence-based migration policy, ensuring that all migrants have proof of identity, enhancing availability and flexibility for regular migration, encouraging cooperation for tracking missing migrants and saving lives, ensuring migrants can access basic services, and making provisions for both full inclusion of migrants and social cohesion.[12]
The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law. Within their sovereign jurisdiction, States may distinguish between regular and irregular migration status, including as they determine their legislative and policy measures for the implementation of the Global Compact, taking into account different national realities, policies, priorities and requirements for entry, residence and work, in accordance with international law.[13]
The agreement lists actions for governments to draw from, including to "promote independent, objective and quality reporting of media outlets, including internet-based information, including by sensitizing and educating media professionals on migration-related issues and terminology" and to "support multicultural activities through sports, music, arts, culinary festivals, volunteering and other social events".[13][14]
The agreement makes no distinction between illegal and legal migrants,[15] but does distinguish repeatedly between regular and irregular migrants, affirms the right of states to distinguish between regular and irregular migration status,[16][17] and commits signatories to "preventing irregular migration".[18] The text does not make a distinction between economic migrants and refugees.[19]
Calling the agreement a "historic moment", General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák emphasized "It does not encourage migration, nor does it aim to stop it. It is not legally binding. It does not dictate. It will not impose. And it fully respects the sovereignty of States."[20]
Positions
Result of the United Nations General Assembly vote for the endorsement of the Global Compact on 19 December 2018.
Australia: Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that the agreement could "undermine Australia’s strong border protection laws and practices", and would not sign it.[38]
Belgium: In Belgium, government party N-VA, including its Secretary of State for Migration Theo Francken came out against participating, while the three other government parties remained in favour, creating a political deadlock.[39] All the parties (N-VA, Open Vld, CD&V and MR) did in fact agree on the compact and Charles Michel announced Belgium's favourable position at the General Assembly of the UN on 27 September 2018.[40] Unfavourable election results for N-VA and Austria's position on the compact had the N-VA change its position. On 4 December, the Prime Minister of Belgium, Charles Michel, announced that the issue would be taken to parliament for a vote.[41] On 5 December, parliament voted 106 to 36 in favor of backing the agreement.[42] Michel stated that he would endorse the pact on behalf of the parliament, not on behalf of the divided government.[43] Consequently, N-VA quit the government; the other three parties continued as a minority government (Michel II) that lasted 1 week and led to the fall of the Belgian government on 18 December 2018.[44][45]
Brazil: Affirmed support for the document at the Marrakesh conference, but the Jair Bolsonaro government announced that Brazil would withdraw its support for the document. Citing "immigration must be treated in accordance with the reality and sovereignty of each country", Bolsonaro again confirmed the withdrawal in a ceremony that happened on 2 January 2019.[46][47][48] On 8 January 2019, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo asked diplomats to inform the UN that Brazil had withdrawn from the Global Compact for Migration.[49][50] In January 2023, after President Lula took office for his third term under the government slogan "Union and reconstruction", Itamaraty officially communicated the country's return to the Global Compact, reinforcing "the Brazilian Government's commitment to the protection and promotion of the rights of more than 4 million Brazilians living abroad".[51]
Bulgaria: On 5 December, the government announced that it would not sign the agreement; its representatives would vote "abstained".[52]
Chile: On 9 December, the government announced that it would not sign the agreement[53][54]
Denmark: On 27 November, the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated that he was supportive of the agreement, but that his government would form a coalition of European countries to create an opt-out.[55]
Dominican Republic: On 4 December 2018, the Dominican government set its position on the Global Migration Pact, stipulating that the Dominican state would not sign the agreement, as reported during a press conference by the legal consultant of the Executive Branch, Flavio Darío Espinal. He also spoke about the participation of the country in the Moroccan summit and announced that the President Danilo Medina would not be in the meeting.[27]
Estonia: The Government of Estonia remained divided on the issue[56] and the country's position was to be decided by the Riigikogu.[57] On 26 November, Riigikogu passed a declaration which supported the compact. According to the Estonian Prime Minister, the declaration would provide the basis for the Governments decision to support the Global Compact for Migration.[58] On 27 November 2018, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that no Estonian official would be present in Marrakesh. Instead, Estonia's ambassador to the UN would vote in support of the compact on 19 December, during the gathering of the United Nations General Assembly.[59]
Finland: The Finnish Government approved of the final draft in Marrakesh in 2018, and voted for the compact in the UN.[60] The only party to question the treaty was the opposition Finns Party.[61]
Germany: There has been some opposition in the German parliament, led by Alternative for Germany.[62]Merkel's CDU complained the Compact makes no distinction between economic migrants and refugees.[19][63] However, the parliament voted 372–153 in favour of the compact on 29 November.
Israel: Israel has declined to sign the agreement. Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu stated that "We have a duty to protect our borders against illegal infiltrators. That’s what we’ve done, and that’s what we will continue to do".[32]
Marrakesh Conference
Italy: The Italian government has decided to not attend the conference in Marrakesh and let the parliament decide whether to adopt the compact.[64]
Latvia: On 6 December 2018, the Latvian parliament voted for rejecting the compact.[65]
Lithuania: On 4 December 2018, the Lithuanian parliament voted for a resolution which acknowledged the need for international cooperation in dealing with the challenges that migration creates and that no state can solve them alone. It also noted that the compact is not legally binding and that the state itself chooses how to implement the goals of the agreement.[66]
Luxembourg: The opposition parties Déi Lénk and the Pirate Party support the pact whereas ADR does not. The Parliament will vote on whether supporting the pact or not.[67]
Netherlands: The Migration Pact led to public debate in the Netherlands after Forum for Democracy asked for a parliamentary debate, based on worries about the supposed "encouragement of migration" and the legal consequences of the signing. On 5 December, a clear majority of the parliament approved the backing of the Migration Pact.[68] The cabinet ensured it would add a legal addendum, which would state that the Migration Pact can not be used as a viable juridical document and therefore can not be used as legal support in asylum claims.[69]
New Zealand: On 19 December 2018, the Labour-led coalition government announced that New Zealand would be voting in favor of the compact after seeking advice from the Crown Law Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Foreign MinisterWinston Peters defended his government's decision on the grounds "that the compact was not legally binding and did not restrict New Zealand from setting its own migration policies." The Government's decision was opposed by the opposition National Party leader Simon Bridges who claimed that the compact did not differentiate between legal and illegal migration and could restrict the ability of future governments to set foreign and immigration policy.[70][5]
Poland: On 9 October 2018, Minister of Interior and AdministrationJoachim Brudziński spoke against the compact, saying that it went against the priorities of Poland which were security and control over its borders.[34] On 20 November, the government of Poland officially announced that it would not sign the compact.[71]
Romania: On 28 November 2018, the Romanian Foreign Minister was authorized by the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, to sign the Migration Pact. Sources say that secret negotiations were carried out long before the news broke out.[72][73]
Russia signed the compact, but issued a statement repudiating certain elements of it:[74]
We reiterate our repudiation of the "shared responsibility" concept that, in its current form, merely implies sharing the burden of hosting forced migrants between the States that frequently have nothing to do with the causes of mass exodus of people. We are not in favor of shifting the burden to others, while the current complicated migration situation is largely a result of irresponsible interference into the internal affairs of sovereign States of Middle East and North Africa. In this context, the countries that were actively involved in such interference should primarily bear the greatest responsibility, including for the migration-related consequences.
Slovakia: After a dispute broke out within the Government of Slovakia on whether to adopt the framework,[75] it was decided that the issue would be moved to parliament for discussion. Following this, the Slovakian Foreign Affairs Minister, Miroslav Lajčák, announced that he would contemplate his resignation if the parliament rejected the compact.[76] On 29 November 2018, after the parliament had voted to refuse the compact, the Foreign Affairs Minister decided to resign,[77] but later withdrew his resignation.[78] On 5 December, following his cabinets approval of the parliamentary resolution, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, affirmed that Slovakia would not send a representative to the UN meeting.[79]
Switzerland:Switzerland will not attend the conference for the formal adoption of the framework in December 2018. The decision was made because the parliament demanded a final say on whether the country would approve the compact, which would require more time.[81]
Criticism
The Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, stated that the compact would reduce Austria's sovereignty and mix up the difference between illegal and legal immigration as well as that between economic and humanitarian immigration.[23] His vice chancellor, Heinz-Christian Strache, argued that the compact could potentially be interpreted as defining migration as a "human right", which he said "can and must not be the case."[82]
The Australian government has criticized the agreement, claiming that it does not distinguish between legal and illegal migrants, particularly when it comes to welfare. They have also claimed that the compact could impose obligations to support migrants even when they have returned to their country of origin. The Australian government believes that the compact would undermine their current migration policies.[83][84]
In Finland, while the government and all other parties approved of the treaty, the Finns Party opposed it and demanded a vote in parliament.[61] The provisions disputed by the Finns in parliament are that both legal and illegal immigrants would be bestowed many of the same rights such as rights to basic services, that the treaty would not allow categorical detention of illegal immigrants,[85] and that the treaty would make migration a human right.[86][87]
Goal 17, which condemns discrimination against migrants, has been criticized due to measures for "shaping the perception of migration". Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff alleged that the compact would allow to defund news outlets espousing anti-migration rhetoric and that the pact could be used to criminalize political criticism.[88]
A protest march planned by Flemish nationalist groups, was not granted a permit to protest on 17 December by the mayor of Brussels.[89][90] 5,500 protestors attended the march, notwithstanding the lack of permit. A counter-demonstration of around 1,000 people was organized by NGOs and left-wing groups.[91]
The German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel criticised the German Federal Foreign Office in November 2018 for not explaining why the final version of the compact was different from the last published draft by pointing out that the wording had been changed from migration "could have positive effects" to migration "does have positive effects". The Federal Foreign Office did not give a public explanation at that time.[92] By using the German freedom of information act, the newspaper obtained several documents by May 2019 which revealed demands by some nations to make some aspects of the pact binding. The details of those talks had been removed from the documents by the Foreign Office, in a self proclaimed attempt to prevent damage to Germany's reputation as a reliable partner. Additionally the paper alleged that the Foreign Office had made false or misleading statements to the press and the opposition, by claiming that the negotiations for the pact in New York had been open to the "interested public", while according to the obtained documents, parts of the Compact had been negotiated in closed sessions.[93]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for managing the foreign relations of Brazil. Brazil has the largest economy in Latin America and is a key political and economic power on the world stage. Brazil's foreign policy reflects its role as a regional power and a potential world power and is designed to help protect the country's national interests, national security, ideological goals, and economic prosperity.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
The Tripartite Pact, also known as the Berlin Pact, was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan signed in Berlin on 27 September 1940 by, respectively, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano, and Saburō Kurusu and in the presence of Adolf Hitler. It was a defensive military alliance that was eventually joined by Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia's accession provoked a coup d'état in Belgrade two days later. Germany, Italy, and Hungary responded by invading Yugoslavia. The resulting Italo-German client state, known as the Independent State of Croatia, joined the pact on 15 June 1941.
The New Flemish Alliance is a Flemish nationalist, conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Belgium. The party was established in 2001 by the right-leaning faction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU).
Justine Greening is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, she served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2011, Secretary of State for Transport from 2011 to 2012 and Secretary of State for International Development from 2012 to 2016. A member of the Conservative Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Putney from 2005 to 2019.
Brazil–Russia relations have seen significant improvement in recent years, characterized by increased commercial trades and cooperation in military and technology segments. The two countries maintain important partnerships in areas such as space, military technologies, and telecommunications.
Charles Michel is a Belgian politician who served as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Michel became the minister of development cooperation in 2007 at age thirty-one, and remained in this position until elected the leader of the Francophone liberal Reformist Movement (MR) in February 2011. He led MR to the 2014 federal election, where they emerged as the third-largest party in the Chamber of Representatives. After coalition negotiations, Michel was confirmed as Prime Minister of a MR-N-VA-OVLD-CD&V government. He was sworn in on 11 October 2014, becoming the youngest Belgian prime minister since Jean-Baptiste Nothomb in 1841.
Theo Francken is a Belgian politician who has been a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2010. He is a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a conservative Flemish nationalist party.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is a Somali politician serving as the current president of Somalia since 15 May 2022. He previously held the office from 2012 to 2017.
Sir Nicholas Peter Kay is a British diplomat. He has served as the British ambassador to Afghanistan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From 2013 to 2016 he was the United Nations Special Representative for Somalia.
The Michel I Government was the Federal Government of Belgium formed following the 2014 Belgian government formation and sworn in on 11 October 2014. The administration was a centre-right coalition of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V), the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats and the Reformist Movement (MR). The prime minister was Charles Michel. The government had an agenda of socio-economic reforms, especially through austerity measures, with its priorities being improving Belgium's economic competitiveness and reducing unemployment. It fell in December 2018 over the Global Compact for Migration.
Jair Messias Bolsonaro is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies from 1991 to 2019.
Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj is a Libyan politician who served as the chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and head of government of the Government of National Accord from 2016 to 2021, which was formed on 17 December 2015 under the Libyan Political Agreement. He has been a member of the Parliament of Tripoli.
The Government of National Accord was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015. The agreement was unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, which welcomed the formation of a Presidency Council for Libya and recognized the Government of National Accord as the sole legitimate executive authority in Libya. On 31 December 2015, Chairman of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa declared his support for the Libyan Political Agreement. The General National Congress has criticized the GNA on multiple fronts as biased in favor of its rival parliament the House of Representatives.
Events in the year 2018 in Belgium.
Ernesto Henrique Fraga Araújo is a Brazilian diplomat and Brazil's former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Chosen by Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro in January 2019 following a suggestion made by Olavo de Carvalho, Araújo subscribes to theories such as man-made climate change is untrue and a "communist plot", "globalism" is a process driven by "cultural Marxism", and the COVID-19 pandemic is the result of another communist plot he dubbed "comunavirus".
The European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement is a proposed free trade agreement on which the European Union and Mercosur reached agreement in principle in 2019. The planned deal was announced on 28 June at the 2019 G20 Osaka summit after twenty years of negotiations. The agreement is praised but also criticized by NGOs, scientists, unions, farmers and indigenous people with both positive and negative aspects usually balanced during discussions.
The migration and asylum policy of the European Union is within the area of freedom, security and justice, established to develop and harmonise principles and measures used by member countries of the European Union to regulate migration processes and to manage issues concerning asylum and refugee status in the European Union.
The history of Europe during the 2010s covers political events which took place on the continent between 2010 and 2019.
The Global Compact on Refugees is an international agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, that provides a framework to improve the worldwide response to the needs of refugees.
↑ "European governments in melt-down over an inoffensive migration compact". The Economist. 8 December 2018. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018. The compact is hardly perfect; the drafters should have refrained from urging governments to "educate" journalists on migration, for example, or to hold "culinary festivals" to celebrate multiculturalism.
↑ Catherine Gouëset (10 December 2018). ""The Migration Pact Can Change the Game"". L'Express (in French). Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2018. Le pacte, en effet, ne fait pas la distinction entre migrants légaux ou non
1 2 Ben Knight (8 November 2018). "German parliament rows over UN Migration Compact". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2018. members of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had raised the same point earlier in the week, complaining about government secrecy (especially on the part of the Social Democrat-led Foreign Ministry) and the fact that the compact did not distinguish between refugees and economic migrants.
↑ Valentina Pop (10 December 2018). "U.N. Pact on Migration Sows Dissent". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made similar comments, citing concerns that the pact could "undermine Australia's strong border protection laws and practices."
↑ Anne Rovan (19 December 2018). "The Migration Compact makes the Belgian Prime Minister fall". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018. Le pacte pour les migrations de l'Onu, qu'a soutenu la Commission européenne, a fait une victime parmi les Vingt-huit: Charles Michel.
↑ ULF LAESSING; Andreas Rinke (9 December 2018). "More Than 150 Governments to Adopt U.N. Migration Pact in Morocco". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018. Chile's Interior Ministry Subsecretary Rodrigo Ubilla told El Mercurio newspaper that the country's representatives would not attend the event, saying: "We have said that migration is not a human right. Countries have a right to determine the entry requirements for foreign citizens."
↑ Ben Knight (6 November 2018). "German conservatives against UN migration pact". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018. Marian Wendt, a CDU lawmaker and member of the Bundestag's home affairs committee, told DW on Tuesday that he was concerned that the compact did not distinguish between economic migrants and asylum-seekers
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
